Embedded Files
04/09/25 - An uncommon midday email from the National Endowment for the Humanities sent last week to Humanities Guåhan’s Executive Director CJ Ochoco brought surprising news: The grants that Humanities Guåhan received from the NEH were canceled.
Humanities Guåhan is almost entirely funded by the NEH, according to Ochoco.
The local organization was alerted on April 2 that the grant cancellations were effective retroactively to April 1, according to a press release from the nonprofit organization. Its five-year general operating support grants and other awards were impacted, which officials said poses a serious threat to Guam’s cultural, educational, and community-based programming.
The cancellations were directed by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, Humanities Guåhan said.
Humanities Guåhan supports a wide range of initiatives, from literacy programs for families to workshops and documentaries to programs that work to preserve the CHamoru language, Ochoco said.
Ochoco, in a statement, called the cuts to the NEH a major loss for Guam and the region.
The cancellation represents up to $500,000 of loss in direct project support and operating support for the organization, Ochoco told the Marianas Press.
“That’s all the funding that we receive as a council that keeps us operating and allows us to do all of our programming,” Ochoco said.
The nonprofit organization’s work stretches beyond the Marianas and has benefited communities in the wider Micronesian region. Each year, it gives thousands of dollars in grants to community organizations, government agencies, and individuals, according to Ochoco. It also runs the Motheread and Fatheread reading program that brings families together and strengthens literacy skills, Ochoco said. They’ve extended the program to people incarcerated at the Department of Corrections, clients of the Alee Women’s Shelter, and, recently, children in Chuuk. Ochoco added that Humanities Guåhan has supported projects that document history, highlight women who serve in the military and projects that focus on veterans and preserving their stories.
Among the awards canceled for the organization was its Pacific Islands Cultural Initiative, which aimed to bring the councils of Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa together to strategize and program closely as a group across the Pacific, Ochoco said.
With the future of the organization threatened, Humanities Guåhan has called on the community it has served for over three decades to help support its mission as they navigate what’s expected to be uncertain territory in the days and months ahead.
Ochoco said they learned about 80% of the staff at the NEH was put on administrative leave, which has made it challenging to communicate with the agency. “Many of the folks we’ve been working with are no longer there,” Ochoco said.
Looking ahead, Ochoco said they are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
“Our priority, of course, is completing some of our programming and grant obligations that are already in process. So the TeAda (“Nothing Micro About Micronesia”) show will happen later this month, but it may be our last big programming for a while, and then basically, kind of focusing on the financial health of the council to see how far we can keep going in hopes that things will change later,” Ochoco said.
Humanities Guåhan issued a call to action, urging residents to call elected leaders about the funding cancellation impacts.
Guam Republican Sen. Shelly Calvo, whose legislative committee oversees arts and culture, said in a statement that the canceled grants have come at a time when Guam’s government is already grappling with significant financial challenges.
“The rescission of NEH funding is a devastating blow to our island’s cultural and educational programming,” the freshman senator said Friday. “While our government is committed to preserving and celebrating our unique history, language, and traditions, we are currently facing severe budgetary constraints that limit our ability to fill this funding gap.” Calvo said the community’s stories and heritage “are too important to lose” and called for widespread support of Humanities Guåhan.
“The Senator also called on the community to take action by contacting local leaders, spreading awareness, and supporting Humanities Guåhan through donations and
advocacy,” Calvo’s office stated in its press release.
Humanities Guåhan also sought monetary donations in light of the funding constraints.
“As we continue to navigate this together, we continue to appreciate any of the support you can give, whether it's a share, it's a call to your legislature, or it's (to) donate. We know everyone is going through a lot right now, and we just want to continue to partner with you all to provide this relevant and important programming to our community,” Ochoco said.
The National Endowment for the Humanities, as of Monday, did not have information posted about recent funding cancellations on its website or social media accounts.
The National Humanities Alliance, a coalition that is separate from NEH, said in an April 1 statement that cutting NEH funding “directly harms communities in every state and contributes to the destruction of our shared cultural heritage.” The coalition condemned cutting NEH funding and staff.
——
Story by Jasmine Stole Weiss
Report abuse