· The Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) has terminated the general operating grants of all 56 state and territorial humanities councils for the current 2025 fiscal year that have already been awarded by Congress.
· The Mississippi Humanities Council has received annual generating operating grants from NEH every year since 1972.
· The Mississippi Humanities Council receives about 70% of its total budget each year from the NEH, about $1 million, which funded most of our day-to-day operations.
· Last year, with just $1 million in federal funds, the MHC was able to present 750 council-conducted programs across the state, reaching 90 different communities, including direct funding to historic sites, cultural nonprofits, museums, libraries, and more. We also used this federal money to support 65 grants to nonprofit organizations across the state.
· Our programs and services will have to change as a result of the termination of our federal funding.
· The Council has suspended all grants except for oral history projects, which are supported with funds appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature. Proposals for up to $5,000 will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please contact Carol Andersen to discuss your proposal ideas.
In addition, several Council-conducted programs will continue, including:
o Great Stories Club, our a literary-outreach program providing youths with the opportunity to read, reflect and share ideas on themes that resonate with them, thanks to support from the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation.
o Prison education programs, thanks to support from the Mellon Foundation.
o Museums on Main Street – next month, the Council will announce six host sites for Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit highlighting innovation in rural America from the perspective of the people who lived it.
o Sunday Screenings, a monthly film screening and discussion program at the Two Mississippi Museums, conducted in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Film Office and the Mississippi Film Society.
o Mississippi Encyclopedia Online, thanks to our partnership with the University of Mississippi.
o The Mississippi Freedom Trail – watch our calendar for upcoming unveilings.
o Speakers Bureau – While this program is currently paused, we hope to resume accepting applications sometime next month once private funding is secured. This program bring speakers, including some of our state’s finest historians, writers and storytellers who present on a wide variety of subjects related to Mississippi and beyond, to local communities across the state.
o The Council will be launching a new program soon, a community-based discussion series of The Barn, an in-depth account of the murder of Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta in 1955, written by Wright Thompson.
FAQ
I was awarded a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council that has not been fully paid. Will I still receive my payment?
- No, unfortunately we are no longer able to access our federal funds. If our access is restored, our first priority will be paying out these grants.
Is the Mississippi Humanities Council still going forward with its upcoming events?
- We are proceeding with all Council events currently publicized on our website event calendar.
What about events planned with grant funds from the Mississippi Humanities Council?
- Events made possible, in part, with Mississippi Humanities Council grants already awarded will proceed as planned. Check with the host institution for up-to-date information.
How will losing NEH funds impact the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi?
- Without funding from the NEH, the Mississippi Humanities Council will have to reduce its services for Mississippi, including our major grants. The May 1 grant deadline for major proposals has been canceled, which means programs supported by these grants in the past, including events like the new Possumtown Book Festival in Columbus and the Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival in Clarksdale, will no longer have the support of Council grant funds.
The Council is working aggressively to find new non-federal funding from foundations and private donors so that we can resume our grant program. Meanwhile, by reducing program offerings and drawing on reserves, we will continue to offer as many Council-conducted programs as possible.
What can people do to help?
· Contact your representative to voice support for the NEH
· Donate to the Mississippi Humanities Council
· Keep listening — more information and action steps are coming soon