Newsroom Category: AHA News

Road Scholar talks are back

September 16, 2025 — Five months after pausing its Road Scholars Speakers Bureau as a result of abrupt federal funding cuts, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has reopened the beloved program, through at least the rest of 2025. This reopening is possible thanks to recent donations, including another major gift from philanthropist Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr.

Since 1987, AHA’s Road Scholars have crisscrossed Alabama, providing fascinating talks and critical programming for local nonprofits across the state — libraries, senior centers, historical societies, churches, and more. Now, these community cornerstones can once again apply to bring a Road Scholar to their towns, with an eye toward 2026 public programming.

“The Road Scholars Speakers Bureau has been a vital part of our programming, especially for senior adults, for more than two decades,” says Mary Hamilton, director of the H. Grady Bradshaw Chambers County Library.

“With the variety and depth of topics available at an affordable cost to a public library, our patrons have enjoyed learning about history, sports, foodways, music, and so much more,” Hamilton shares. “I’m delighted that the Road Scholars program once again is available to bring insightful, entertaining, and educational programs to our community.”

Applications to host a Road Scholar will be considered on a monthly basis moving forward, with the first monthly deadline coming up October 1.

Learn more about our Road Scholars Speakers Bureau.

 

Why were Road Scholar talks paused?

AHA paused some of its grantmaking and programming in April after the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated AHA’s longstanding partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities — eliminating what amounts to two-thirds of AHA’s annual funding.

The cuts were unexpected. Since 1974, AHA has been part of a federal-state partnership to promote the arts and humanities across the United States. In that time, AHA has used federal dollars annually appropriated by a bipartisan Congress to support grantmaking and programming in communities across Alabama.

Since April, an outpouring of support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and state lawmakers has helped preserve the Alabama Humanities Alliance — and kept many of our statewide offerings afloat. That includes our current Smithsonian traveling exhibit touring six communities across the state; Alabama History Day for middle school and high school students; our Healing History initiative bringing Alabamians together; and a limited slate of AHA’s Grant offerings that support locally created humanities projects in towns statewide.

“Quite literally, none of our work is possible right now without support from individuals and organizations who believe in the power of lifelong learning and impactful storytelling,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “AHA’s donors care about helping Alabamians connect with our past, with each other, and with the stories that illustrate the world around us.

“We’re grateful to offer our Road Scholars through at least the rest of this year, and we hope that future funding will enable us to extend this program into 2026, and beyond.”

 

AHA’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau

Over the past five years, AHA’s Road Scholars have delivered more than 300 talks in communities large and small. In 2024 alone, more than 5,000 Alabamians gathered to hear a Road Scholar presentation.

The program is a vital source of community programming for local libraries, museums, historical societies, historic sites, and more. The Road Scholars program also serves more senior citizens than any other AHA offering, and senior centers often serve as a host venue for talks.

Road Scholar speakers include poets laureate, acclaimed storytellers, award-winning authors, artists and musicians, military veterans, woodworkers, printmakers, sportswriters, theatrical directors, cemetery experts, genealogists, and more.

Their talks cover the gamut of Alabama and American history, including:

 

And that’s just a small percentage of the 100-plus presentations developed by AHA’s roster of Road Scholars.

Michael Burger, Road Scholar

Michael Burger, Ph.D., is an AHA Road Scholar and a professor of history at Auburn University at Montgomery. His talks include presentations on the inspirations for the U.S. Constitution, a fascinating reconsideration of Cleopatra, and a look at the evolution of universities from the middle ages to modern times.

“It’s a blast to bring really interesting history to audiences looking for some enlightenment,” Burger says. “The idea is not to make history interesting, but to reveal how it’s interesting and why it matters today. And what’s as much fun for me is what comes after the talk: audience questions and discussion.”

For organizations interested in applying for a grant to host a Road Scholar, visit alabamahumanities.org/road-scholars. Applications will be considered on a monthly basis, with deadlines the first of each month.

Once scheduled, all Road Scholar talks are available to the public for free, and promoted on AHA’s online events calendar.

 

Additional resources for applicants:

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home.

AHA’s 2025 grantmaking

Through the first half of 2025, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has awarded 14 grants across Alabama, totaling nearly $32,000 in support of locally created, humanities-rich public programming.

Projects funded include childhood literacy programs, oral history projects, civics education, literary festivals, documentary films, and explorations of Alabama art, music, and folklife. Grant recipients hail from Huntsville to Monroeville, Dothan to Anniston, and many points in between.

See below for examples of AHA-funded projects thus far in 2025.

 

Less funding for the humanities in Alabama

As happy as AHA is to have funded these projects, the organization’s overall grantmaking capacity is down significantly this year. For comparison, at midyear 2024 and 2023, AHA had already awarded $157,351 and $206,996, respectively, to Alabama nonprofits, colleges, and state and local agencies.

The reason?

On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency terminated AHA’s 50-year partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities — and, with it, two-thirds of AHA’s annual budget. For more than half a century, AHA had used federal dollars appropriated by a bipartisan Congress to support annual grantmaking — $13 million to local communities statewide since 1974.

This year, however, AHA had to fully suspend its grantmaking for two months, as it sought to stay viable and find alternative sources of funding for its grants, programs, and operations.

On May 19, AHA announced it was bringing back its monthly Mini Grants, which offer up to $2,500 each. AHA’s Major Grants (up to $10,000 each) and Media Grants (up to $15,000 each) remain on hold.

This restoration of Mini Grants was made possible thanks to the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations, including major gifts from Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. and from the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation.

“We were pleased to resume this support that helps thousands of Alabamians come together as they engage with the humanities in their own communities,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “We missed offering these grants as much as our local partners missed the support.”

Indeed, in 2024, 90% of AHA’s grant recipients reported that their public programs and events would not have been possible without funding provided by the Alabama Humanities Alliance. Over the past five years, AHA has received 607 grant applications — $5.9 million in total requests.

“We’re acutely aware that there’s a host of local nonprofits, universities, and state and local agencies out there who rely on us,” Holmes says. “So, while we’re thankful to once again offer our Mini Grants, we know the need goes beyond that. And the reality is that we don’t know what our ability will be to serve Alabamians in 2026, and beyond.”

Discover how to help ensure AHA’s future at alabamahumanities.org/our-future.

 

2025 AHA-funded project examples, so far:

Alabama Coal Miners Digital Archive
The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa

This project gives Alabama coal miners the chance to share their memories — and artifacts — as part of a project to preserve our state’s coal mining history. Organized by the University of Alabama’s Department of History, this project will also give miners the chance to scan, and preserve, artifacts like photos, letters, mining lamps, helmets, lunch buckets, and more.

Alabama Folk Podcast, Season Four
Alabama Folklife Association | Statewide
Alabama Folk explores Alabama’s many cultures and traditions and engages statewide audiences in Alabama folklife. The podcast features deep interviews with Alabama artists who carry on traditions passed down through the generations or shared in community. Season Four showcases artists diverse in experience, artform, and geography.

Civic Tapestry: Weaving History into Public Life
Troy University | Troy
Presented by Troy University’s Office of Civic Engagement, this public series seeks to provide an opportunity for local youth to better understand the critical role of history in public life — by exploring local and civil rights history through an intergenerational oral history initiative and visit to The Legacy Museum.

Deep Roots, Strong Souls: Anniston’s Black Heritage Documentary
Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County | Anniston
The history of Anniston runs deep, but often overlooked is the contribution of Black residents to the growth of Anniston. The goal of this project is to use the library’s resources (phots, oral histories, research materials) to create a documentary that richly tells this local story, to be shown at the library during Black History Month, and beyond.

Monroeville Literary Festival
Monroe County Heritage Museum | Monroeville
The Monroeville Literary Festival is a two-day event that hosts visitors from across the state, and beyond, attend not only to meet authors and hear their stories, but also for the real Monroeville experience of walking in the footsteps of Monroeville’s celebrated authors. Visitors attend lectures, book reviews, workshops, and book signings.

Presenting Katherine Applegate
STAIR of Birmingham | Birmingham

Newberry Award-winning author Katherine Applegate visits Birmingham to speak with students at i3 Academy, Avondale Elementary, and Shades Cahaba Elementary. AHA funding provides hundreds of local students with signed copies of Applegate’s new picture book, ODDER, to foster a love for reading and learning, enhancing literacy in the process.

The Invisible Hand of Diplomacy: Shaping Our World
Global Ties Alabama | Huntsville
Celebrating 60 years of service, Global Ties Alabama partners with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) to bring an engaging U.S. diplomatic exhibit to Alabama. The exhibit highlights key diplomatic moments, along with a complementary “Century of Service” presentation that delves into the personal (and often unheard) stories of diplomats — revealing the power of human connection in shaping our world.

Learn more about AHA’s current grantmaking opportunities at alabamahumanities.org/grants. 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home.

Less outrage, more common ground

It’s easy to drum up outrage these days. Pick a topic. Pick a party. Pick an “other.”

What’s not as easy to do? Choosing empathy. Taking a beat and thinking about what drives our anger and fuels our divides.

Thankfully, author and social psychologist Kurt Gray has — and he’ll share his insights during an evening of dialogue and reflection on Monday, August 25, at Birmingham’s Red Mountain Theatre.

Gray will unpack the science behind our outrage and reveal how empathy, not division, can drive real dialogue. You’ll discover why we’re more alike than we think, and how understanding our emotions can bridge even the deepest divides — no matter where we reside on the political, religious, or geographical spectrums.

The Alabama Humanities Alliance is grateful to present this event, part of an ongoing Woven Together series presented in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and Leadership Birmingham.

Our friends from Thank You Books will also be on hand with copies of Gray’s book, Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, available for purchase and signing. Our thanks to Alabama Power for their sponsorship.

Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics — and How to Find Common Ground
August 25, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Red Mountain Theatre | Birmingham
Tickets: $10 | woventogether.swell.gives

Note: See below for more info on a pre-event experience called Past Forward, which will take place before the Kurt Gray event, also at Red Mountain Theatre. 

 

About the speaker: Kurt Gray

Kurt Gray is an award-winning researcher and expert in how to study people’s deepest beliefs and why they matter. He’s the Weary Foundation Endowed Chair in the Social Psychology of Polarization and Misinformation, at Ohio State University. Gray also directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The key discovery from Gray’s research? He contends that beneath every heated argument lies a fundamental and shared concern about protecting someone or something from harm. The divide comes, he says, because we have different perceptions of what can be harmful and who might be harmed.

“A lot of past work argues that the morals of liberals and conservatives are so different. They have different minds and will never agree. That’s a really terrible place to be: ‘You’re from Mars and I’m from Venus – I guess we’ll always be aliens to each other,’ ” Gray says.

As a recent press release from Ohio State University shares: “Gray’s work challenges this idea and demonstrates that polarization is not rooted in fundamental difference; instead, it stems from moral disagreement and safety concerns common among all humans. People’s desire to protect themselves and their families drives political and other divisions, Gray explained.

“For example, on either side of the thorny national debate about gun control are people who feel threatened: some by the inability to defend themselves against violence without a gun, and some by gun violence itself. Recognizing this thread, he said, offers new possibilities for healing social rifts, as well as a hopeful perspective that is sorely needed.”

 

***

 

PAST FORWARD: A pre-event experience

Before Kurt Gray’s talk, AHA will offer a free Past Forward experience, also at Red Mountain Theatre (3-5:30 p.m.). Past Forward is a participatory introduction to AHA’s Healing History initiative. 

Past Forward gives participants the chance to:

  • Learn how the past is still present in our lives today.
  • Discover the ways we’re connected, and affected, by our shared history.
  • Reflect on what you’ve learned, in conversation with each other.

NOTE: Past Forward requires separate registration from the Kurt Gray event.

 

About the Woven Together series

Woven Together features national and local experts who explore longstanding, systemic issues in our community and identify solutions to address these challenges. The goal of the learning series is to elevate big ideas, spark inspiring conversations, and drive transformational change in our region. Explore past Woven Together events atcfbham.org/events.

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning, impactful storytelling, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring Alabamians together and help us better understand the communities we call home. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

About the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is committed to improving quality of life in the Birmingham region by addressing community needs and supporting charitable organizations. We work every day to take on the fundamental issues that challenge the growth and success of the people in our communities, supporting those in need in our five-county region and supporting those who support others. Learn more at cfbham.org.

About Leadership Birmingham
Since 1982, Leadership Birmingham has united diverse cohorts of the region’s most engaged leaders to explore critical community issues and forge lasting relationships that shape Birmingham’s future. And we’re proud to continue our mission, educating and empowering community leaders to shape our city’s future for the better. Learn more at leadershipbirmingham.org.

AHA grants are back

May 19, 2025 — Six weeks after suspending its statewide grantmaking as a result of abrupt federal cuts, the Alabama Humanities Alliance is bringing back limited grant offerings.

Effective immediately, nonprofits across Alabama can once again apply for AHA’s Mini Grants, which offer up to $2,500 for humanities-rich public programming. Learn about these grants — and how to apply for them — at alabamahumanities.org/grants.

All AHA grantmaking was paused April 2, when the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated AHA’s longstanding partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities — eliminating two-thirds of AHA’s annual funding.

Since then, an outpouring of support from individuals, corporations, and foundations has helped preserve the Alabama Humanities Alliance, including major gifts from Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. and from the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation. This support has now enabled AHA to bring back its Mini Grants.

“We are pleased to resume this support that helps thousands of Alabamians come together as they engage with the humanities in their own communities,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “We have missed offering these grants as much as our local partners have missed the support. These grants illustrate what AHA is all about. We help Alabamians bring the past to life, explore our shared stories, and better understand this vibrant and complex state we all call home.”

It is AHA’s hope to offer Mini Grants for the rest of 2025, if donor support for the organization continues to sustain AHA’s capacity, Holmes says. AHA’s Major Grants (up to $10,000) and Media Grants (up to $15,000) remain paused. Those painful decisions reflect AHA’s still-tenuous financial situation. For decades, AHA has used federal dollars appropriated by a bipartisan Congress to support grantmaking across the state.

“As happy as we are to offer Mini Grants once again, the reality is that we don’t know what our ability will be to serve Alabamians in 2026, and beyond,” Holmes says. “Like many other organizations dedicated to history, civics, culture, and the arts, we need a hand right now to keep offering dynamic grantmaking and programming to Alabamians statewide.”

To support AHA today, donate at alabamahumanities.org/support.

***

 

How to apply for a Mini Grant

Mini Grants are available on a rolling basis, with deadlines on the first of each month. Designed for flexibility, AHA’s Mini Grants feature a simplified and quicker application process to support a broad range of projects. And Mini Grant applications do not require cost share matches.

All applications submitted by June 1, 2025, will be considered in this first round of resumed grantmaking. Interested applicants are encouraged to read through AHA’s revised grant guidelines, which have been updated following the termination of our NEH partnership.

 

What can AHA’s Mini Grants help fund?

AHA’s Mini Grants can help fund anything from public history projects, literary festivals, and conferences to art talks, book clubs, traveling exhibits, podcasts, and much, much more.

For reference, a small sampling of AHA’s 2024 Mini Grant recipients includes:

AHA’s grantmaking represents an investment in the cultural fabric of our state — and in the economies of our local communities. In 2024, AHA awarded nearly $380,000 to nonprofits statewide, making local projects available to nearly a quarter-million Alabamians. And 90% of those grant recipients said their community programming would have been impossible without AHA’s support. Since AHA’s founding in 1974, the organization has supplied thousands of grants, totaling more than $13 million.

For full information on AHA’s Mini Grants, visit alabamahumanities.org/grants.

For the latest information on how you can support Alabama Humanities, visit alabamahumanities.org/our-future.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

AHA receives emergency Mellon funding

April 29, 2025 — Today, the Mellon Foundation announced a $15 million emergency funding commitment to the Federation of State Humanities Councils in response to federal funding cuts that have devastated state humanities councils, including the Alabama Humanities Alliance here. This emergency funding will help provide up to support to all 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils across the United States.

AHA will receive an immediate $200,000 gift courtesy of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, with support from the Mellon Foundation. Plus, AHA has an opportunity to access an additional $50,000 in a “Humanities100” challenge grant. Any donations that AHA receives, starting today, will count as matching funds to unlock that additional support. Individuals, corporations, and foundations can donate to AHA now by visiting alabamahumanities.org/support.

“For more than 50 years, humanities councils have served as the backbone of American cultural life, connecting people through programs that illuminate, honor, and celebrate our shared history at the local level,” said Phillip Brian Harper, Mellon’s program director for higher learning. “The work of these councils touches every aspect of communities across our country. This grant ensures that these irreplaceable institutions can continue their mission.”

Mellon’s investment comes at a critical moment when $65 million in federal support for state humanities councils has been eliminated as a result of cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) — cuts enacted by the Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.

On April 2, each humanities council nationwide, including AHA, received notice that all grant funding through the NEH had been cancelled, effective immediately — a local loss of $1.2 million here in Alabama. The loss represents two-thirds of AHA’s annual budget and has a trickle-down impact on AHA’s grantees and partners — local libraries, museums, historic sites, historical societies, colleges and universities, arts and culture organizations, literary and literacy groups, towns and chambers of commerce, and more statewide.

What does this emergency support mean for the Alabama Humanities Alliance?

“This generous donation from our friends at the Federation and the Mellon Foundation keeps the lights on here at AHA,” says Chuck Holmes, executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance. “Combined with donations from AHA’s supporters in all corners of the state, we can look at programming we might be able to reactivate this year, too.

“This investment isn’t a silver bullet for our long-term viability. But it does buy us precious time to continue advocating for the restoration of our federal funding, and to seek out new sources for sustainable, year-over-year operational support.”

This is not the first time the Mellon Foundation’s philanthropy has supported AHA’s efforts here in Alabama. Mellon’s other contributions include a recent grant to fund Democracy and the Informed Citizen, a podcast series produced by AHA.

That series explored community journalism in rural Alabama, and highlighted how citizen-produced newspapers can help build community, preserve local history, and strengthen our democracy. Project partners included Alabama A&M’s WJAB-FM, PACERS Rural Community News Network, Auburn University’s School of Communication and Journalism, the University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences, Auburn University’s Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, and the David Mathews Center for Civic Life.

 

Help AHA unlock the Humanities100 matching gift:

All new donations made to the Alabama Humanities Alliance will be generously matched 1:1 by the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation, up to $50,000. Donate today at alabamahumanities.org/support. 

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

About the Federation of State Humanities Councils
Founded in 1977, the Federation of State Humanities Councils (Federation) is the membership organization of the 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils. The Federation supports, connects, and amplifies the work and voices of our members, demonstrating councils’ value for communities and their collective impact on civic health and cultural vibrancy. The Federation envisions a fully resourced, inclusive, and thriving humanities council network.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. We believe that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty and empowerment that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.

Culverhouse extends $250,000 donation to AHA

April 28, 2025 — The Alabama Humanities Alliance has received a record-setting matching gift opportunity from Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr., an Alabama native and noted attorney and philanthropist. The $250,000 donation is set up as a matching gift opportunity, which will help AHA raise an additional $250,000 from other donors to match Culverhouse’s contribution.

“This is an invaluable gift in a moment of crisis for the humanities in Alabama,” says AHA Executive Director Chuck Holmes. “We are grateful to Hugh for his generosity, and for his recognition of how vital the humanities are to the cultural fabric of our state and to the economic vitality of the communities we call home.”

This gift is the largest individual donation in AHA’s half-century history. And it indeed comes at a critical juncture for Alabama Humanities. On April 2, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency terminated the Alabama Humanities Alliance’s 50-year partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities — and, with it, two-thirds of AHA’s funding.

As a result, AHA had to suspend its statewide grantmaking that Alabama nonprofits rely on for locally created public programming. Last year, for example, AHA awarded $380,000 in funding that made possible local storytelling festivals, public history projects, cultural celebrations, civics education, book clubs, art talks, documentaries, and much more. AHA has also had to pause some of its original programming, including its Road Scholars Speakers Bureau. This program provides scholar-storytellers who give fascinating talks at local libraries, senior citizen centers, historical societies, and more statewide.

Culverhouse’s gift gives the Alabama Humanities Alliance greater flexibility as it searches for sustainable, long-term funding to fill the $1.2 million gap left by DOGE’s cuts. Once fully realized, Culverhouse’s gift — in tandem with support from Alabamians across the state — could also help AHA preserve and restore beloved programming.

“The Alabama Humanities Alliance does the work that makes us all better, more informed citizens,” Culverhouse says. “They support learning about history, civics, and jurisprudence. They help us explore what we have in common so that we can come together, not apart. We need more of the humanities in our communities right now, not less.”

Culverhouse has a long history of supporting causes related to education, civic engagement, and public health, both here in his native Alabama and his current home of Florida. His father, Hugh Culverhouse Sr., was also a prominent philanthropist and a member of the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.

To help match this generous donation, Alabamians are encouraged to contribute directly at alabamahumanities.org/support.

 

Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

Alabama impact of NEH cuts

April 2, 2025 — Alabamians stand to lose local programs that provide important lifelong learning and civic engagement opportunities as a result of newly mandated federal cuts of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The federal Department of Government Efficiency this week ordered the NEH to make deep reductions in its staffing and budget, including to its grantmaking. These cuts would severely limit the ability of the Alabama Humanities Alliance, an NEH affiliate, to support statewide humanities efforts in communities large and small — efforts such as local history projects, storytelling festivals, community cultural celebrations, and humanities-focused podcasts and documentaries.

AHA is suspending its grantmaking in the state because of this financial uncertainty. The decision includes a pause in AHA’s monthly Mini Grants, Spring round of Major Grants, and its annual Media Grants, which were planned for this summer. AHA will also halt further bookings of its popular Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, which provides scholars and storytellers who give presentations at libraries, historical societies, and senior citizen centers across the state.

“The potential gutting of a federal agency might feel far away from many of us here in Alabama,” says Chuck Holmes, executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance. “But what’s at stake is very much of local concern — hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for local nonprofits to serve people in towns and cities across Alabama. These AHA grants are decided here in Alabama — not Washington, D.C. — and they support programming that enriches local communities.”

The impact of NEH cuts, if fully implemented, would be acutely felt in Alabama. For more than 50 years, AHA has served as a nonprofit and nonpartisan state affiliate of the NEH. During that time, Alabama Humanities has received congressionally appropriated federal funding to distribute nearly $13 million in support of humanities-rich programming in towns and cities across Alabama.

In 2024 alone, AHA distributed $380,000 to nonprofits statewide, supporting efforts like local storytelling festivals, oral history projects, conferences on AI and the humanities, art talks and book clubs, documentaries and podcasts, and public convenings that seek to bridge divides and find common ground. Grant recipients include community cornerstones such as local museums, historical societies, universities, libraries, arts and culture groups, literacy and educational organizations, municipalities and chambers of commerce.

Critically, there are no other statewide organizations that provide the type of funding AHA does. In AHA’s 2024 survey, 90% of all grant recipients stated that their public programming would not have been possible without their grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

NEH funding also covers AHA’s operational costs and enables AHA to leverage state, corporate, foundation, and individual support. This non-federal funding supplements AHA’s other original programming, including:

In total in 2024, AHA and its partners reached about 250,000 Alabamians with 1,790 events and public projects.

“Ultimately, what these proposed cuts threaten is our ability to inspire a lifelong love of learning here in Alabama,” Holmes says. “And when we lose that, we lose much more than funding. We lose our ability to understand each other. We miss opportunities to strengthen our communities, as well as our economy. And we fail to make Alabama an ever more vibrant place to live, to work, and to visit.”

For those who wish to support the Alabama Humanities Alliance, visit alabamahumanities.org/support.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

Alabama History Day 2025

On April 11, around 200 students from middle schools and high schools across the state will converge on Troy University’s campus in Montgomery for Alabama History Day. This annual statewide contest, presented by the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA), enables students to engage in robust and creative historical research.

“The beauty of History Day is that students choose to research topics in history that interest them,” says Idrissa N. Snider, Ph.D., AHA’s Alabama History Day coordinator. “They’re encouraged to be creative storytellers in sharing their findings — as artists, performers, designers, filmmakers, and authors. When students immerse themselves in this process, their confidence grows, academically and socially.”

This is the first time the state contest has been hosted at Troy University’s Montgomery campus. Participating students will present their work in downtown venues, including at the Rosa Parks Museum and the historic Davis Theatre. Volunteer judges will provide feedback and encouragement. These judges include historians, educators, lawyers, and more from around the state, including professors from Troy University.

“A number of Troy’s historians have enjoyed serving as judges for Alabama History Day over the years, and members of the History Department were really excited to learn that the event has found a new home at Troy University’s Montgomery campus,” says Allen Jones, Ph.D., chair of the History Department. “Not only will most of our historians participate as judges in Montgomery this year, around 20 Troy students majoring in history — and members of the university’s History Club — will make the trek to assist in the event and share their delight for studying history with the competitors.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Troy University to provide an exciting and dynamic experience for our Alabama History Day students in such a historic slice of our state’s capital,” says Chuck Holmes, executive director of the Alabama Humanities Alliance. “Troy has long been an outstanding friend of ours and we are grateful for their partnership in elevating the Alabama History Day state contest.”

State winners advance to National History Day, which is held each summer at the University of Maryland and Washington, D.C. Students also have the chance to win special awards from sponsors such as the Alabama Historical Association, Friends of the Alabama Archives, the Alabama Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and many more.

***

The Alabama History Day state contest marks the culmination of months of work by Alabama students, as well as their teachers. Far more than a single day, this year-long program provides teachers with a dynamic, project-based learning tool they can incorporate into the classroom — and offers students a creative way to engage with history and civics.

Each spring, classrooms, schools, and districts host local competitions and showcases of students’ work. The biggest single competition leading up to this year’s statewide contest took place on February 21 in Mobile. There, nearly 200 students gathered for the South Alabama Regional Competition, a day filled with fun, photos, food, and fascinating History Day projects.

In Mobile, this year’s History Day theme, “Rights & Responsibilities in History,” generated student research on national topics ranging from America’s World War II workforce to the eradication of smallpox. Student projects of regional interest included Mobile’s Africatown community, the history of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, and an exploration of the invasive lionfish population along the Gulf Coast.

Matt Spivey is the academic supervisor for social studies at Mobile County Public Schools, and a partner in organizing the South Alabama regional. He noted that the History Day program has obvious immediate impacts in terms of helping students build critical thinking skills, and in vetting and analyzing sources — “and in all those elements that will benefit our students in their classes, in those high-stakes tests that we use to measure their progress.”

But Spivey also sees a much broader, long-lasting positive impact with Alabama History Day:

“When you’re building those kinds of skills, you’re also building critical thinkers who will benefit our communities in who knows how many ways down the line,” Spivey says. “They’ll be able to analyze complex situations, to vet and source information, to figure out what’s accurate and trustworthy. The critical thinking skills they’re getting will help them address problems in our communities in ways that we’ll never fully know the impact of.”

To learn more about Alabama History Day, visit alabamahumanities.org/alabama-history-day.


About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us better understand this dynamic and complex state we all call home. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

About Troy University
Troy University is a public, historic, international university with more than 14,000 students and 175,000 alumni. Students choose TROY for its quality academic programs, reasonable costs and availability of financial aid, outstanding faculty, and flexible in-class and online class offerings. Students on the Troy, Ala., campus enjoy a traditional college experience, while adult students are the centers of attention at campuses in Dothan, Montgomery and Phenix City, Ala., as well as at locations around the world and online.

Troy University’s Montgomery campus with historic Davis Theatre.

 

 

AHA awards $380K in ’24 grants

In 2024, the Alabama Humanities Alliance awarded $379,063 to 65 nonprofits statewide. This funding made it possible for more than 200,000 Alabamians to come together and learn together. Communities from Florence to Spanish Fort, Camden to Ozark — and everywhere in between — created their own local programming that highlights Alabama’s rich history, literature, art, law, culture, and more.

 

Meet our 2024 grant recipients

 

Community cornerstones and education-focused nonprofits rely on AHA as the state’s primary source of funding for humanities programming. Recipients often include local libraries, museums, historic sites, universities, arts and literary organizations, chambers of commerce, archives, historical societies, literacy groups, and many other community-based nonprofits. Artists, filmmakers, and media producers often rely on AHA grants, too, for producing Alabama-focused documentaries, podcasts, and other digital media.

“AHA support allows amazing events to take place which otherwise would not happen,” says Mike Bunn, director of Historic Blakeley State Park, one of AHA’s 2024 grant recipients. “AHA inspires and supports projects for which there are few other available funding options.”

In 2024, public programming created by AHA-funded grantees reached at least 222,360 Alabamians across all 67 counties. This impact doesn’t include the additional programs that AHA provides directly, such as Alabama History Day, the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibits program, Road Scholar speakers, Healing History initiative, teacher workshops and scholarships, the Alabama Colloquium series, and much more.

 

Fifty years of grantmaking impact

The year 2024 marked AHA’s 50th anniversary. Over the past half-century, the Alabama Humanities Alliance has provided $12.9 million in grant funding to support at least 2,247 public humanities projects across the state. All funding for AHA’s grants program comes from an affiliate partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, and thanks to steadfast support from Alabama’s elected officials in the U.S. Congress.

“We are grateful that decision-makers recognize the value in what these grants offer to communities around our state, especially since there’s no other funding stream that offers statewide, humanities-focused funding,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “These grants help local communities bring the past to life, highlight our vibrant culture, connect us to each other, and help us better understand this dynamic and complex state we all call home.”

A brief sampling of AHA-funded grantee projects, below, reveals a wide variety of topics and communities reached in 2024.

 

2024: Grant-funded project examples

Alabama Authors Day
Historic Blakeley Authority | Spanish Fort
Alabama Authors Day offers an annual celebration of the literary arts and our shared cultural and natural heritage. This program highlights recent works by accomplished Alabama authors and provokes discussion about important topics addressed in their writing.

 

Alabama Hip Hop 101
Southern Music Research Center | Statewide

This oral history project documents the history and growth of hip hop music and culture in Alabama; the project features a series of videos and interviews shared via the Southern Music Research Center’s podcast and website.

 

Brick and Barn
Sand Mountain Cooperative Education Center | Guntersville + Birmingham 

Brick and Barn aims to bridge Alabama’s urban-rural divide through a speaker series, offering talks on topics from energy and isolation to literature and migration — fostering dialogue and understanding between historically separated communities.

 

Exploring the Relationship Between the Human Condition and Artificial Intelligence
U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation | Huntsville

AHA funding enables this national AI Symposium to include conversations about the human condition within broader discussions about artificial intelligence — including how to incorporate history, philosophy, ethics, and law in AI decision-making.

 

Memphis and Charleston Railroad Bridge: Connecting the Shoals
University of North Alabama | Florence

The traveling exhibit explores how The Old Railroad Bridge has long connected towns and shaped lives in the Shoals; the exhibit traveled to four public libraries, offering talks by historians and authors in Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals.

 

Preserving the Lived Experiences of Senator Richard C. Shelby
The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa

Senator Shelby, who retired after 36 years in the U.S. Senate, was one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history; this oral history video project by the Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership documents his life in Alabama and beyond.

 

About AHA’s grants

The Alabama Humanities Alliance offers a variety of grants to meet local needs:

Mini Grants
Up to $2,500
Offered monthly
No cost-share matches

Major Grants
Up to $10,000
Offered 3x a year
1:1 cost-share match

Media Grants
Up to $15,000
Offered annually
2:1 cost-share match

 

Upcoming 2025 grant deadlines:

 

Learn more about AHA’s grants offerings — including eligibility guidelines, types of projects funded, and how to apply — at alabamahumanities.org/grants.

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

AHA welcomes nine new board members  

The new year brings new faces to the Alabama Humanities Alliance’s statewide board of directors. Seven board members saw their terms expire at the end of 2024, with nine new members following in their footsteps in 2025.

AHA’s newest board members come from seven different counties, representing Alabama’s rich geographic and cultural diversity. They come from academia, business, law, government, history, and nonprofit leadership.

“I am so grateful that each member of AHA’s board is committed to helping provide opportunities for storytelling, lifelong learning and community engagement across every county of this state,” says Chuck Holmes, AHA’s executive director. “We see over and over how the arts and humanities bring Alabamians together, and help us all better understand each other and these vibrant, complex communities we call home.”

Meet AHA’s full board of directors.

 

2025 board leadership
Robbie McGhee

Robbie McGhee, of Atmore, will serve as the new chair of AHA’s board of directors in 2025-2026. McGhee is an enrolled member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and has been an advocate for Native American issues at all levels of government. He is in his fifth term on the Poarch Band of Creek Indians Tribal Council.

The rest of AHA’s 2025 board’s leadership includes:

Chandra Brown Stewart, Vice Chair (Mobile): Executive Director, Lifelines Counseling Services

Clay Loftin, Secretary (Montgomery): Manager of Governmental Affairs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama

Bob Barnett, Treasurer (Pell City): Structural Engineer and Adjunct Professor

Ed Mizzell, Immediate Past Chair (Birmingham): Managing Director, Luckie & Company

Diane Clouse, At-Large (Ozark): Retired Educator and Performing Arts Choreographer

Susan Yvette Price, J.D., At-Large (Montgomery): Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, Alabama Community College System

  

Welcome to the new class

AHA’s newest board members come from across the state and bring a variety of strengths and experience to the Alabama Humanities Alliance. Read each member’s full bio. 

Darrell Ezell, Ph.D. (Huntsville): Social Scientist, Professor, and CEO of Heritage Solutions

Markell Heilbron (Birmingham): Director of Corporate Responsibility, Alabama Power

Jason Isbell (Pike Road): Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs and Economic Development, Regions Bank

Joseph Messina, Ph.D. (Tuscaloosa): Professor of Geography; Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, University of Alabama

Alan Miller, J.D. (Chelsea): President and CEO, American Village Citizenship Trust, Montevallo. 

Sidney James Nakhjavan (Auburn): Retired Executive Director, Cary Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Auburn University

Chris Robinson (Huntsville): Senior Technical Advisor, U.S. Department of the Treasury

Sam Todd, J.D. (Birmingham): Director of business development, Vulcan Materials Company

Roger Williams (Florence): Certified Public Accountant; President, Patterson, Prince, and Associates, P.C.

 

Saying thank you

AHA’s outgoing board members have helped move the organization forward in substantial ways  commitment helped us move the organization forward in substantial ways. Thank you to Darren Hicks (Birmingham), Dorothy Huston, Ph.D. (Huntsville), Mark Nelson, Ph.D. (Tuscaloosa/Birmingham), Brett Shaffer (Birmingham), Sheryl Threadgill-Matthews (Camden), R.B. Walker (Birmingham), and Andy Weil (Montgomery).  

Among many other accomplishments, these members helped shepherd AHA through a year of reflections, planning, and celebrations in 2024, the Alliance’s 50th anniversary.

 

National role for AHA board member
Susan Price

Also of note, Susan Yvette Price, J.D., an at-large member of the board’s executive committee, has also been elected to the board of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Her appointment took place January 1.

The Federation is the national association of the Alabama Humanities Alliance and 54 other state and territorial humanities councils that promote humanities-rich programming across the United States. The D.C.-based Federation’s chief role is to advocate for increased investment in state humanities councils. It also nurtures the national network of state councils and other allies of the humanities and arts in efforts to amplify the meaning and importance of our work.

“Susan’s new volunteer role as a Federation board member is an important extension of her volunteer role for AHA,” Holmes says. “I am grateful to her for taking on this responsibility, which is a win-win. The Federation is the beneficiary of her extraordinary talents, energy, and expertise. AHA is the beneficiary with an Alabama voice at the table on important national conversations and policy decisions about the humanities and its role in American life.”

 

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we connect Alabamians to impactful storytelling, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.