As the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, we stand as a connector of women’s history sites. March stands as Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women’s contributions to history. However, this past month we saw attacks on a number of institutions that support our sector.
- On March 14, 2025 Executive Order “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” was issued with a list of entities that are to be eliminated to the maximum extent possible including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
- On March 27, 2025 Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” was issued to reinstate a patriarchal historical representation of history that fails to recognize the nuanced impact of the founding, and subsequent 250 years of history, of the United States for all of its citizens at all Smithsonian Institutions.
- On March 31, 2025 the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeted the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded.
All of these institutions are important partners in ensuring funding for women’s history studies and women’s history sites. The actions to defund the IMLS and NEH are direct attacks on history funding that supports the sector. In 2022, IMLS provided $250,000 in funding to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, and $31,000 in funding to the Alice Austen House Museum in New York. From 2019 to 2022, Virginia State University was awarded about $80,000 to a project for faculty development, curriculum enhancement, and community engagement focused on eight important Virginia women from the colonial era into the twentieth century. Places and projects like these will either face serious financial hardship or not be funded at all with the defunding of these agencies.
The Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” states, “It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.” As students of women’s history, we know that the United States does not have an unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing. To make such statements is to invalidate all of the women that have fought, and continue to fight, for equal rights under the law. It is important we recognize how such an interpretation of American history will lead to erasure of women’s stories at our Federal sites, if they were recognized.
While women do not stand as a monolithic group, all with the same thoughts and feelings, it is important we, as an organization, state the following:
- An attack on funding for museums, libraries, and humanities at large is an attack on women’s history – an area of study that is already under-resourced.
- A country that does not take ownership of the racism, sexism, and oppression of its history, and present, does not recognize the experience of its full citizenry – including women.
The National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites stands with Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. We stand against an American history that conducts erasure of its citizen’s history in favor of propaganda.
Below we are providing resources that give additional context for the actions taken against women’s history this month, and provide opportunities to advocate on behalf of IMLS, NEA, and NEH. Join us in making your voice heard and supporting women’s history.
Resources
FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS, by the American Library Association. This set of frequently asked questions is intended to help library workers, library advocates, and library users understand this Executive Order.
Updates and Resources on the Impacts of Executive Orders, by the American Alliance of Museums. Recent Executive Orders are having profound effects on communities, organizations, and museums. We know this brings uncertainty, and we’re here to help by providing updates and resources. We appreciate your patience as we work with our partners to create resources to help you navigate this rapidly changing situation. We will continue to update this page with information and resources.
Defend the Institute of Museum and Library Services, by the American Association of State and Local History. Fill out our survey to let us know how your organization has been impacted by federal and state actions. All responses will be kept strictly confidential unless you give us permission to share them. See responses that we’ve been given permission to share.
Take Action to Save the National Endowment for the Humanities, by the American Association of State and Local History. After effectively shutting down the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) this week, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency is now targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Urge Congress to Save IMLS and NEH (For museums, staff, and board members)
Trump and Musk Set Their Sights on Humanities Cuts, by Inside Higher Ed. Exactly how many staff members and grants will be slashed from the National Endowment for the Humanities remains unclear, but prior cuts at the Education Department and National Institutes of Health offer a grim forecast.
Save the NEH! by the National Humanities Alliance. On Monday, March 31, 2025 we learned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is targeting the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) with the aim of substantially reducing its staff, cutting the agency’s grant programs, and rescinding grants that have already been awarded. Learn what steps you can take to help save the NEH.
States scramble after Trump’s ‘devastating’ cuts to humanities grants, by USA Today. As part of his effort to shrink government, Trump cut humanities grants that have been used to record and share history for a half century.
Cultural groups across the U.S. told that federal humanities grants are terminated, by NPR.
Trump executive order on Smithsonian targets funding for programs with ‘improper ideology,’ by AP News.
Trump executive order seeks to ‘restore’ American history through Smithsonian overhaul, by NPR.
For our non-profit members and partners, please refer to the resources below from the National Council of Nonprofits as you navigate through these troubling times.
Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits, by the National Council of Nonprofits.
Conducting a Risk Assessment for Federal Funding, by the National Council of Nonprofits.
Share Your Story of Nonprofit Impact, by the National Council of Nonprofits.