Introduction

The National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities is the primary vehicle for federal support for the arts and the humanities. The foundation, established in 1965, was composed initially of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was established within the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities in 1996. NEA and NEH are funded through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. IMLS is funded through the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

This report compares FY2024 appropriations (P.L. 118-42, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, and P.L. 118-47, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024) with FY2023 appropriations (P.L. 117-328, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023) for IMLS, NEA, and NEH. It also provides a table showing appropriations for the three agencies, by activity, for FY2021-FY2024.

Institute of Museum and Library Services

IMLS is the primary administrator of grants supporting the nation's libraries and museums. It consolidates federal library programs dating back to 1956, with museum programs dating back to 1976. IMLS grants reach all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. In FY2024, IMLS appropriations totaled $294.8 million, equivalent to FY2023 appropriations.¹

The IMLS Library Grants to States program is both the largest source of federal funding for library services in the United States and the largest IMLS-administered program. These grants are allocated, by a population-based formula, to state library administrative agencies (SLAAs) located in each of the states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. An SLAA may use funds for IMLS Grants to States to support library initiatives across its state or territory, or it may distribute the funds to public, academic, research, school, or special libraries or consortia of libraries through competitive subawards or cooperative agreements.² Both FY2024 and FY2023 appropriations included $180.0 million for these formula grants.

IMLS also has several competitive library grant programs, including

• the Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services program, which assists Native American and Native Hawaiian libraries in improving core services for their communities;
• the National Leadership Grants for Libraries program, which supports projects that enhance the quality of library services for the American public by addressing critical needs in the library and archive fields; and
• the Laura Bush 21^st Century Librarian program, which supports the training and professional development of library and archives professionals; developing faculty and information leaders; and recruiting, educating, and retaining the next generation of librarians and the library workforce to meet the needs of their communities, including those needs relating to education, workforce development, lifelong learning, and digital literacy.

For these programs, for both FY2024 and FY2023, IMLS received appropriations of $31.1 million.

IMLS's competitive grant programs for museums include the following:

• the Museums for America program, which supports museums of all sizes and disciplines in strategic, project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, education and interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation;
• the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program, which supports organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Americans and Native Hawaiians; and
• the National Leadership Grants for Museums program, which supports projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public.

For these programs for both FY2024 and FY2023, IMLS received appropriations of $43.5 million.

In addition, IMLS received appropriations of $6.0 million for the grant program authorized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act (P.L. 108-184) in both FY2024 and FY2023. The program provides grants for capacity-building, professional development, and collection access for African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. IMLS has supported more than 250 African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities through this program.

In both FY2024 and FY2023, IMLS received $6.0 million to implement the education provisions related to the National Museum of the American Latino (P.L. 116-260, Division T, Title II). In FY2024, IMLS awarded funding to five partnerships of Hispanic-Serving Institutions and American Latino Museums to support the development and implementation of museum internship and fellowship partnerships between the institutions and museums.

IMLS program administration received $22.7 million in both FY2024 and FY2023. Included in this increase were $4.0 million for the continuation and expansion of the Information Literacy Taskforce and $1.0 million in preparation for the America250 commemoration of the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Additionally, the explanatory statement accompanying the FY2024 appropriations law directed the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the physical condition of library and museum facilities in the United States and to report findings within 18 months of the date of enactment.³

National Endowment for the Arts

NEA is a major source of support for all arts disciplines. Typically, NEA grants are used to support nonprofit arts organizations, public arts agencies and organizations, and individual writers and translators.⁴ Since 1965, NEA has awarded more than $5 billion in funding across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. For each of FY2024 and FY2023, appropriations for NEA totaled $207.0 million.⁵

NEA's largest grant program is its state partnerships grants, which are awarded by formula to state and regional arts agencies. These agencies apply annually for this support, and the funding they receive includes general funding for their priorities and designated funding for folk and traditional arts, arts education, and outreach to underserved communities. FY2024 appropriations included $65.2 million for these grants, an increase of $0.2 million (0.3%) over the FY2023 appropriations of $65.0 million.

NEA's direct grants include the following:

• Grants for Arts Projects, which is the principal competitive grant program for nonprofit organizations and awards grants in a number of artistic disciplines;
• Our Town, which provides competitive grants that support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, or social outcomes; and
• Challenge America, which is a competitive program that provides support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations.

NEA also supports several national initiatives, including Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, Poetry Out Loud, and the NEA Big Read. FY2024 appropriations included $97.8 million for these grant programs and initiatives, an increase of $0.3 million (0.3%) over the FY2023 appropriations of $97.5 million.

National Endowment for the Humanities

NEH supports grants for humanities education, research, preservation and public programs; the creation of regional humanities centers; and the development of humanities programs under the jurisdiction of the state humanities councils. Typically, NEH grants are used to support cultural institutions, such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio, and individual scholars. Since 1965, NEH has awarded almost 70,000 grants worth more than $6.4 billion across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. For each of FY2024 and FY2023, NEH appropriations totaled $207.0 million.⁶

The Federal/State Partnership program is the largest program in NEH's budget. Program grants are awarded, by formula, to state humanities agencies to increase public awareness of, access to, and support for the humanities in the United States. The FY2024 appropriations act included $65.0 million for this program, the same amount as provided for in the FY2023 appropriations act.

The FY2024 appropriations act included $78.0 million for NEH's direct competitive grants, a decrease of $2.3 million (2.8%) over the $80.3 million in FY2023 appropriations. These grants are in the following areas:

• preservation and access,
• public programs,
• research programs,
• education programs,
• program development, and
• digital humanities initiatives.

The FY2024 and FY2023 appropriations both included $7.0 million for special initiatives, including A More Perfect Union and American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future.

A More Perfect Union is an NEH-wide initiative launched in 2019 to commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States. It builds on NEH's background in projects that catalog, preserve, explore, and promote American history.

American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging program that leverage the humanities to strengthen democracy, advance equity for all, and address the changing climate.

Further, NEH supports a Matching Grant program to stimulate and match private donations in support of humanities institutions. NEH estimates that since their start in 1977, matching grants have generated more than $1.3 billion in nonfederal funds for the humanities. The FY2024 appropriations act included $15.0 million, a decrease of $3.8 million (20%) over the FY2023 appropriations of $18.8 million for this program.

Recent Appropriations

Table 1 details appropriations for the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities agencies. It provides enacted appropriations for FY2021 through FY2024.