('''NEH''') is an independent federal agency of the
United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of
1965 () dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the
Humanities . The NEH is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. in the Old Post Office.
According to their website, they are "the largest funder of humanities programs in the United States." The
Endowment accomplishes this mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs.
NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television, and radio stations, and to individual scholars. The agency is also a base supporter of its network of private, nonprofit affiliates, the 57 humanities councils in the United States. Every summer, NEH hosts undergraduate students from across the country as interns in various departments from the Division of Education to the Office of the Chairman. Each intern is mentored by an NEH staffperson and receives a stipend for ten weeks of full-time work.
The Endowment is directed by a chairman, who is appointed by the
President and confirmed by the
Senate , for a term of four years. Advising the chairman is the
National Council On The Humanities , a board of 26 distinguished private citizens who are also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The National Council members serve staggered six-year terms.
In 1995 the United States Government planned to abolish the NEH along with the NEA and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
The current chairman is Dr.
Bruce Cole , nominated and confirmed in 2001
12 and again in 2005.
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- Barnaby Keeney , 1963-, chairman of National Commission on the Humanities
- Henry Allen Moe, 1965-66, interim chairman
- Barnaby Keeney, 1966-1970
- Wallace Edgerton, Acting Chairman, 1970-71
- Ronald Berman , 1971-1977
- Robert Kingston, Acting Chairman, 1977
- Joseph Duffey , 1977-81
- William J. Bennett , 1981-85
- John Agresto , Acting Chairman, 1985
- Lynne Cheney , 1986-1993
- Jerry L. Martin, Acting Chairman, 1993
- Donald Gibson, Acting Chairman, 1993
- Sheldon Hackney , 1993-97
- Bruce A. Lehman , Acting Chairman, 1997
- William R. Ferris , 1997-2001
- Bruce Cole , 2001-
The NEH makes certain important programs and texts part of the "We the People" initiative, which is used to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects and programs that explore significant events and themes in our nation's history and which advance knowledge of the principles that define America.http://www.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau/misc_awards.html
