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California Humanities says NEH termination halted nearly $1 million in awards, asks state for emergency support
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Summary
California Humanities told lawmakers its NEH-funded program budget was terminated without warning, putting 12 grantees and multiple documentary projects at risk and requesting state-level contingency funding and exploration of a dedicated revenue source.
California Humanities President and CEO Rick Noguchi told a legislative hearing that the nonprofit’s federal funding was terminated on April 2, leaving the organization without its primary revenue stream.
Noguchi said California Humanities, a designated state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), operates on an annual budget of about $4.5 million—most of it federal—and that the NEH told the organization its work “no longer effectuates the needs and priorities of the agency” and that funding would be repurposed under the administration’s priorities.
The consequences: Noguchi said awards that were about to be finalized were halted immediately. He told lawmakers roughly $970,000 in FY 2025 grants the council expected to award were not made, and an additional roughly $2 million in FY 2026 grants were at risk. California Humanities has long backed documentary work and local humanities projects; Noguchi said the organization has granted more than $44 million since 1975 and supported about 2,175 nonprofit partners statewide.
“No one warned us,” Noguchi said in his testimony. He told the committee the council has reserves but will need help to sustain operations and to continue regranting to local partners if federal funding is not restored. Because California Humanities is an independent nonprofit rather than a state agency, Noguchi said state attorneys general have limited ability to litigate on the group’s behalf and the organization is exploring private legal representation and multi‑state litigation options through its national federation.
Why it matters: California Humanities funds projects in every assembly district, including documentary production, school programming and local-history projects that Washington funding often leverages with state and private dollars. Noguchi urged the committee to consider short-term state investments and the possibility of a dedicated funding mechanism—such as a ballot measure—to sustain humanities work if federal funding remains uncertain.
What lawmakers heard: Members expressed support and asked staff to quantify district-by-district losses. Noguchi said his group had appealed the NEH decision and is coordinating nationwide with other state humanities councils and advocates.
Ending note: Noguchi emphasized the humanities’ role in teaching civic values and asked the Legislature whether it would commit emergency funding to preserve programs that reach classrooms, libraries and community organizations across California.
