NEH is being gutted, and New Jerseyans will suffer as a result.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants that fund state councils are being rescinded by DOGE. As a result, NJCH will be forced to significantly scale back or cut our grants, programs, and operations. To make an immediate impact, donate today. Currently, all donations are being matched dollar-for dollar up to a total of $50,000 by the The Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation.

Advocate for the Humanities

Donate to NJCH

NEH Seal reading "Democracy Demands Wisdom"

The Mellon Foundation has announced a grant of emergency stabilization funds for all state humanities councils. We are profoundly grateful for this generous gift. However, these funds NOT a replacement of our federal funding, either in the short- or long-term.

Currently, donations to NJCH are being matched dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $50,000 by the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation. Please maximize your impact by donating today.

Learn more about this funding

Donate to NJCH

We explore, cultivate, and champion the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey’s diverse community.

What that means

We believe humanities fields such as history, literature, and philosophy are the best hope for our state and country's future. It's the humanities that help us break free from the limitations of our individual experience and see both the perspectives of others and the larger social forces that affect us all.

We work to bring the critical thinking and reflection the humanities spur to the Garden State's broad and diverse population, through programs and support for other humanities organizations.

Our programs, grants, resources, and convenings foster appreciation for the public humanities in every district in the state. Explore our impact >>>

Explore

We help the people of New Jersey explore the humanities through public programs, events, statewide and community-based initiatives, and connections to institutional and non-institutional experts in their fields.

Cultivate

As New Jersey's partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, we support NJ humanities organizations of all kinds through grants, sponsorships, professional development, resources, and opportunities to network and convene.

Champion

We are the state's leading advocate for the diverse work of the humanities, through legislative outreach, communicating impact, recognizing excellence, and amplifying the voices of NJ communities.

Our Mission

We explore, cultivate, and champion the public humanities in order to strengthen New Jersey’s diverse community.

Grants & Sponsorships

Through a competitive application process, we award Incubation Grants and Action Grants ranging from $3,000 to $15,000 to further the impact of the public humanities in New Jersey. Our COVID-19 grantmaking in 2020 and 2021 also helped pandemic-affected organizations recover and reimagine their work at a critical moment. Sponsorships are primarily aimed at greater visibility and access to audiences that are not currently served by NJCH through our grantmaking and other programmatic initiatives.

Grant Opportunities

Grantee Information

Sponsorships

Grantee Spotlight

Clinton Hill Community Action

Newark, (Action / $15,000)
To support a multi-year public history project to create a collaborative history of Clinton Hill in multiple, accessible formats. Read more

Meet all of our grantees

In January 2025, NJCH announced $205,716 in Grant Awards to 17 NJ Organizations Meet them »

Events

Featured

Events
Featured

Exterior of Princeton's Firestone Library, photographed with the Chapel in the foreground

Jun 16

Featured 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Community College COP Visit to Princeton University Special Collections

Free

Jun 14

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Middletown Township Public Library Community History Fair

Jun 16

Featured 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Community College COP Visit to Princeton University Special Collections

Free

Old Dutch Parsonage exterior (image credit Wikimedia / Zeete / CC By 4.0

Jun 17

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Emily Roebling “Bridge Builder in Petticoats” for Children & Families

Jun 17

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Emily Roebling “Under the Oaks” & “Bridge Builder in Petticoats”

Graphic including four jars of different kinds of pickles, underneath text "Food for Thought"

Jul 7

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Food for Thought: Pickling

Closeup of a hypothetical humanities-based board game, featuring pieces on a tan board reading "Literature," "History," and "Philosophy" on different squares.

Jul 24

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

NJCH Board Game Night

News

NJCH Announces Libraries for Prime Time Family Reading Program

June 12, 2025

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is excited to announce the two libraries selected for its inaugural implementation of its Prime Time Family Reading program: the North Bergen Free Public Library (Hudson County) and the Gloucester County Library System (Greenwich Branch).

NJCH Invites Nominations for the 2025 Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities

June 2, 2025

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is pleased to invite nominations for the 2025 Stanley N. Katz Prize for Excellence in Public Humanities.

Four styles of NJCH-themed shirts, for sale through Bonfire

Wear Your Support with an NJCH T-Shirt

May 29, 2025

Wear your support for the humanities in New Jersey! NJCH is offering our supporters a chance to showcase your love of the humanities and the Garden State by purchasing a […]

Resource Roundup May 2025

May 22, 2025

NJCH receives emergency stabilization funds from the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation

April 30, 2025

Resource Roundup April 2025

April 25, 2025

NJCH to Host “Humanities Forward” Gatherings Throughout the State this Spring

April 24, 2025

View all NJCH news »

Ever wonder: what's the story behind the myth of the Jersey Devil?

The Jersey Devil is a distinctive piece of our state's lore, a mythical creature legendary enough to serve as both a symbol of the Pine Barrens region and the mascot of our NHL franchise. Scholars supported with NJCH funds have traced this strange creature's origins to a mish-mash of political, religious, and capitalist conflict over generations of early America.

Learn more (if you dare!) »

Program Spotlight

Prime Time Family Reading

Prime Time Family Reading is a national program serving 6- to 10-year-old kids and their families. Participating families build early literacy skills, engage in critical thinking, and connect with each other through literature and discussion. NJCH is excited to join the national network of this program in 2025!

Learn more

ALL PROGRAMS

Resource Roundup

Looking for other grant funding sources in New Jersey? Professional development opportunities? Networking? A new job?

Subscribe to the Resource Roundup, our monthly e-newsletter geared toward those working in humanities and nonprofit organizations.

View Previous Issues

Humanities People

As a first-generation college student, community college alumnus, trained historian, and community college president, Tony Iacono believes that communities and nations grow when the invest in the education of their citizenry.

Meet Tony »