Federation of State Humanities Councils

National Humanities conference - established in 1978 by the Federation, the national Humanities conference ("nhc") was originally designed as a resource to bring together the nationwide network of the State and jurisdictional Humanities Councils and those interested in advancing the work of the public Humanities. In 2015, the Federation and the national Humanities alliance ("nha") partnered to make the conference available to both public and academic Humanities practitioners to address local and national challenges through the lens of the Humanities and to spark innovative collaborations, conversations, and research while broadening the impact and relevance of the Humanities in everyday american life.

Special projects and other programs - these programs promote working with other organizations to support the public Humanities and relate to discrete projects, which are carried out within a specified time.neh-funded equitable access grants for the nhc - in 2023, neh funded 30 humanists to attend nhc in indianapolis, Indiana. In 2023, grant funds supported travel, registration, and lodging for the attendees, which were from underrepresented groups, enabling them to participate in conference proceedings and meet with neh senior leadership, including the neh chair.sharing stories and listening to one another: the declaration of independence at 250 - in 2023, with a grant from the institute of museum & library services, the Federation hosted a meeting at nhc with five Humanities Councils and their library partners. The bulk of the work for this grant will happen in 2024. This project is devoted to positioning community institutions to help americans, wherever they come from and whoever they are, mark and make sense of the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence together.

Information exchange - the Federation hosts several internal listservs for its membership as well as a more general one that connects members with major partners, including the national endowment for the Humanities ("neh") and nha. Additionally, the Federation supports a number of newsletters that bring information about the national Humanities conference, advocacy, Humanities community, and Federation to its members. In 2018, the Federation began collaborating with nha to develop and distribute a joint congressional newsletter that features news about nha and Federation members, neh, and other major Humanities community information. This newsletter is distributed to staff members in the house Humanities and senate cultural caucuses.humanities on the hill ("hoh") - the Federation's annual advocacy event, which brings Humanities council advocates together from across the country to demonstrate the importance of funding for neh and the neh federal/state partnership, is a three-day event that includes a members orientation and briefing, congressional reception, and a members only debrief. This event provides an opportunity for Federation members to meet with their congressional representatives, share advocacy best practices, and present a united message about the value of the Humanities. Often, congressional representatives and staffers share remarks at the briefing and congressional reception.