NEH Awards $34.8 Million for Founding Fathers Projects
On August 5, 2025, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced $34.8 million in new grants, with much of the funding directed toward projects about U.S. presidents, the Founding Fathers, and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
The largest grant, $10 million, went to the University of Virginia to help publish historical documents from the American Revolution. Other grants will support research and publications on George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
Acting NEH chair Michael McDonald said the funding will help Americans “learn about our founding principles” and understand the roots of the nation. “This is an important opportunity to remind people of the values our country was built on,” he added.
of America’s founding in 2026. But the focus of the new grants has drawn criticism, especially after the NEH canceled over 1,400 previously approved projects in April — many of which centered on race, gender, and underrepresented voices in American history.
One canceled grantee, who wished to remain anonymous due to pending legal action, said, “It feels like certain stories are being erased. The history of America includes more than just its founders.”
Although most of the new grants focus on early American leaders, a few exceptions remain. Indiana University received $300,000 to help publish the writings of Frederick Douglass, a former slave who became one of the nation’s most powerful voices for abolition. Another $700,000 grant will support a documentary film about female war reporters during the Vietnam War.
In April, the NEH also announced layoffs of over half its staff and expressed support for Trump’s proposed National Garden of American Heroes — a planned sculpture park celebrating historical figures.
A federal judge has since ruled that canceling the 1,400 previously approved grants may have violated the First Amendment, saying it could be seen as punishing people for their viewpoints. Another lawsuit is ongoing, challenging the NEH’s cuts to state-level humanities programs.