September 21, 2026
The West Virginia Humanities Council (WVHC) is the official West Virginia state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In that role, we receive annual federal funding appropriated by Congress through the NEH in support of our mission.
We direct much of that federal funding to our Grants program, which provides grants to organizations and communities throughout West Virginia in support of projects ranging from cultural heritage and tourism to West Virginia history and living traditions, as well as other areas of the humanities.
In 2025, federal funding for all State Humanities Councils (SHCs), including the WVHC, was terminated through DOGE action. In 2026, Congress restored full funding for the SHCs through its regular appropriations process.
However, as of this writing, less than 50% of that congressionally restored funding is being made available to us.
While our original direct programs remain running at full capacity, ongoing interruption of our congressionally appropriated federal funding means that we must adjust our grantmaking downward, so that we may maximize the impact of our partnership with the NEH.
We are aggressively pursuing the release of full federal funding to the SHCs, so that we may return to our normal grantmaking capacity. We are also embarked on a robust and expanded fundraising campaign, to maintain mission continuity at the highest level possible until that funding is released in full.
In the meantime, we plan to offer limited grantmaking in the form of minigrants, which will deliver available federal funding to as many West Virginia communities as possible, while maximizing the impact of the funding the NEH is currently releasing to us.
Please refer to our About Our Grants page for current information on minigrant opportunities, application support, and timelines for submission.
And see below for how you can help support the Council’s year-round work throughout our beloved Mountain State.
Continue supporting our work!
Many of you have been great financial supporters of our mission. And for that, we are grateful. In our 50 years as your state humanities council, we have faced past funding cuts and crises. Your support sustained us through those times, and now we need your help again.
If you are able, we ask that you make a gift, even if it is small, even if you have already given this year. We need your help now and will continue to need your support in the coming weeks and months, as we see what the future holds for NEH, our federal funding, and for you, the people we serve.
Thank you for taking this moment to sustain our current work and support the future of the humanities in the Mountain State.
