The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has undergone notable shifts in grant-making under the Trump administration, reflecting a change in both funding volume and project focus. According to recent data, the NEH distributed approximately $75 million to 84 projects in 2026, a significant increase in grant size compared to $23 million awarded to 219 projects during the final days of the Biden administration. This reorientation has sparked debate about the agency’s cultural and ideological direction.

Traditionally, the NEH supports museums, archives, universities, and cultural organizations across all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions, financing projects rooted in the humanities—including history, literature, and related fields. In recent years, however, many grants have favored projects that align more closely with conservative perspectives and emphasize traditional Western historical narratives. This is particularly evident in the administration’s approach to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. For instance, the Massachusetts Historical Society was awarded nearly $3 million this year to prepare the personal papers of Founding Father John Adams, a substantial increase from the previous year’s $190,000 grant aimed at inclusive education on the American Revolution.

Several recipients of NEH funding are institutions supported by conservative donors and engaged in advancing narratives consistent with the Trump administration’s cultural agenda. The Abigail Adams Institute, a conservative-leaning organization near Harvard University that promotes a classical Western canon, received $2 million for a project titled “Supplementary Humanities at Harvard.” The institute shares the administration’s call for “viewpoint diversity” on campuses—a response to criticisms aimed at perceived liberal bias in higher education.

While some observers argue the shift is a political move, others frame it as a strategic rebalancing. Howard Husock, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, described the adjustment as part of an ongoing “culture war,” with both progressive and conservative administrations influencing the agency’s priorities. He suggested that the NEH’s recent strategy serves as a counterbalance to the influence of philanthropic foundations that, in his view, hold a strong progressive bias.

The grant-making changes are not only ideological but structural. In 2023 and 2024, approximately two-thirds of NEH staff were laid off, and most members of the 26-person National Council on the Humanities—an advisory panel confirmed by the Senate—were dismissed. The newly appointed council is reportedly composed entirely of white men nominated by Trump, raising concerns about a lack of diversity and its impact on equitable distribution of funds. Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble, a Biden-era council member who was among those terminated, expressed worry that the current makeup may hinder the agency’s ability to fairly assess applications and serves as a departure from the previous council’s broader representation.

State humanities councils, which direct a significant portion of NEH funding to local cultural programming, have also experienced challenges. Federal payouts to these councils have been delayed and reduced below levels approved by Congress, leading to staff layoffs and a reduction in programs such as childhood literacy initiatives and writing workshops for veterans. Phoebe Stein, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, highlighted the hardship these cuts have caused at the community level.

Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, a vocal advocate for the arts and humanities, criticized the Trump administration's reorientation of the NEH. She described it as an example of presidential overreach into cultural institutions and voiced concern over funding being diverted away from widespread community-based projects toward what she termed “vanity projects” tied to the administration’s agenda, such as the construction of the Triumphal Arch and the National Garden of American Heroes.

Despite calls to dismantle the NEH during Trump’s first term, Congress maintained bipartisan support, approving a $207 million budget for the agency in fiscal 2026. With grant sizes increasing significantly—averaging nearly $900,000 in 2026 compared to approximately $128,000 previously—and historic awards such as a $10.4 million grant to the conservative Jewish educational group Tikvah, the NEH under Trump reflects an agency reshaped both in scale and direction amid ongoing political and cultural debates.