Humanities North Dakota in Limbo After Loss of Federal Funding

Attendees listen to a presentation by podcaster and author Kate Bowler.  (Photo provided by Humanities North Dakota via the North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Mary Steurer. North Dakota Monitor) – Humanities North Dakota could be forced to close after learning  that all of its federal grant funding was terminated.

The nonprofit, which provides civics, arts and cultural education, relies on funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to cover core operational costs, Executive Director Brenna Gerhardt said.

She said Humanities North Dakota received a letter earlier this week from the National Endowment for the Humanities indicating that a $900,000 grant it received for the 2025 fiscal year was axed effective immediately. The nonprofit, which has four full-time and two part-time staff, had yet to spend about $600,000 of the grant, said Gerhardt.

“We’ll have to close our doors,” she said.