What can the humanities do for Alabama? They can make our state a smarter, kinder, more vibrant place to live. Read on to learn how.
AHA 2025 Year in ReviewWe connect Alabamians: to tell stories and to listen, to share ideas and to learn, to link the past to the present, and to seek a deeper understanding of our humanity.
Our vision: We see a future for a better Alabama by nurturing the best in us as people. Our work is a public service that promotes lifelong learning, strong communities, a healthy democracy, and prosperity for all Alabamians.
Founded in 1974 as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization operating across the state. Through its grantmaking and public programming, AHA promotes lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. AHA believes the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.
Here are just a few examples:
Lifelong Learning:Our Road Scholar speakers travel statewide, sharing their expertise in talks that range from the history of music in Alabama to the state’s close connections to America’s military life. Local libraries, senior citizen centers, historical societies, and more rely on these speakers for community programs.
Impactful Storytelling: Our grants and partnerships generate storytelling efforts from places as varied as the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, historic sites such as Fort Blakeley in Spanish Fort, and treasured cultural centers like Gee’s Bend with its celebrated Black Belt quilters.
Civic Engagement: Our work during Alabama’s Bicentennial reached all 67 counties, celebrating our past and considering our shared future. AHA’s Riley Scholarships help Alabama educators bring civics education to life in their classrooms. And our Smithsonian partnership brings traveling exhibits to places like Pell City — where a recent exhibit inspired the town to create, with AHA’s help, their own local history museum that tells the story of Pell City and its people.
We tailor our programs and funding to address the specific needs of communities across the state. AHA offers programs that:
We don’t do this alone. Far from it. That’s why we shine a spotlight on others who use the humanities to elevate Alabama. We honor new Alabama Humanities Fellows each year. And we recognize teachers who go above and beyond.
Plus, through our ongoing grantmaking, we help community cornerstones, cultural nonprofits, and other groups create humanities projects accessible to all Alabamians — from literary festivals and documentary films to museum exhibitions, public lectures, oral history projects, and much more.
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