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The Trump administration is moving to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) while simultaneously cutting its funding and reshaping its priorities. In early May, the NEH announced $9.55 million for 68 projects, a sharp drop from $26.2 million for 238 projects the previous year. The number of Summer Stipends was slashed from nearly 100 to just 18, with total funding cut by three-fourths to $144,000. Only one Media Project grant was awarded, down from ten. The administration has also sought to lay off NEH workers, cancel grants, and divert funds to a National Garden of American Heroes, a presidential pet project.

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Mark Bauerlein, a conservative professor and contributing editor to First Things, published an op-ed in the New York Times arguing against cuts to government arts funding while simultaneously attacking progressive scholars and NEH grants he deems wasteful. He suggests that instead of slashing the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Trump administration should repurpose it to promote conservative cultural values, citing examples like funding for a curriculum on race and comics or a database of a historic gay travel guide as wasteful.

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The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal seeks to eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The proposal follows recent cuts that have already halted 2025 funding, slashed $65 million from the NEH's $210 million budget, and fired roughly 65% of its staff. A lawsuit filed by three humanities-focused organizations aims to reverse the cuts, and a judge has issued a temporary restraining order to block the dismantling of the IMLS. The Mellon Foundation has provided $15 million in emergency funding to state humanities councils to prevent closures.

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Three humanities-focused organizations—the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the American Council of Learned Societies—have filed a lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over the dismantling of the NEH. Filed on May 1 in the Southern District of New York, the suit seeks to reverse cuts made in April by the Trump administration, which slashed $65 million from the NEH's $210 million budget and fired approximately 65 percent of its staff. The plaintiffs argue the NEH has been reduced to a shell of its former self, and they name as defendants NEH acting chairman Michael McDonald, DOGE acting administrator Amy Gleason, and DOGE employees Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox, who allegedly demanded lists of open grants and terminated most of them without legal authority.

museum of fine arts boston slashes jobs as financial woes deepen 2741616

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has laid off 33 employees and eliminated 23 vacant positions, a 10% overall staff reduction, to address a projected $13 million budget deficit. The cuts affect a range of roles, including three endowed curatorial positions, and have sparked renewed tensions with the museum's unionized workforce, which is seeking to bargain over the decision.

Is This the Breaking Point for Museums?

Museums across the West are facing a severe funding crisis as governments slash public support. In the U.S., President Donald Trump’s deep cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost funding, while stock market volatility and increased endowment taxes further strain budgets. In Europe, Berlin cut €130 million from cultural funding in December 2024, and other countries face similar pressures, forcing museums to confront dwindling subsidies and shifting philanthropy.

‘Momentous’: Italy to slash art VAT to 5%, the lowest rate in the EU

Italian lawmakers have approved a reduction of VAT on art sales from 22% to 5%, the lowest rate in the European Union. The decision, announced by culture minister Alessandro Giuli after a cabinet meeting on June 20, is expected to take effect this week. The reform follows intense lobbying by art market groups and a letter signed by 500 art world figures, including artists Maurizio Cattelan and Michelangelo Pistoletto, who warned the high rate was turning Italy into a "cultural desert." The tax cut must be passed by parliament within 60 days to remain in force, and may also apply to import VAT, potentially making Italy the most competitive art market in Europe from a tax standpoint.

UNT dean said fears of political repercussions led to removal of art exhibit, leaked transcripts show

Leaked transcripts from the University of North Texas (UNT) reveal that Dean Karen Hutzel attributed the abrupt cancellation of artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez’s exhibition to fears of political retaliation. The show, titled “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá,” was shuttered shortly after opening at the CVAD Gallery without an initial public explanation. The transcripts indicate that administrators feared the provocative nature of the work—specifically pieces addressing incarceration and deportation—could lead Texas Republican lawmakers to slash university funding or eliminate programs, following a pattern of ideological clashes at other state institutions.

A U.S. agency that funds culture wins a judicial reprieve

Une agence américaine qui finance la culture gagne un répit judiciaire

A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a key agency supporting museums and libraries nationwide. The lawsuit was brought by the American Library Association (ALA) and the AFSCME union, with support from the legal organization Democracy Forward, arguing that the executive branch cannot unilaterally reduce programs authorized by Congress. The ruling temporarily halts the funding reductions, which were part of broader efforts to slash federal cultural spending during Donald Trump's second term.