Articles

Humanities Texas has been closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 across our state and nation and around the globe. Here in Austin, my colleagues and I are now working remotely, having taken recommended precautions to protect staff, our families, and our constituents, and to do our part to help slow community spread of the virus.

COVID-19 notwithstanding, Humanities Texas remains open for business and committed to our organizational mission—improving the quality of classroom teaching, supporting libraries and museums, and creating opportunities for lifelong learning in the humanities throughout the state.

We plan to raise our online profile over the next few weeks, highlighting specific resources for teachers, libraries, and museums that will be especially meaningful in this moment and sharing readings and other humanities resources recommended by staff and friends of the organization.

To stay in touch, please subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter if you haven’t already. You can also keep track of our activity and announcements on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Contacting Us

Our phone lines remain open during business hours. If you need to reach a member of staff, please call our main line at 512.440.1991. Our website includes up-to-date information about all of our programs. You’re also welcome to email individual staff members directly, or to use our program-specific emails with general queries about grants, exhibitions, teacher institutes, Outstanding Teaching Awards, or development.

Supplemental Funding from the CARES Act

With the passage of the CARES Act on March 27, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will receive $75 million in supplemental funding to assist cultural institutions affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 40 percent of the appropriation, or $30 million, will go directly to the 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils to provide direct support to local cultural nonprofits and educational programs. We will provide more information about how CARES Act funds will be distributed through Humanities Texas as details become available.

Specific Program Notes

  • Our grants program stands ready as ever to support Texas cultural and educational institutions seeking to develop and conduct public humanities programs. We offer easy-to-access, quick-to-receive funding that can be particularly helpful as organizations transition to remote humanities programming and develop the digital resources now necessary to sustain communities during this moment of crisis.
  • In our education programs, we are focused on promoting curriculum resources freely available on our website such as Texas Originals, A President's Vision, and the resource guides we have prepared for teachers of Texas history, eighth-grade U.S. history, eleventh-grade U.S. history, and English language arts. At the same time, we are exploring exciting new approaches to our teacher professional development programs. Stay tuned.
  • We recognize that public programs associated with Humanities Texas grants or traveling exhibitions may need to be rescheduled due to public health concerns. For grantees and renters of our exhibitions, we ask that you please provide us with timely updates regarding event postponements or cancellations so that we can update our records and calendars accordingly.
  • In the upcoming weeks, we will offer webinars addressing how each of our programs can immediately support local efforts around the state to promote lifelong learning in the humanities.

Finally, we are grateful for your continued support of Humanities Texas and of each other. In a recent note to our board of directors, board chair Chase Untermeyer concluded his remarks, "In this uncertain time, one thing is certain: We need the humanities as much as ever!"

I heartily concur. On behalf of Humanities Texas, I send best wishes to you and your families. My colleagues and I look forward to supporting your continued efforts to promote humanities education in your communities.

Eric Lupfer