#SavePAHumanities
Act now to protect the humanities in Pennsylvania
On April 2, PA Humanities received notice that our federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was terminated, effective immediately. This action is part of a broader federal effort to dismantle the NEH and eliminate cultural programs nationwide. It cuts 60% of our annual budget and puts vital community programs across Pennsylvania at risk.
Libraries, museums, youth programs, historic preservation projects, and civic engagement efforts will lose critical support. We are taking legal and advocacy action to fight back, but we need your help.
3 ways you can help #SavePAHumanities:
Together, we can #SavePAHumanities. Thank you for standing with us.
Donate
Support the fight to #SavePAHumanities
Your donation supports and preserves essential community programs across Pennsylvania while we continue to advocate for restored funding.
Make your gift today and the Mellon Foundation will match it dollar for dollar until we reach $50,000 in new gifts.
#SavePAHumanities Funds to Date
We’re raising funds to replace our loss of federal support and keep our critical programs operational.
Goal: $1.2M
Thank you to our generous donors!
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Latest News
The defunding of PA Humanities is making headlines across Pennsylvania and the country. Share these stories with your networks to help the public understand what’s at stake.
OPINION: No matter what DOGE believes, the humanities aren’t waste. They are us.
Executive director Laurie Zierer’s op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer explains why the humanities are worth fighting for.
In the face of devastating federal cuts, this piece is a call to action for all of us to stand together to #SavePAHumanities.
Philadelphia Inquirer
DOGE cuts threaten funding to Philadelphia museums, libraries, and more
Read More
Federation of State Humanities Councils
Cuts to NEH and Humanities Councils: What New England and the Mid-Atlantic Will Lose
Read More
Our Impact
The fight to save PA Humanities is about more than just funding—it’s about people, places, and programs impacted by the humanities.
Our partners across the state do extraordinary work, from youth development and historic preservation to civic dialogue and cultural connection. Their stories illustrate what’s at stake in the fight for federal funding.
We invite you to read, watch, and share the stories of humanities practitioners who speak to the impact and inspirational power of PA Humanities.
Our library has worked with adolescents with significant mental health concerns using funding from PA Humanities' "Youth-Led Humanities" program. The teens that we work with grow and thrive with the enrichment that the program brings... More cuts to federal funds and grants will harm the most vulnerable people that we serve.
Jessica Kiefer, Hempfield Area Library
I just know that living and working in a rural community, that awards from PA Humanities have opened doors for local students in our community and the impact of missing out on educational opportunities... could be devastating.
Jacque Benhart, Indiana Free Library
The work of PA Humanities is the work of communities and community building. Its work is crucial precisely because it includes the very art of life that can only come with the participation of the people in our communities. Without art, there is little room for beauty. Without storytelling, there is no foundation. Without the knowledge of self that the people bring, there can be no platform upon which to build. PA Humanities gives us the tools that the people of communities need to create the strongest sense of self upon which to build their futures.
Dr. Rhonda Matthews, Erie's Black Wall Street
Advocacy Resources
Help us advocate for the humanities!
We are actively working with our local, state, and national partners to advocate for the National Endowment for the Humanities. We are committed to defending the essential role the humanities play in building informed, connected, healthy, and resilient communities.
You can support this work by contacting your elected officials and urging them to oppose the dismantling of the NEH. Phone calls are especially effective.
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [City/Town, PA].
I’m [calling/writing] to express my strong opposition to the recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency to terminate NEH grants, including funding for PA Humanities. This is an unprecedented and damaging move that puts critical community programs and cultural organizations across Pennsylvania at risk.
The NEH has brought over $37 million to our state in the last five years alone, supporting education, local history, youth programs, and civic engagement. Defunding the NEH undermines our communities, our classrooms, and our shared values.
I urge [Senator/Representative Name] to take action to protect the NEH and to stand against these harmful cuts.
Thank you.
[Your name and address]
The Federation of State Humanities Councils has created a simple form with a pre-drafted script. Please feel free to copy and paste the script we provide, if you prefer.
Donate Today
Your donation supports and preserves essential community programs across Pennsylvania while we continue to advocate for restored federal funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Share on Social Media
Help us raise awareness by sharing our story on social media. Whether it’s a personal post, a quote from one of our partners, a recent news story, or a link to this page, your voice can help turn the tide. Use this graphic and the sample post below or create your own, and don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtags:
#SavePAHumanities #ProtectNEH
Let’s make sure every Pennsylvanian knows what’s at stake.
🚨 PA Humanities had its National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant terminated as part of a sweeping effort by DOGE to dismantle the NEH and public funding for the humanities and arts nationwide. This threatens libraries, museums, youth programs, classrooms and communities across PA.
[Personal statement on why the humanities matter to you.]
✅ Take action now: https://pahumanities.org/act