Reno, Nev. – U.S. Senator Cortez Masto joined her colleagues in sending a letter demanding the Trump administration undo its termination of congressionally-appropriated funding for grants administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The cuts include funding for Nevada Humanities, which supports museums, cultural centers, and libraries across the state.
“Overnight, on April 2, 2025, the NEH terminated all current five-year General Operating Support grants awarded to state and jurisdictional humanities councils. […] The administration is also targeting NEH with the aim of terminating more than 1,400 other grant awards, substantially reducing its staff, and eliminating many of the agency’s previously announced grant programs,” the lawmakers began. “Such reckless actions will have a devastating impact on museums, historic sites, universities, educators, libraries, public television and radio stations, research institutions, and local humanities programming throughout our nation.”
“NEH funds, allocated to state humanities councils, are for local use and allow councils to leverage $2 in private investment for every federal dollar spent. The loss of NEH funding to humanities councils will decimate the ability of these nonprofits to serve localities in their states, eliminating programs that are essential to each state’s cultural infrastructure,” the lawmakers wrote. “This will lead to significant job loss in communities that are the most vulnerable to the lack of federal support.”
“Libraries, museums, historic sites, and community centers in rural communities and small towns face particularly dire financial futures without grant funding from state humanities councils and the NEH. Additionally, small and midsize organizations benefit from the guidance and expertise of the agency,” the lawmakers continued. “These organizations are the backbone of our communities’ unique cultures, reinforcing civic participation, community engagement, historic preservation, tourism infrastructure, and economic development.”
The NEH funding provides the majority of operating support for state humanities councils. The Trump administration is also threatening to terminate more than 1,400 other grant awards at the NEH, substantially reducing its staff, and eliminating many of the agency’s previously announced grant programs.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services.
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