Humanities & Nonprofit
News & Advocacy
Adriaen van Ostade, “Reading the News at the Weavers’ Cottage,” 1673, 24.4 x 20.2 cm. Object Number: 1997.117.10 MOMA
Actions and Updates that Affect the Humanities
Legal Action
- ACLS, AHA, and MLA Commend Court Decision Granting Preliminary Injunction of Cancellation of Awarded NEH Grants (Aug. 6, 2025)
- ACLS/AHA/MLA Lawsuit to restore NEH funding, FAQs
- MESA/AAUP/Knight Foundation Lawsuit challenging non-citizen deportations
- AHA Resources for Foreign Scholars (Information on travel for international scholars traveling abroad)
Policy Updates
“NEH Announces Reorganization of its Grantmaking Offices, Programs, and Personnel | National Endowment for the Humanities“, Aug. 20, 2025
Fidelity Charitable, “OBBB Impact on Charitable Giving. Key Tax Considerations for 2025 and Beyond”, July 2025
Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Senate Passes Tax Bill with Mixed News for Nonprofits”, July 1, 2025.
National Council of Nonprofits, “Nonprofits Under Threat: What’s in the House Tax Bill and How You Can Help”
National Council of Nonprofits, “President Trump Proposes to Slash Funding for Domestic Programs in FY2026”
Advocacy in Action
- Sept. 5 2025: The ASECS Board of Directors voted to sign the “ACLS Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums”
- Aug. 28, 2025: ASECS members sign letter re: the closing of Bucknell University Press (click here to sign)
- NYT Aug. 13, 2026 “Historians Alarmed by White House Plan to Oversee Smithsonian Exhibits”
- Save the NEH! National Humanities Alliance call to action
- NEH for All – National Humanities Alliance resource
- American Council of Learned Societies Advocacy Corner
- Historians Respond to Federal Actions (AHA)
- Resources for Foreign Scholars (AHA)
- PEN Action Alerts
Important News
ASECS in the News!
Nonprofit Association of Oregon Member Spotlight: ASECS NAO is excited to spotlight nonprofit members, share their success stories and exciting news, and raise awareness of their cause and the impact …
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ACLS Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums
The ASECS Board of Directors voted to sign the “ACLS Statement Regarding the White House Review of Smithsonian Institution Museums”.
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ASECS Members Sign Letter to Bucknell University
Aug. 28, 2025. ASECS Members have signed a public letter to Bucknell University President Bravman and Provost Sternberg regarding the shuttering of Bucknell University Press. Read the full letter here…
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AHA/Congressional Briefing on tariffs
The American Historical Association (AHA) will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on tariffs. The briefing will take place on Wednesday, June 11, at 9:00 a.m. ET in Rayburn…
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ASECS Community Discussion, “Advocating for the Humanities”
Please join us for a community discussion where members can talk about how federal policies have impacted their scholarship, exchange information, and discuss how individuals and ASECS can engage in e…
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ACLS, AHA and MLA File Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Dismantling of National Endowment For The Humanities
ASECS shares this important press release regarding the ACLS, AHA, and MLA joint lawsuit regarding the cuts to the NEH. ASECS is an institutional affiliate of the American Council of Learned Societies…
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Conference Planning
- Lau, Travis and Jason Farr, “Towards a More Accessible Conference Presentation,”MLA Profession, n.d. [ca. 2019].
- Florvil, Tiffany, Alicia E. Ellis, Damani Partridge, Eli Rubin, and Chunjie Zhang. “Why Are We Having Different Experiences? Reflections of the GSA Committee on Institutional Transformation and Social Justice.” German Studies Review 46, no. 1 (2023): 117-122. doi:10.1353/gsr.2023.0006.
- White, Willow, Shelby Johnson, and Katarina O’Briain, “Indigenous Language Guidelines and Resources,” 2024.
Publishing
- AUPresses Subject Area Grid is a free, downloadable spreadsheet that can be sorted by subject or publisher. Prospective authors, researchers, librarians, bibliographers, and publishers have found this to be a valuable reference for discovering publishers that have either an active program acquiring new work in a subject or in-print backlist still available.
- Babyak, Tekla. “Steps Journals Can Take to Support Authors Living with Disabilities,” Interview, Scholastica, n.d. [2023].
Humanities Resources and Advocacy Toolkits
- American Council of Learned Societies. “We are Humanistic.” n.d.
- American Historical Association. “Why Study History? Department Advocacy Toolkit.” n.d.
- American Philosophy Association. “Advocacy Toolkit.” 2019.
- College Art Association. “Guidelines for Addressing Proposed Substantive Changes to an art, Art History or Design Unit or Program at Colleges and Universities.” 2018.
- Modern Language Association. “Toolkit on Academic Freedom.” 2020.
- National Humanities Alliance. “Between Two Bookshelves: How to Advocate for Humanities Departments to Senior Administrators.”
- National Humanities Alliance. “Documenting the Impact of the Humanities Toolkit.” n.d.
- Muir, Scott. “Expanding Access to Undergraduate Education: Models and Strategies.” National Humanities Alliance, 2024.
- National Humanities Alliance. “Study the Humanities Toolkit.” n.d.
- National Humanities Alliance: “Tip Sheet: Working with Communications Officers.“ n.d.