Private donations to keep Humanities North Dakota open after federal cut

Humanities North Dakota has received $300,000 in private donations to keep its doors open after it learned earlier this month all its federal funding had been terminated.

That figure includes $200,000 from the New York-based Mellon Foundation, which on Tuesday pledged $15 million to a total of 56 humanities councils around the country. The other $100,000 came from other donors, according to Executive Director Brenna Gerhardt.

The money will help keep the organization afloat after its grant money was abruptly pulled by the federal government. But it only replaces a portion of the cut funding.

“The Mellon Foundation’s support is both a lifeline and a vote of confidence,” Gerhardt said in a Tuesday statement announcing the award.

In addition, Humanities North Dakota can receive up to $50,000 in matching funds from the Mellon Foundation with the help of local donors. The Mellon Foundation will double any contributions to Humanities North Dakota made after Tuesday. Donations can be made on the Humanities North Dakota website.

“At stake are both the operational integrity of organizations like museums, libraries, historical societies in every single state, as well as the mechanisms to participate in the cultural dynamism and exchange that is a fundamental part of American civic life,” Elizabeth Alexander, the Mellon Foundation’s president, said in a Tuesday announcement. 

Alexander said that even though the donation won’t cover all of the lost funding, she hopes the money will help councils get by.

Humanities North Dakota, which provides public education in areas including history, civics and the arts, has historically relied on funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to cover operational costs. 

The nonprofit on April 2 received a letter from the federal agency that stated a $900,000 grant it received for the 2025 fiscal year had been terminated. Humanities North Dakota, which has four full-time and two part-time staff, had yet to spend more than $600,000 of the grant.

The National Endowment for the Humanities, which provides funding to humanities organizations across the country, is “repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda,” Acting Chairman Michael McDonald wrote in the letter.

The letter cites a This article was originally published by Mary Steurer at North Dakota Monitor.