Michigan arts and humanities funding may soon be taking a hit.
President Trump's proposed budget calls for an end to the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), one of the largest sources of funding for arts and humanities funds nationwide.
The endowment provides more than $1 million in funding every year to the state of Michigan.
Robbe DiPietro is the Associate Director of Grants and Programs for the Michigan Humanities Council, which is responsible for allocating NEH funding to various nonprofit groups throughout the state. She says the funding is vital to keeping many humanities programs afloat. "Arts and humanities programs themselves are not profit generating activities," she said. "These are a lot of programs that would never happen if it wasn't for the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities."
The council uses the funding to support various cultural programs at libraries, schools, and museums, often in conjunction with other arts groups that receive federal funding.
Trump's proposal would need Congressional approval before funding levels are decided. Depietro said that means the cuts the president wants may be difficult to achieve.
"We do have very strong bipartisan support for our programs," she said, "In discussions with our Congressional representatives, everyone has indicated their support."
