CHICAGO — In a shocking development, Gabrielle Lyon, executive director of Illinois Humanities, received a distressing email just before 1 a.m. on April 2, informing her that the Trump administration had decided to cut the nonprofit’s funding by $2 million — approximately one-third of its annual budget.
The message came from Jeff Hardwick, acting director of the National Endowment for the Humanities, who also stated that two days later, 75 percent of the endowment’s staff was placed on leave.
“When I say that the news came in the dark of night, it’s not an understatement,” Lyon told Block Club last week.
She continued, “What it essentially [said] was, ‘We’re canceling your current and future funding because the work we do is no longer a priority for the administration.’”
The National Endowment for the Humanities has been instrumental in funding arts and culture programs nationwide since its establishment in 1965.
NPR reports that about 42 percent of the federal humanities endowment funds directly go to state humanities councils.
Lyon expressed that cutting the agency’s funding is “deeply concerning” and described it as “unprecedented.”
In Illinois, the repercussions of these cuts will significantly affect free history, heritage, and culture programs, which include community book groups, tours of landmarks and museums, festivals, and educational resources for teachers and libraries.
“This is the kind of programming that is always in demand,” Lyon stated.
The federal humanities endowment “was set up with the assurance that a portion of its budget would always go directly to each state and territory,” she explained.
“Rescinding promised funds has never happened before under any administration or any Congress, and it’s foundational support.
It’s tax dollars that are supposed to come to Illinois, and our job as Illinois Humanities is to activate those for local communities.”
In the previous year, Illinois Humanities was able to serve over 20,000 Illinois residents through its free programs and awarded 137 grants totaling more than $800,000 to various community organizations, including the Spanish literary and cultural group Contratiempo NFP, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago, Lawndale Pop-Up Spot, and the Red Clay Dance Company in Woodlawn.
Thanks to two Illinois Humanities grants, the Chicago Poetry Center developed a Chicago-specific poetry curriculum targeting junior and high school students at Chicago Public Schools, featuring a diverse array of contemporary poets from the city.
B Metzger Sampson, the executive director of the Chicago Poetry Center, noted, “Losing funds just limits our opportunity to do things like go, ‘Hey, Illinois Humanities, we have this idea for a curriculum that we think would be relevant to our students and support this work across Chicago.’”
“The resources may not be available now to support such initiatives.”
Amid concerns surrounding the legality of rescinding promised funds, Illinois Humanities is collaborating with 55 other humanities councils across the United States “to better understand our options and to fight for an outcome that is in line with public values,” Lyon stated.
“This isn’t just happening in Illinois.
Amplify this in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas.
Every single state and territory has just had its community and cultural programming decimated.
Just decimated,” Lyon declared emphatically.
“An important aspect of what’s happening right now is that we are all in it together.”
In response to the funding cuts, Illinois Humanities has been proactive in cultivating diverse funding sources by engaging individuals and foundations.
“Imagine that, like any person when a third of your budget is suddenly not available, but you’ve already spent [it] thinking you were going to get paid.
That’s the situation we find ourselves in,” Lyon remarked.
‘So What’s Next?’
For Shireen Ahmad, founder and director of the South Asia Institute in Chicago, the threat of funding cuts looms large.
“It’s a little liberating when you do get the message that you’ve been expecting for a long time, but then it’s like, ‘So what’s next?’” Ahmad reflected.
As a young organization founded in 2015, the South Asia Institute promotes South Asian culture through exhibits, music events, and festivals, believing that art can unite people.
“It’s so important to be able to share our commonalities and bring out the humanity really that exists among our people,” Ahmad said.
She expressed concern about the long-term effects of cutting humanities funding.
“[It] is really going to impact our city [and] how we interact with each other.”
While the South Asia Institute secured an Illinois Humanities grant for a neighborhood stories project prior to the funding freeze, many organizations are left uncertain about their futures.
“We are fortunate that we do have community members who also support the institution,” Ahmad stated.
“However, it’s going to be increasingly necessary for us to depend on our donors and supporters.”
Vershawn Sanders Ward, artistic director and CEO of Red Clay Dance Company, emphasized the importance of direct support for local arts organizations.
“One of the best ways to immediately help local arts organizations is to support their work through one-time or recurring donations and by attending concerts and shows and signing up for classes,” she advised.
“Those dollars add up.
It helps sustain artists’ salaries, allows us to continue paying our teachers, and enables us to proceed with the vital community engagement work that brings our community together.”
For anyone looking to support Illinois Humanities and local arts organizations, Lyon also recommends visiting the Illinois Humanities website.
The nonprofit offers an Advocacy FAQ webpage containing information on ways to help, including sending pre-drafted emails to members of Congress in support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, calling elected officials with a suggested call script, and browsing local organizations to directly support their work.
This page will be regularly updated with news and calls to action.
Additionally, the Illinois Humanities website lists various free arts and culture programs, such as a Latin hip-hop and poetry event on April 24 in Pilsen and a lecture on Black women’s mothering on May 18.
“Put them on your calendar.
Get involved,” Lyon encouraged.
“When you attend these programs and visit our partners, you’re engaging with the community, which will be revitalizing and energizing.”
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