On September 29, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law. This law created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The purpose of the NEH is to advance the humanities and its respective disciplines into the public square. To respond more effectively to local needs, the NEH decided to establish a humanities council in every state, plus six U.S. territories. The Florida Humanities Council (FHC) was established in 1973, known today as simply Florida Humanities.
On March 31, Florida Humanities was informed that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had visited the NEH in order to reduce its budget and staff significantly.
“Days later, our executive director, Nashid Madyun, received a letter from NEH saying our funding, which Congress had approved for the remainder of the fiscal year, was terminated immediately,” said Andrew Quintana, communications manager for Florida Humanities. “NEH is the main funding agency for all humanities councils across the nation, including Florida Humanities. Without the agency’s funding, our organization is extremely limited in the programming and support we can provide to libraries, museums and cultural organizations in every Florida county. Due to federal funding cuts, Florida Humanities has suspended a majority of its grantmaking for the foreseeable future and reduced staff.”
In the wake of the federal cuts, longtime Florida Humanities supporter and partner Gary Mormino wrote an opinion piece for the Tampa Bay Times that caught the attention of prominent philanthropist Hugh Culverhouse Jr.
“Culverhouse promised to donate $250,000 to Florida Humanities with the challenge of matching his donation by the fall,” Quintana said.
Just weeks later, the Mellon Foundation, one of the nation’s largest supporters of the humanities, announced it would be donating $200,000 to each state humanities council, with an additional $50,000 if councils were able to match.
“The overwhelming support Florida Humanities received reminded us that there is a majority of people who want to preserve the never-ending stories of Florida,” Quintana said. “For more than 50 years, our organization has worked tirelessly to amplify and promote Florida’s rich history and heritage. How we approach that mission has looked a little different over the years, but one thing remains the same, our passion for telling Florida stories.”
Florida Humanities is confident that people understand the value of preserving our shared histories and cultures.
“Without our support, many libraries, museums and cultural organizations in underserved communities will lose vital programming and support,” Quintana said. “Readers can donate to our campaign by visiting floridahumanities.org/savefh. Readers can also support the organization by visiting our events calendar and attending one of our many programs happening across the state, or by becoming a member and receiving our award-winning FORUM magazine.”
If you would like to learn more about Florida Humanities or donate, you can visit its website at https://floridahumanities.org.
