Democracy demands wisdom and vision
The MHC aims to fulfill this vision every day for the people of Maine, but our primary funding source, the National Endowment for the Humanities, is in jeopardy.
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In 1965, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act created the NEA and the NEH as separate, independent agencies. From the founding legislation: “…it is necessary and appropriate for the Federal Government to help create and sustain…a climate encouraging freedom of thought, imagination, and inquiry…”
In 2016, the NEH’s budget represented just 0.003% of federal spending.
Number of state and jurisdictional humanities councils
Number of communities served by council programs nationwide
Number of organizations partnering with councils nationwide
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Jan 28, 2017
The Trump administration has released its proposal for the FY2018 federal budget. As expected, the proposal calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, among other... read more
Maine Humanities Council Selects Book for 2017 Route One Reads Initiative
Jun 2, 2017
May 19, 2017—Portland—For the third consecutive year, the Maine Humanities Council will participate in the Route One Reads initiative, a program under the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. In 2017, the theme of the initiative will be memoirs and biographies, and the selected... read more
New Mini Grants | Spring 2017
May 12, 2017
$1,000 for “In It Together: Welcoming Diversity with Anne Sibley O’Brien” –Bowdoinham Community School, Bowdoinham Bowdoinham Community School will host author/educator Anne Sibley O’Brien who will facilitate a trio of events in September 2017 related to welcoming diversity — a school author visit, teacher/parent workshop, and community celebration with a shared... read more
Sharing the Poetry of Maine’s Unheard Voices
May 1, 2017
Gary Lawless, who was awarded the 2017 Constance H. Carlson Public Humanities Prize on March 24, has long worked to bring poetry and the creative process to the people of Maine. Over the next several months, follow Gary as his shares poetry from Mainers of all backgrounds. The poems... read more
