Elimination of Federal Funding to Wisconsin Humanities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2025

Contact: Dena Wortzel, Executive Director, Wisconsin Humanities (608) 438-1712, (608) 265-5593, dena.wortzel@wisconsinhumanities.org

The end of National Endowment for the Humanities funding to state humanities councils threatens to harm communities in every Congressional district.

April 3, 2025 -- Madison. The future of the Wisconsin Humanities (WH), and the myriad statewide cultural programs it supports and initiates, is at severe and immediate risk. Wisconsin Humanities is the only organization in Wisconsin solely dedicated to statewide public access to historical and cultural programs that enrich lives, connect neighbors, and increase community resilience.

On April 3, WH received notice from the Acting Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities that, effective April 2nd, all its grants were canceled in their entirety. These cuts include terminating the organization’s 5-year General Operating Grant and other program-specific awards. These grants were appropriated by Congress, just as every Congress has funded Wisconsin Humanities through the National Endowment for the Humanities for more than 50 years.

The elimination of crucial funding for Wisconsin Humanities and 55 other state and jurisdictional humanities councils will have a devastating impact on communities and cultural organizations. For Wisconsin Humanities, it will mean a shutdown of the organization. Loss of funding to Wisconsin threatens the ability of museums, libraries, community centers, and educational programs to function effectively. These cultural and historical organizations play a vital role in protecting and celebrating our history and culture, especially at the local-level in communities across Wisconsin.

The threat to Wisconsin includes the loss of:

WH’s Community Powered training for local leaders that puts in their hands tools like community asset mapping, story collection, podcasting, and project management, which WH then helps them use to create sustainable local projects that make their communities even better places to live.
Love Wisconsin digital stories that connect over 100,000 people across the state.
Grants to community organizations for public projects focused on preserving history, creating learning opportunities for young people, offering a space for storytelling by veterans, and more. In 2024 alone, WH awarded over $215,000 in grants for community projects that were matched by 28 organizations with over $890,000 in local support.

“Wisconsin Humanities supports communities and cultural organizations in every corner of the state – rural farming areas, along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, in urban centers, and in the small cities where people live, work, and are raising families,” said Dena Wortzel, Wisconsin Humanities Executive Director. “Investing in our communities has always been a point of pride for Wisconsinites, and most of us have benefitted from a grant from Wisconsin Humanities.”

In a joint statement, Wortzel and WH Board Chair Jenifer Cole called on lawmakers, educators, and citizens to take immediate action to strongly request the restoration of NEH funding by Congress and the Trump Administration.

"The end of NEH funding to Wisconsin Humanities and other state humanities councils will harm communities in every Congressional district and threatens our shared humanity and visions for the future," said Jenifer Cole, WH Board Chair. “History and language and cultural traditions are not luxuries — they are what make us human.”

About Wisconsin Humanities

Established in 1972 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Wisconsin Humanities strengthens our democracy through educational and cultural programs that build connections and understanding among people of all backgrounds and beliefs throughout the state. Visit wisconsinhumanities.org/impact to learn more about our work.