A primer on the NEH mission

There has been a lot of talk over the last few months about the National Endowment for the Humanities, but many people outside the Beltway know little about what the NEH and its purpose. The organization that will soon become President Sheldon Hackney's domain provides grant money for humanities projects involving scholarship, research, media, museums, historical organizations, libraries and archives, according to NEH spokesperson Mary Lou Beatty. "The chairperson makes all the decisions for the endowment," Beatty said. "It's a very responsible position. There are 2,000 grants a year and he is the deciding voice on all of them." The foundation, which was founded in 1965, has funded many notable works, a recent one being Ken Burns' renowned documentary on the Civil War. Hackney will control a budget of about $177.5 million at the NEH, far less than the University's current budget of over $1 billion. This money will be used to directly fund and match non-federal contributions to humanities projects. As chairperson, Hackney would serve a four-year term after approval by the Senate. Given his track record as a staunch defender of free expression, he could find himself in the middle of political battles with conservatives who wish to prevent the spending of federal funds on what they consider questionable works. In its recent past, the NEH has not attracted the attention and the controversy of its sister agency -- the National Endowment for the Arts. But on occasion, conflict has arisen over controversial works and political ties. Alan Wildman, public relatons director of the American Family Association -- a conservative watchdog group -- related an incident that occured in 1991 at an Anchorage, Alaska museum that was displaying a controversial exhibit partly funded by the NEH. "There was one instance when the [NEH] gave money to an art exhibit, where they had an American flag on the foor and invited the public to walk on the flag," Wildman said. "We called it to the public's attention." John Hammer, director of the National Humanities Alliance -- a non-profit umbrella organization for other humanities groups which lobbies the federal government -- noted that Lynne Cheney, the most recent NEH chairperson, took a strong politically conservative position. Although Hammer said he believes that the NEH under Cheney did not make as many political judgments as her critics suggested, he said he hopes Hackney will leave politics out of the decision-making. "We have every reason to believe he will be that kind of chairman in that area that we hope to see," he said. "He does have a good record on freedom of expression." Of the NEH, Hammer said, "It's an amazingly stable and effective agency." Virginia Dajani, director of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a New York-based organization that honors American artists with prizes and consists of a very select membership, said "the NEH is one of those like the NEA -- a wonderful organization that makes possible projects that wouldn't otherwise happen."