May 1, 2025 - The Phi Beta Kappa Society announces its support for the lawsuit filed by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the American Historical Association (AHA), and the Modern Language Association (MLA) seeking to reverse recent actions that have significantly reduced the capacity and programming of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The lawsuit, filed today in federal district court, challenges the elimination of NEH divisions, termination of grant programs, and dismissal of a substantial portion of agency staff.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society has long championed institutions that make lifelong engagement with the humanities possible — most notably, playing a role in establishing the nation’s cultural endowments in 1963. Unlike private philanthropy, the NEH ensures broad access to the humanities by funding humanities education and engagement in communities across all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions.
The NEH is the only federal agency in the United States dedicated to funding the humanities. Since its founding in 1965, NEH has awarded over 70,000 grants to museums, historic sites, colleges, universities, K–12 teaching, libraries, public television and radio stations, research institutions, independent scholars, and to its humanities council affiliates.
The NEH’s investment in cultural and educational institutions sustains local jobs in the humanities, promotes cultural tourism, and contributes to the creative economy. NEH grants support the building blocks of American civil society, funding projects that examine, preserve, and shape our culture and history. These grants fund excellence in research, education, and humanities experiences for the American people. In times of crisis, the NEH provides relief funding to humanities organizations to safeguard our national heritage.
The Phi Beta Kappa Society reaffirms its longstanding commitment to advancing humanities on campuses and in communities. The National Endowment for the Humanities is at a critical juncture today, facing devastating cuts to both its grantmaking and staffing. We urgently invite Phi Beta Kappa members to act now to show Congress the broad, visible, and vocal support for the NEH from constituents by visiting the National Humanities Alliance’s resources.