Colorado Humanities Organizations Scramble in Wake of Lost NEH Funding

Humanities encompass our traditions, our exchange of ideas, our shared histories and how those things are passed on to future generations, says Maggie Coval, executive director of Colorado Humanities. "We firmly believe that humanities belong to everyone," she adds, "and everyone should have the ability to participate in what the humanities bring to democratic society and the richness in life overall."

Unfortunately, participating in "democratic society" itself is getting more difficult by the day.

The National Endowment for the Humanities, which was established with the National Endowment for the Arts and passed by Congress in 1965, has been providing federal grants for humanities projects in Colorado for nearly sixty years and operating grants for Colorado Humanities since its founding in 1974, two years after Congress amended the statute to create state humanities councils.

Instead of receiving promised funds this year, though, many NEA and NEH grant winners received a vague email announcing that their funding would be rescinded as the federal agencies switch gears under the Trump administration. Unlike NEA grants, most NEH funding is paid out through multi-year grants, and the directive rescinded funds for projects in fiscal years 2021-2025. As a result, large chunks of the more than $11 million that would have been awarded to Colorado Humanities and other state organizations, such as universities and museums, suddenly disappeared.

In an April 24 announcement, the NEH noted that future funds would be "awarded to projects that do not promote extreme ideologies based upon race or gender, and that help to instill an understanding of the founding principles and ideals that make America an exceptional country."

The release added that NEH "has cancelled awards that are at variance with agency priorities, including but not limited to those on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental justice."  NEH's new focus, it noted, is on projects "on the nation's semiquincentennial and U.S. history," such as the "A More Perfect Union" initiative meant to promote "a deeper understanding of America's history" and "knowledge of the nation's core principles of government."

Though some Colorado organizations had received part of their promised NEH funding before the April announcement, many are now scrambling for new financing and other ways to stay afloat.

"It's devastating to our organization," Coval says. "We're in danger of closing. We're facing the possibility of zero funding from NEH next year if we look at the president's 2026 budget goals."

In the wake of the cutbacks, Westword checked in with Colorado Humanities and other organizations around the state on the status of their NEH funding and their plans for an uncertain future.

Colorado Humanities

Unlike Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Humanities is not a state agency, but a nonprofit whose mission is to promote humanities education through community-based history, book and literacy programs. "Colorado Humanities has never received a Colorado state appropriation," Coval notes. In recent years, the organization's annual operating grant from NEH has been around $1 million, which accounts for most of its $1.5 million annual budget. "Like other nonprofits, we seek foundation and other grants for programs and solicit funds from individuals through annual fundraising campaigns," Coval explains. "In addition to cash, we receive about $700,000 in in-kind donations annually."

On the night of April 2, Coval received an email and an attached letter from acting NEH chair Michael McDonald saying that Colorado Humanities' grant had been terminated. "It stated reasons that were a little confusing," Coval says. "It stated the reason that our grant no longer effectuated the agency's needs and priorities, and that NEH has reasonable cause to terminate the grant in light of NEH repurposing its funding and allocations with a new direction to further the president's agenda."

The letter referred to the president ordering the elimination of all non-statutorily required activities and functions. "However, the humanities councils are in statute," Coval notes. "So it's not even in line with what the administration's claiming to do."

Colorado Humanities had already received about 30 percent of the funds it was anticipating for the year. "We lost 70 percent of the NEH funds, and the lack of those funds limits our ability to raise other funds, because a lot of the funding was done on a matching basis," Coval explains.

As a result, Colorado Humanities programs like the Colorado Book Awards, State Poet Laureate, Smithsonian exhibits and Chautauqua living history festivals are at risk. Meanwhile, efforts like the Museum on Main Street tours, author talks, facilitator trainings and conversations, and Motheread/Fatheread family literacy programs have been paused altogether.

The Colorado Book Awards, an annual event celebrating the accomplishments of the state's authors, editors, illustrators and photographers, has been turned into a fundraiser with a silent auction and sponsorships set for Saturday, July 26 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House Studio Loft. The event webpage notes that this year's event is  "more than a celebration — it’s a call to action. Due to the loss of our federal funding, Colorado Humanities is seeking community support to keep our programming strong and preserve the Colorado Center for the Book."

The campaign is part of Colorado Humanities' new business plan, which aims to diversify the organization's funding. "Even though things are uncertain, we're very optimistic," Coval says. "I think if we can bridge this time period and start implementing our new plans, there will still be a Colorado Humanities, it just may have support from different sources."

The Federation of State Humanities Councils, with support from the Mellon Foundation, granted $200,000 to every state council, which came with a $50,000 match challenge to help each state council leverage local donations. "The federation sought those funds on our behalf to help stabilize the councils as we go through this period of transition and to help us keep our staff and resources," Coval says.

Colorado residents can support Colorado Humanities with a direct donation, by leading mini-campaigns, or by contacting their congressional representatives. "Demand funding for the NEH and state councils to be reinstated and for it to continue generously into the future," Coval says. "It's still Congress that holds the purse strings for the humanities and everything else that's federally funded. The more contact we can make with the members of Congress, the more likely we'll have some positive action."

Center for Engaged Humanities

The Center for Engaged Humanities at Colorado State University was going to receive a $500,000 capital challenge grant from the NEH to help build out the Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities. According to Greg Dickinson, director of the center, CSU received an email in April saying that the award had been terminated.

The grant was to match money CSU raised for the building 3:1. "We have raised enough to request $200,000 of the $500,000," Dickinson says. "We are requesting the $200,000 and have not yet received any funds."

Without the funding, the university will have to stop or significantly slow down the completion of the JBCEH space, the capstone of a new building on the CSU campus. "The building will serve nearly every undergraduate student at CSU," Dickinson says, adding that the space would be "a cornerstone of humanities research and programming in Colorado. ...The lost NEH funds undermine our ability to support our communities."

In the meantime, donations can be made to support the Clark Revitalization fund at Colorado State University, which the JBCEH building is part of. Designate in the comments to support the completion of the JBCEH.

Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum was to receive a $73,595 NEH grant for the planning of a 2027 exhibition, Queens to Comadres: Maya Women Then and Now. "We followed the news and learned that grants were being terminated," says DAM spokesperson Andy Sinclair. "We checked on our funding in the NEH's online portal and confirmed the termination at that time."

The DAM had not yet submitted its request for payment because the grant project period was midstream when the award was terminated. "The agency has stated they will review these grants and expenses, and if approved, we can make a formal reimbursement request," Sinclair says. "If approved, we will receive less than one-third of our original award amount."

While the loss of federal funding caused an interruption with several exhibition planning projects, Sinclair says that the museum is fortunate not to have to rely completely on federal grants to continue to operate, and has been able to adapt the project's budget to continue.

"It's challenging for organizations to find funders to fill the gap left by the loss of critical federal funds," Sinclair says of groups that aren't so fortunate. Going forward, she adds, the loss of federal funding could impact choices DAM makes about programming.

"We are at a critical moment for the arts and humanities in this country, and it is more important than ever that you support your local organizations," Sinclair says. "...Everyone should connect with their representatives and advocate for the programs they value."

Those who want to support the DAM can make a donation or buy a membership.

History Colorado Center

History Colorado Center director of marketing & communications Jeannie McFarland Johnson says that while History Colorado has received NEH funding in the past, most of that funding lapsed in FY24 or before. "Most notably and recently, NEH funded our Lost Highways podcast and provided some funding in support of the Sand Creek Massacre exhibition," she says.

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The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville educates the public about mining's role in the development of modern society.

Mining Hall Museum

National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, which educates the public about mining's role in the development of modern society, received $9,997 in NEH funding for support and planning before it was notified that funding had been rescinded. "While we were able to receive the immediate funding," says grant writer Elsa Coughlin, "this will have negative impacts in the near future, as the funding was part of a phased multi-year project that heavily relies on the funding." Losing Institute of Museum and Library Services funding in addition to NEH funding has restricted projects the museum planned to tackle, she adds, noting that "many of the projects are urgently needed to ensure the longevity of our 1800s building and Matchless Mine Historic Site."

To support the museum, visit it, donate or become a member.

Poudre Heritage Alliance

The Poudre Heritage Alliance in Fort Collins uses educational programming to help people understand the national significance of the Poudre River and its role in influencing water development, management and law. The Alliance was to receive a $25,000 NEH grant for the project Interpretation Guru: Building Capacity for Effective Interpretation Across Cache NHA. That grant was cut.

According to Poudre Heritage Alliance executive director Sabrina Stoker, while the funding cut had an immediate impact, the organization was in the back half of the project and only had about $6,000 remaining in project costs. "For us as a National Heritage Area, the devastating blow is that of the withholding of FY25 funding that has been appropriated by Congress with CR3 but is being withheld by the Office of Management and Budget and being zeroed out in the upcoming FY26 budget," she adds. "There are three NHAs in Colorado who work to tell the Colorado experience and America’s stories: Cache la Poudre River, Sangre de Cristo, and South Park. Each year, Congress appropriates $500,000 to each of these NHAs, so that’s $1.5M in humanities funding cut in Colorado in areas that drive tourism and generate significant economic activity."

Stoker says the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, which represents all 62 National Heritage Areas designated by Congress, is raising the alarm. "OMB intends to use a rarely used measure called a pocket recession to 'run the clock' out on funding that does not match the administration's priorities," she says, adding that this would mean having to cut approximately 80 percent of Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area's programming.

Find out more and donate at poudreheritage.org.

Regis University

A federally-designated Jesuit Hispanic Serving Institution, Regis University was going to be awarded a $126,226.70 NEH grant for the project Placemaking in Practice: Museums, Archives, Gallery Studies Certification and Minor.

On April 2, Regis learned that grant had been cancelled. "We received zero dollars of the award, effectively cutting our planned support for the next three years," says assistant professor of Art History Khristin N. Montes, who notes that losing the funding means starting from scratch in terms of planning and funding the program. "We must now reconsider how we will gain access to needed supplies and materials for faculty, staff and our students," she adds.

Montes says that Regis will continue to lean into its educational mission, but is currently assessing its options for working with private foundations and donors to support the museum, archives and gallery studies certificate.

"People are more unsure of the value of a college degree than ever before," Montes says. "One way to help support Regis is to share your own experiences in college, if you attended, and the ways in which humanities courses expanded your thinking and view of the world, regardless of your eventual career. People need to know that college is worth it, not just in terms of the higher salary."

Find out more and donate at regis.edu.

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs had been awarded a $246,320 NEH grant for the project Illuminating the Past: A Summer Institute on Multispectral Imaging and Cultural Heritage Preservation. UCCS spokesperson Chris Valentine says that while the university received the April 2 notification that its grant had been terminated, the university had already been awarded the full amount to spend throughout the grant period.

"We were only reimbursed for the costs incurred, and we did not spend $211,219 of the total awarded amount," Valentine says.