48-State Quilt from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

NEH is an independent federal agency that supports the humanities in every state and U.S. jurisdiction. 

Since 1965, NEH has awarded over $6 billion to support museums, historic sites, universities, teachers, libraries, documentary filmmakers, public TV and radio stations, research institutions, scholars, and local humanities programming. 

Explore NEH Funding Opportunities

NEH offers dozens of funding opportunities to support research, education, preservation, capacity building, and public programming in the humanities. Find and apply for NEH grant programs here. 

America’s 250th Anniversary

NEH's special initiative, “A More Perfect Union,” leverages the humanities to advance civics education and promote a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the United States.

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Latest News at NEH

NEH Funding by the Numbers

  • Over $6.4 billion in funding since 1965

  • 70,000+ projects in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions

  • 9,000+ books including 20 Pulitzer Prize-winning books

  • 500+ film and radio programs including 6 Oscar nominees and 30 Peabody award and 27 Emmy award winners

  • Collected papers of 12 U.S. presidents, and of figures such as Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Willa Cather, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ernest Hemingway 

Featured Projects

About NEH

NEH is the nation's largest public funder of the humanities, which include history, philosophy, literature, language, ethics, law, archaeology, political theory, comparative religion, anthropology, sociology, and media and cultural studies. Explore NEH's national impact. 

interior Strong

interior of the strong museum

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NEH graphic of funded projects

NEH's 60th Anniversary

Created on September 29, 1965, by an act of Congress that states “Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens,” the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) this year celebrates 60 years of advancing history, literature, philosophy, languages, and other humanities fields. 

Browse a selection of NEH projects past and present