Federal Judge Casts Hope for Humanities North Dakota Amid Funding Cuts

In 2024, Humanities North Dakota hosted a gathering where Kate Bowler, an author and podcaster, presented. This organization is expressing hope for a secure financial future as a federal judge implies that the executive branch incorrectly aborted two years of national humanities grants. The National Endowment for the Humanities, which was brought into existence by the Congress in 1965, is a crucial support for education in the civics, arts, and culture. 56 humanities councils, including Humanities North Dakota, depended profoundly on this agency for fiscal support.

Regrettably, in early April, the administrative arm of the federal government reversed a decision that impacted the disbursement of a considerable amount for grant funding originally meant for these humanities councils for the fiscal years 2024 and 2025, says judicial records. The National Endowment for the Humanities announced their intention to reallocate those resources, in line with the President’s objectives.

Humanities North Dakota, in April, mentioned they would be at a potential loss of $600,000 of the grant funds that they were supposed to receive in 2024 due to these funding cuts. The outfit later managed to secure $300,000 in private donations which helped them maintain operations, although they took measures to streamline their programming because of the missing grant funds.

In an unexpected move, Judge Michael Simon of the U.S. District Court in Oregon stated in an order that the executive branch’s decision to withdraw funding for humanities councils is not legal and suggested it could be overturned at a later stage. While Simon’s order does not immediately revert the grant cuts, it temporarily prohibits the federal government from reallocating these funds, as per the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

Brenna Gerhardt, the executive director of Humanities North Dakota, in responding to the court’s decision said ‘With the court’s decision, we’ll begin the process of resuming halted initiatives, join hands again with our community partners, and make sound financial decisions that take into account both the turbulence of the past few months and our enduring commitments.’

The slashing of the grants is one among the series of measures initiated by the executive branch agencies, pushed for by the Department of Government Efficiency, including a devastating staff reduction at the National Endowment for the Humanities which saw approximately 65% of its employees being let go, as noted in Simon’s order.

Judge Simon presided over a lawsuit brought against the Department of Government Efficiency and the National Endowment for the Humanities lodged by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and one of its members, Oregon Humanities. According to their complaint, they accused the federal administration of withdrawing funding without a properly thought out evaluation, while also disregarding the Congress-mandated role of the councils, which is to ensure the reach of humanities programs throughout the United States.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has argued that the grants were discontinued because they were seen to endorse areas such as diversity, fairness and inclusion, disability accommodations and environmental justice. These were subjects that the President pledged to eliminate under an executive order implemented earlier that year.

Simon argued that such a decision contradicts the intent of Congress for the National Endowment for the Humanities to allocate the grant money. He cited federal law, which instructs the agency to support initiatives that ‘reflect the diversity and richness of our American cultural heritage’ and to give special consideration to scholars and institutions that have been traditionally underrepresented.

According to Simon, these funding cutbacks interfered with funding for various projects, such as an Indigenous language preservation program in Alaska, an end-of-life care department for a children’s hospital in Ohio, and rural libraries in Oregon.

Judge Simon share his observations stating, ‘From the largest cities to the most rural communities throughout our nation, humanities funding came to a screeching halt.’

Reacting to Simon’s ruling, Phoebe Stein, who heads the Federation of State Humanities Councils, applauded Simon’s judgement but remarked that this would still leave the humanities councils with a financial deficit in the meantime. She noted, ‘Many have already reduced staff and halted critical programs as a consequence.’

The National Endowment for the Humanities maintained their stance in legal paperwork stating the federal rules permitted them to cease grants if they concluded that a grant was not in line with their agency priorities.