FOR RELEASE May 14, 2026
Columbus, Ohio — More than 100 local history, humanities and cultural leaders across Ohio have signed and delivered a letter to Ohio U.S. Sen. Jon Husted urging the government to release all National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funds to Ohio Humanities and other state humanities councils as appropriated by Congress so that taxpayer dollars can benefit taxpayers throughout Ohio and each state rather than be redirected to projects in Washington, D.C.
The Elon Musk-led Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) canceled millions of dollars in NEH grants in 2025, resulting in economic and cultural impacts from layoffs to cancelled events. A year later, NEH continues to withhold Congressionally appropriated funds from state humanities councils. Now, NEH plans to redirect more than 50% of those FY2026 funds to projects in Washington, D.C.—including “DC Beautification,” the National Garden of American Heroes and The Triumphal Arch—while local history, public humanities and civic organizations across Ohio’s 88 counties continue to face funding losses.
“These losses have robbed everyday Ohioans—especially those in rural communities—of the resources they need to provide the public with engaging civic experiences that support local economies and improve community wellbeing,” said Ohio Humanities Executive Director Rebecca Asmo. “Congress overwhelmingly voted to send these taxpayer dollars into all corners of all states throughout the country, so withholding those dollars or redirecting them to out-of-state projects that most Ohioans will never see goes against the will of Congress, and more importantly, it is harmful to the people, organizations and communities that make our state the incredible place it is.”
Sen. Husted is newly positioned to influence how NEH allocates funds and supports state councils, as he was appointed in March to the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. (He is the first Ohio senator to serve on that committee since George Voinovich retired in 2011.) Husted also serves on the Senate HELP Committee. The letter to him from the coalition of cultural organizations says, in part:
We write as a coalition of Ohio-based cultural, educational, community organizations and individuals to express our deep concern regarding the ongoing withholding of Congressionally appropriated funding for state humanities councils—including Ohio Humanities—by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
As organizations working directly in communities across Ohio, we rely on these funds to deliver programs that strengthen civic engagement, preserve local history, and expand access to educational and cultural resources. The ongoing delays and the capricious reduction in funding have undermined our ability to serve Ohioans for over one year.
The practical and economic impact of these decisions is significant.
We respectfully ask for your leadership in addressing this issue. Specifically, we urge you to:
- Advocate for the full and timely release of FY26 funding to state humanities councils—as appropriated by Congress in the Fed/State Partnership line item in the FY26 Interior Appropriations bill
- Use your role on the Senate Appropriations and HELP Committees to ensure appropriate oversight and accountability of NEH leadership, including the nominated chair Michael McDonald who serves as NEH’s General Counsel
- Work with Senate Appropriators to add bill language and mechanisms to the FY27 appropriations bill to ensure that appropriated funds are fully released directly to the 56 humanities councils for their operations—in a timely manner—and as envisioned by Congress.
“Not only have humanities funding cuts hurt our filmmaking efforts of telling important community stories, but these cuts have hurt the entire region of Southwest Ohio,” said Tim Kraus, treasurer for Media Working Group in Cincinnati. “We will not have arts and cultural programming that enrich school-age children and families who benefit from humanities-funded projects that explore what it means to be a part of this country. Plays will not get produced. Stories will not be told. History will not be recorded. The citizens of Ohio will be shortchanged as the taxes we pay will be diverted away from the arts and humanities.”
Dee Miller, executive director of The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, said the withheld funds could be especially hurtful in Appalachia.
“We appreciate Senator Husted’s successful past efforts to support Ohio’s Appalachian communities, but NEH’s ongoing withholding and reduction of funds would exacerbate generations of underinvestment,” Miller said. “Without this funding, access to the arts and humanities in our region will be negatively impacted, undermining the ability of Appalachian Ohioans to compete in the national and global marketplace.”
There have been two major lawsuits filed claiming the NEH funding cuts are unlawful—one filed by a handful of scholarly and humanities organizations, and another filed by Ohio Humanities and other state humanities councils. Last week, in the lawsuit filed by the scholarly and humanities organizations, a federal judge ruled that the mass termination of more than 1,400 humanities grants by DOGE and NEH is unlawful and unconstitutional. The lawsuit filed by Ohio Humanities and other humanities councils continues making its way through the court system.
“Fund Culture Here” is a public advocacy campaign that will run now through the end of May 2026, supporting federal funding for state humanities councils and the communities they serve.
The toolkit is designed to help you and your organization participate in this campaign and engage your donors, stakeholders, and the broader community in advocating for the release of NEH funds and protecting this funding for the future.
About Ohio Humanities
Ohio Humanities is a statewide nonprofit that shares stories to spark conversations and inspire ideas by hosting programs and awarding grants that support storytellers statewide, from museums to journalists to documentary filmmakers. For more information, visit ohiohumanities.org.
About Humanities Councils
There are 56 humanities councils—one in every state, territory, and the District of Columbia. These nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations were established in 1971 by Congress to make outstanding public humanities programming accessible to everyday Americans in all communities across the United States. For over five decades, councils have received federal funding from Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Learn more about humanities councils at statehumanities.org.
Ohio Humanities media contact:
Linda Myers, Membership and Partnership Manager
lmyers@ohiohumanities.org