NEH Statement on FY2023 Congressional Appropriation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on December 29, 2022, provides $207 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an increase of $27 million over the agency’s Fiscal Year 2022 appropriation.

In addition to providing support for NEH’s grantmaking divisions, this appropriation also supports local and regional humanities programs administered by the network of 56 state, jurisdictional, and interim humanities councils. The legislation also provides funding for NEH’s new special initiative, American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future, which leverages the humanities to strengthen our democracy, advance equity for all, and address our changing climate.

“This funding will allow NEH to reach even more institutions and communities through our grantmaking, and increase the impact of our investment in humanities programs, education, and research,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “NEH is grateful to Congress for its support of our efforts to highlight the role of the humanities in addressing current challenges. Through the agency’s American Tapestry initiative, NEH will continue to support projects that promote understanding of civics and American history, amplify the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups, and foster climate resilience in the nation’s cultural and educational sectors.”

National Endowment for the Humanities: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at neh.gov.