Nevada Humanities, one of the oldest of 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils in the United States, is set to lose 75% of its funding after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) issued sweeping cuts for the National Endowment for the Humanities last week. The news came on April 2, when NEH acting chair Michael McDonald sent a letter notifying all of those councils that their five-year general operating support grant funding had been immediately terminated. Founded just six years after Congress first established the NEH in 1965, Nevada Humanities utilizes roughly $1 million in annual federal grant money to administer and disburse grants for local nonprofits and support artistic and cultural institutions like museums, galleries and libraries. In a news release, Nevada Humanities executive director Christina Barr called the cuts “a heartbreaking loss,” noting that her council is now “fighting for its survival.” The New Mexico Humanities Council—founded one year after Nevada’s—has already announced plans to shutter due to the rollbacks. Those who wish to support Nevada Humanities can visit nevadahumanities.org/advocate.

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