June 13, 2006
Did You Know?
State Humanities Council Funding Totaled Nearly $63 Million in Fiscal Year 2005
State humanities councils support grassroots humanities programs in each of the 56 states and jurisdictions. These nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations commonly partner with local community groups to respond to local needs. Humanities council programming often addresses adult literacy, the preservation of America’s oral and written heritage, and professional development institutes for teachers.
Funding for state humanities councils comes primarily from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Most state humanities councils secure additional funding from foundations, individual donors and corporations; and more than half of the councils receive funding from their state governments. Like state art agencies, humanities councils leverage partnerships with state and local organizations, such as state education departments or city libraries, to facilitate broad community support and secure in-kind contributions.
State humanities councils tend to have a smaller total income than state arts agencies. The Federation of State Humanities Councils reported a total revenue of $62.6 million among humanities councils in fiscal year 2005; whereas, state arts agency revenues totaled $370.2 million in the same year. The median council revenue among state humanities organizations was $901,543 in fiscal year 2005, compared to the median revenue of $4,172,383 among states arts agencies.
State Humanities Council and State Arts Agency Revenue by Source
Fiscal Year 2005
| Revenue Source | State Humanities Councils | State Arts Agencies | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dollars | % Total | Dollars | % Total | |
| National Endowment* Funds | $35,507,241 | 56.7% | $34,999,321 | 9.5% |
| Other Federal Funds | $3,513,381 | 5.6% | $390,742 | 0.1% |
| State Funds | $9,738,137 | 15.6% | $328,594,714 | 88.8% |
| Corporate / Foundation / Individual Support | $9,294,027 | 14.8% | $3,248,091 | 0.9% |
| Other Income | $4,563,496 | 7.3% | $2,994,677 | 0.8% |
| All Revenue Sources | $62,616,282 | $370,227,545 | ||
*State humanities council funds include dollars received from the National Endowment for the Humanities; state arts agency funds include dollars received from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sources: “FY05 Funding for State Humanities Councils,” Federation of State Humanities Councils, 2005. Legislative Appropriations Annual Survey, Fiscal Year 2006, NASAA, January 2006.