NEH Community Deep Mapping Institute continues after the cancellation of the current NEH grant funded program

On Tuesday, April 3rd the directors of the NEH Community Deep Mapping Institute (NEH CDMI) received notice that the National Endowment for the Humanities had terminated the federal grant responsible for funding the 2025 institute. The letter states: ‘The NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda’. Further information about NEH funding priorities and the Agency’s recent implementation of Trump administration executive orders can be found in this recent press release from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The elimination of this funding mechanism immediately put strain on financially supporting both Institute program development by research staff and faculty as well as the two week in-person workshops taking place in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Over the course of this last week directors have worked to develop a new plan for the continuation of the NEH CDMI constrained by the funding limitations due to the grant termination. To meet this challenge the director team developed a two-prong approach. First, directors developed a new plan that aimed to limit and differ costs while also still meeting the original aims of the Institute and supporting the needs of Institute fellows and their deep mapping projects. Secondly, directors reached out for financial support from their own academic institutions as well as reaching out for support from academic and professional institutions associated with Institute fellows.

Yesterday, NEH CDMI directors and fellows met to discuss the current state of affairs surrounding the Institute. Directors explained the current situation to fellows and discussed their work over the past week to create a plan that would allow the Institute to continue without creating an undue burden of costs on fellows. Fellows universally expressed their support for the Institute and the work directors continued to do to support their teams and projects. All teams agreed that the Institute should move forward with virtual sessions. Teams also expressed a willingness to participate in a more condensed in-person program in the Keweenaw this July, paying for their own transportation and lodging. 

Due to the overwhelming support of the Institute fellows as well as generous financial support from Michigan Technological University and North Dakota State University the 2025 NEH CDMI will continue with both virtual and in-person workshops. The updated virtual and in-person schedules can be found on the NEH CDMI schedule page.