The major news of this week was the release of the President's FY 2011 budget request, which included $161.5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities and $38.515 million for the Federal-State Partnership.   The total figure is the same as the President's FY 2010 request, as are the recommendations for each of standard program lines.  The We the People line, which had already been reduced in the FY 2010 budget, is set at $11.5 million in this budget request, a reduction of $3 million from last year's total.   It appears that most of the funding taken from WTP was moved to a new Bridging Cultures line, set in this budget request at $2.5 million.  The administration line was increased by $1 million, presumably to accommodate mandated salary increases and rising costs for rent and utilities.

You can find the NEH press release and the full breakout at the NEH website, www.neh.gov/news/archive/20100201.html.  For convenience, I am including below the allocation by division in this year's President's request, compared to last year's appropriation.

                                  FY 2010 (in millions)               FY 2011 (in millions)

Bridging Cultures                                                           $2.50  

Education Programs           $15.616                      $14.750

Fed/State Partnership        $40.370                             $ 38.515

Preservation & Access        $17.116                              $ 16.250

Public Programs               $15.616                              $14.750

Research Programs           $16.866                             $16.000

Digital Humanities            $4.866                               $4.000

We the People                     $14.500                          $11.500

Program Development         $.750                              $.500

Subtotal                               $125.700                            $118.765

Challenge Grants                 $9.500                               $9.500

Treasury Funds                     $4.800                               $4.550

Administration                      $27.500                        $28.500

Total                                    $167.500                    $161.315

It is disappointing that the gains we worked so hard to achieve last year were not maintained in this President's request, but it is important to remember that the President's budget is only the first step in the process.  We know that Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), the Chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, has long been committed to increasing the funding for the cultural agencies, and we are certain he will do all he can to maintain last's year momentum.  But Congress too will be forced to make very difficult choices this year in the face of serious concerns about the deficit.  The Interior subcommittee will be called upon to make up for funding cuts in a number of programs within its bill.  In light of all these factors, we must be prepared to make our case as strongly as possible, and I will thank you in advance for your help in this important effort over the coming weeks and months.

We have posted a press release about the President's budget request on the Federation website.  Please feel free to adapt it for use with your local media outlets, detailing the benefits of programs supported by the council in your state. 

Many thanks to those of you who have responded to my request for information about your programs that we can use to strengthen this year's message and materials!  We have received some extremely valuable information about the numbers of grants made last year, the impact of those grants, and the council programs that promote serious dialogue and build bridges among diverse audiences.   Several councils have described the effects of the economic downturn on communities and institutions in their states and the difference that council support has made.  These kinds of narrative accounts will be very helpful to us in putting together casemaking materials, including written testimony to submit to the Interior subcommittee. 

If you have not yet sent us information about the impact of your programs, please be assured that it is not too late.  As a reminder, we are seeking information about the following:

1)   Ways in which your council's support helped groups that otherwise may have had to reduce staff or services over the past year

2)  Numbers of grants made to such groups

3)  Programs supported or conducted by your council that illustrate how the humanities help promote civil, reasoned dialogue

4)    Programs that demonstrate how the humanities help promote discussion among groups and individuals of different cultural, ethnic, economic, or religious backgrounds, or who hold sharply divided viewpoints on sensitive topics.

5)      Programs, including professional development for teachers, that support improvement of K-12 humanities education.

Thank you again for your help! 

Our thanks to those of you who have registered for this year's Humanities on the Hill event, scheduled for March 2-4!  Early next week we will post the 2010 Advocacy Handbook, containing background information for your visits to your members of Congress.  In addition, we have begun to post samples of materials councils have developed to demonstrate the impact of their programs to their members of Congress.  We encourage you to review these materials for ideas as you put together packets for your own members. 

We will also finalize this year's funding request and position statement over the coming days, as well as talking points that can serve as the basis for your meetings with members.

Last weekend the Federation board of directors held their winter meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. We had several reminders that it was indeed the winter meeting---board members were greeted by frigid temperatures upon arrival, and heavy snow complicated departures.  But the discussions that took place in between were substantive and productive.  Within the next week we will send executive directors a summary of the discussions and decisions, and members of the board will follow up with phone calls to respond to questions and provide additional detail.

Please remember that the deadline for submitting a session proposal for the 2010 conference, "The Search for Tierra Nueva: Navigating Our Human Ties," is Monday, February 15.  In the Call for Session Proposals, the committee encourages councils to suggest sessions describing programs "that have ventured outside our usual comfort zones and into new territories" and initiatives "that have used innovative formats and dynamic outreach methods to reach new audiences."  The committee will meet to review proposals on March 18.