Join Us in Keeping Wisconsin’s Stories and Dreams Alive
Sixty years ago, Congress declared that the humanities and the arts are crucial for citizens of a democracy. That meant that the humanities and arts deserve federal support. The National Endowment for the Humanities soon established state-level humanities councils to make the humanities accessible in every corner of the nation.
Wisconsin Humanities has been a leader and partner for people throughout Wisconsin for over 50 years. We have nourished the roots of democracy by helping neighbors get to know neighbors, explore our past, and share our stories and dreams.
On April 3, 2025, NEH funding for all 56 independent, nonprofit state humanities councils was terminated. But our mission is just as crucial as ever.
The Wisconsin Humanities statewide community stepped up with funds and expressions of support. THANK YOU! Keep them coming!
Tragically, until federal funding returns, our programs are suspended. But with a few staff and our statewide board, at least in 2025 we will still be here. We are committed to being a voice for the public humanities and a connector for Wisconsinites who want to work together to keep writing the story of Wisconsin. We have got to find a path forward — together.
To be a part of this chapter and help us write the next one, please:
➞ Subscribe to our enewsletter
➞ Subscribe and listen to our Human Powered podcast
➞ Follow and share our social media
➞ Make a gift of any size
➞ If you value Wisconsin Humanities and believe that federal support is necessary, let your members of Congress know

Our Statewide Commitment
Since our organization's founding as an independent nonprofit in 1972, Wisconsin Humanities has worked in every corner of the state with YOU to explore what it means to be human, to be part of a democracy, and to strengthen each of our communities.

Follow Your Curiosity
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Thanks Isthmus for sharing the ongoing story of how we and folks across Dane County and the entire state are responding to federal funding cuts. And thanks to all our donors, we're still here. Congress is working NOW on the coming year's federal budget. It's crucial that your ...voice is heard.

One local nonprofit is forging ahead in the face of federal funding cuts. Wisconsin Humanities is taking a transparent approach, sharing plans about...
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.comBoard member Jan Larson @jan.larson.334 stopped by our office after a wonderful board meeting yesterday. The last thing to move out of our office is a big stack of Love Wisconsin books! Jan is going to give away books in Eau Claire, spreading the love from and for Wisconsin Humanities.😃 If ...you know an independent bookstore that would like to put up a display about Wisconsin Humanities and give some beautiful books away, and you can come to our office to pick them up next week, email Dena -- dena.wortzel@wisconsinhumanities.org
Today is Juneteenth -- an American holiday that commemorates the day when 250,000 enslaved people in the state of Texas, which became the last bastion for slavery during the final days of the Civil War, were declared free by the U.S. Army. People of all races and ethnicities across Wisconsin are ...celebrating Juneteenth today, but Milwaukee's celebration takes the cake. Wisconsin Humanities board member Everett Marshburn, a nationally award-winning broadcast journalist with Milwaukee PBS and producer of the show Black Nouveau, is there to capture some of the spirit of Juneteenth. If you can't be there, check out Black Nouveau.
We are SO grateful to Peter Robertson and Tribe 9 Foods who came to our rescue when we lost federal funding . We moved out of our office today and arrived at the Tribe 9 warehouse with a truckload of our history -- including the history of all the Smithsonian travelling exhibits we toured around ...the state, like "Key Ingredients: America by Food"! Tribe 9 is continuing to make food history in Wisconsin and we sure hope that we can help tell that kind of history again.
THANK YOU to Peter, Tribe 9 Foods, and everyone who has stepped up since April. We want Wisconsin to keep unearthing and sharing all the stories we really need to hear right now and always.
Summer is here and sometimes you just need to walk away from the news and draw new energy from the things we all love and want to protect. Start your day with a Love Wisconsin story -- or get out on the water if you can today!

Buzz grew up fishing on Wisconsin rivers. As a Lake Planner for the State of Wisconsin he worked to improve the health of WI waterways.
www.lovewi.comWe're so excited that two of our favorite people -- and Wisconsin's best teachers of storytelling -- are offering a workshop that will help you tell YOUR best story better than ever. Register now while there are still slots open.
Join the conversation about our state, our futures, and our stories. Listen with your favorite podcast app. https://pod.link/human-powered
We know everyone is wondering: What is hibernation? How will Wisconsin Humanities be working during the coming months?
To answer some of these questions and connect with you, we invite you to a SPECIAL Zoom tonight to learn more! TONIGHT from 5:30-6:30 on Zoom! Register here: ...https://wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/2XZDwPv2RBmWiDibQ8c50g#/registration
This special Wisconsin Humanities online gathering is a chance to:
-Celebrate 53 years of Wisconsin Humanities’ impact
-Share recent organizational updates and our new direction
-Thank our donors and show how their support is making a difference
-Highlight the personal stories and programs that shaped our legacy
-Preview the future through clips from our Human Powered podcast
You'll hear from Dena Wortzel as well as WH staff, who will share some of our plans for the coming months.
To REGISTER, please click on this link:https://wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/2XZDwPv2RBmWiDibQ8c50g#/registration
Last night the Barrymore hosted a film screening of a Wisconsin Humanities grant funded project in collaboration with the Progressive . “When Rubber Meets the Road,” a film by BJ Hollars and Steve Dayton is a new documentary that tells the story of the departure of the Uniroyal Tire plant from ...Eau Claire, Wisconsin and a Midwestern city’s attempt to reinvent itself in the wake of America’s manufacturing decline.
This special public screening featured introductory remarks by journalists Norman Stockwell and John Nichols, Tony Sansalone of Wisconsin Humanities, plus filmmakers B.J. Hollars and Steve Dayton.