AASLH Receives NEH Grant to Prepare for 250th Anniversary

This week, AASLH received a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop planning and educational resources to help small historical organizations prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

The fifteen-month grant will enable AASLH to develop and share new resources for history museums, historical societies, historic sites, and other institutions as they prepare for the Semiquincentennial. AASLH will work with partners throughout the nation’s history community to develop guiding historical themes for the commemoration, gather and share new data on the state of the field, and create new educational resources to support local historical organizations. In addition, AASLH will continue to convene partners at fellow associations, federal agencies, and other prominent scholarly and public history organizations to strengthen national planning efforts.

Support from NEH will allow AASLH to continue and expand its role as the history community’s leader for the Semiquincentennial, emphasizing relevant, inclusive history and the essential role of state and local history organizations across the United States. Over the past few years, AASLH has provided feedback and expertise to the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission at important junctures and facilitated communication among national partners. AASLH also produces an annual report on the status of state-level planning each summer and has convened working groups to help identify key areas of opportunity for the history community in 2026.