MacArthur Foundation has announced $10 million in new grants aimed at strengthening the humanities by supporting organizations that explore and reveal human culture, thought, and experience through history, languages, arts, philosophies, and religions. These investments address growing challenges to the humanities, including threats to academic freedom and the erasure of important histories.
MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey emphasized the essential role of the humanities in fostering a healthy, multicultural democracy. He highlighted their ability to deepen understanding, build empathy, and preserve the stories that define societies, noting that this support ensures humanistic inquiry and cultural expression remain vibrant and accessible to all.
The grants cover a wide range of institutions, including universities, publishers, literary organizations, and cultural centers across the United States. Notable recipients include Cave Canem, which nurtures Black poets and community-centered artistic growth; Creative Capital, supporting innovative artistic projects; and the National Juneteenth Museum, which preserves and interprets the history of Juneteenth while creating educational and cultural spaces rooted in Black freedom and resilience. Other recipients include the Feminist Press, Lambda Literary, the Neubauer Collegium at the University of Chicago, Community of Literary Magazines & Presses, and the Stories Matter Foundation.
This funding reflects MacArthur’s broader commitment to reinforcing civic and cultural infrastructure that allows diverse communities to share their histories, express their ideas, and shape collective futures. The foundation also recently supported a new pooled fund aimed at strengthening American literary arts, further demonstrating its dedication to sustaining the humanities in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
