The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded $41.3 million in grants to 280 humanities projects nationwide, marking the final funding round for fiscal year 2023. The grants will support a mix of research, education, preservation, and public programs, including high-profile initiatives like a documentary on jazz musician Sun Ra and a digital reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral’s original medieval colors.
The funding covers 17 categories, with notable allocations toward technology-related humanities work. Among them, the Dangers and Opportunities of Technology program received $1.57 million for 16 projects, including a book exploring the cultural impact of digital technology and a workshop on integrating AI into art history education.
Other key categories include Digital Humanities Advancement Grants ($2.48 million for 13 projects) and Scholarly Editions and Translations ($5.5 million for 21 projects). One standout effort involves creating linked online dictionaries for early Mayan languages, while another will analyze pigment traces on Notre Dame’s statuary to produce a 3D model depicting the original colours of its medieval façade.
NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe, a member of the Navajo Nation, called the projects “exemplary, fascinating, and impactful,” reflecting work being done “in all corners of the country.” The grants also include $65 million in annual operating support for state and jurisdictional humanities councils, which fund local programs.
Related: Schools nurture tomorrow’s innovators
A partnership to digitize boarding school records
A $500,000 cooperative agreement with the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition will digitize 120,000 pages of records from federal Indian boarding schools. The effort aligns with NEH’s collaboration with the Department of the Interior on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.
This round of funding arrives as debates over technology’s role in culture intensify. The Dangers and Opportunities of Technology grants will support research on the relationship between technology, culture, and society, including a book examining the cultural and ethical implications of digital technology and the resulting “spontaneity deficit” as well as a convening of educators to develop resources on the use of AI technologies in teaching art history and media studies.
A full list of grant recipients is available on the agency’s website.
Leave a Reply