Articles
On Wednesday, April 2, all state humanities councils—including Humanities Texas—received notification that our federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has been terminated, effective immediately.
On behalf of our board and staff, I want to thank everyone who reached out over the past few weeks with concern and support. We are also grateful to those who have shared their stories with us and have contacted their members of Congress on our behalf.
We anticipated cuts in our federal funding this year, but the suddenness and severity of this total rescission are stunning. The kindness our friends have shown in this moment is deeply heartening.
Due to the abruptness of these cuts, we have paused making new grant awards until further notice. If you represent an organization that was planning to approach Humanities Texas for support later this year, please be in touch. Our grants staff remains available for consultation, and we are eager to learn about your plans! We are actively fundraising and hope to resume grantmaking soon.
Other Humanities Texas programs will continue as planned:
Outstanding Teaching Awards
Our Awards Committee is currently reviewing applications for the 2025 awards. The committee will meet next month, and we’ll announce winners in early summer.
Teacher institutes
We are moving ahead with our upcoming workshop on "Teaching Contemporary Popular Literature at the Secondary Level" Dallas and our summer teacher institutes in Houston, Austin, Denton, and Lubbock, as those programs are supported by our state appropriation.
Exhibitions
Traveling exhibitions are available for rent in Texas and beyond.
Texas Originals
Our radio program remains available at no cost. If you represent a station interested in bringing this series to your listeners, please complete and submit the online form, and a Humanities Texas staff member will contact you
Texas Storytime
Our Texas Storytime family reading program is taking place in Uvalde this spring.
The situation remains fluid. As developments arise, we will announce changes on social media and in our monthly newsletter.
But, today, we urgently need your help. Please consider donating to Humanities Texas if you haven’t already. Added support will give us the time and flexibility we need to face this sudden and drastic recission in our operating funds.
I’ll close with a bright note from earlier this month.
On Tuesday, April 8, the Texas Association of Museums (TAM) presented Humanities Texas with the 2025 TAM President’s Award, which is given annually by the TAM Executive Committee “to an individual, institution, or partner organization or foundation that has done significantly impactful work over the past year within the Texas museum community.”
I accepted the award on behalf of Humanities Texas at a ceremony held during TAM’s annual meeting. In announcing the award, Margaret Koch, executive director of the Bullock Texas State History Museum, asked the approximately 250 attendees to raise their hands if they had ever benefited from Humanities Texas’s programs and resources. Nearly everyone’s hand went up. In this difficult moment, it was a balm to have that affirmation of the breadth of our impact.
Please keep in touch. I send my deepest thanks for your support of our work, which has never been more critical.
Eric Lupfer
Humanities Texas Executive Director