"On January 15, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced $75.1 million for humanities projects across the country. Presented as part of President Donald Trump's January 25, 2025 executive order, "Celebrating America's Birthday," the move is the latest example of how the Trump administration is increasingly using federal funding as a vehicle to achieve its broader goals of reshaping higher education."
"For more than a decade, federal and state governments have funded university programs aimed at shaping civic norms and institutional culture through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and curriculum development tied to government-supported social justice goals. As Insight Into Academia explained in 2023, under grant rules in place during the Biden administration, "federal agencies-which funded more than $49 billion in university research and development projects in 2021-typically require applicants to show they are considering diversity and equity in their work.""
"Earlier this year, the federal government issued guidance warning colleges and universities that they could lose federal funding if they maintained certain DEI programs. In August, a federal judge ruled that directive violated the First Amendment and federal procedural requirements. At the same time, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) moved to cancel more than $175 million worth of NEH grants, many tied to DEI and related ideological programming. Those cancellations were likewise blocked by a federal judge."
On January 15 the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced $75.1 million in grants emphasizing civics, Western canon, and "Great Books" programs tied to President Donald Trump's executive order "Celebrating America's Birthday." Supporters portray the funding as a corrective to perceived liberal dominance on university campuses. For more than a decade federal and state governments funded DEI offices and curriculum linked to social justice goals, and Biden-era grant rules typically required applicants to consider diversity and equity. Recent federal guidance threatened funding cuts for certain DEI programs but was ruled unlawful by a federal judge. The Department of Government Efficiency attempted to cancel over $175 million in NEH grants, but courts blocked those cancellations. Congress approved a $207 million appropriation for the NEH on January 15, 2026.
Read at The American Conservative
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