On April 2, 2025, the AAR endorsed a statement by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA) on threats to the NEH posed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aimed to substantially reduce NEH staff, cut the agency’s grant programs, and rescind previously awarded grants.
On April 3, 2025, DOGE began to terminate previously awarded NEH grants.
If you are someone who has been or may be affected, please read the following from the NHA on what’s happening and what to do next.
Quick Link: Take Action Now to Save the NEH
From the National Humanities Alliance (NHA):
“We learned this morning (April 3) that DOGE has begun terminating previously awarded NEH grants. We understand that this includes operating grants to the state and jurisdictional humanities councils, scholarly societies, community organizations, and individuals. While we know that grants are being terminated, we do not yet know the full scope of terminations.
At this moment, our understanding is that the grant terminations are being issued directly from DOGE and that the email address included in the termination letter is a DOGE email address. Emails sent to this address go to DOGE directly and not the NEH.
It is imperative that affected grantees get in touch with their Members of Congress directly. We are also collecting information about the scope of the terminations. If your organization or one of your members has been directly affected, please fill out this form both to let us know and to get appropriate contact information for congressional staff.”
What to Do Now
The NHA has provided a number of actions you can take to save the NEH:
- Send an email to your officials
- Share this news as well as this alert with your colleagues and members.
- If you have been affected by these terminations, contact the press to let them know
- Sign up for office hours with the NHA to get support with press outreach
- Bookmark this page to access resources from the NHA
The AAR is actively working on several advocacy strategies to resist the compounding negative impact of current political developments, policy changes, and legal challenges. Read a letter from AAR’s Executive Director and visit our advocacy page to learn more about how you can get involved.