Putting the Human in Humanities: Get to Know Delaware Humanities
January 30, 2025
A Letter from Executive Director Michele Anstine
Have you ever…read a book? Visited a museum? Listened to a podcast? Pondered Who am I and why am I here? Visited a new place with interesting traditions? Distinguished right from wrong? Learned that word you’ve used for years meant something different than you thought? Tried to see something from someone else’s perspective? Watched a thought-provoking movie and discussed it with a friend?
If you’ve done any of these, chances are you’ve at least dabbled in the humanities. The humanities are how we observe, interpret, experience, and document what it means to be human. They encompass big ideas and help us make everyday decisions using critical thinking skills. They help us to understand one another better and be productive members of our communities.
At Delaware Humanities, we create opportunities for Delawareans to experience the humanities – and yes, we welcome all interest levels whether you’re just looking to dabble or have a fully immersive experience. Since 1973, we’ve provided program services and grant funding for Delaware organizations like libraries, museums, cultural and community organizations, senior centers and other non-profits to provide speakers, community conversations, and literacy programs right in your community or to help make events that showcase history, culture, language, ethics, philosophy, and other humanities subjects possible.
Much of our funding comes through a special grant issued by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for state and jurisdictional humanities councils. We are proud to be responsible stewards of federal funds that are used throughout the state. Currently, approximately 25% of the funding Delaware Humanities receives from the NEH is redistributed directly to organizations through a competitive granting process. Our Opportunity Grants of up to $5000 are perfect for small projects, planning larger projects, and first-time grant applicants while our larger Action/Innovation Grants of $5001-$20,000 are for larger projects.
Among our program services, we offer an array of lecture series, interactive community events, reading programs, an annual podcast, toolkits, and more. Our thriving Speakers Program provides over 25 talks on a variety of humanities topics featuring history, the environment, identity, culture, places, and events. Our newest program, Community Conversations, is a facilitator-led dialogue that encourages people to listen respectfully to different viewpoints and engage with issues that affect our communities. Anther ever-growing program is Prime Time Family Reading, a nationwide program, which introduces 6 to 10-year-old children and their families to the humanities through storytelling and discussions that build the foundation for a lifelong love of reading and learning.
As we look to 2025, we are eager to embark on a new year of humanities programs and grantmaking throughout Delaware. Because much of Delaware Humanities’ funding comes from the federal government via the NEH, we are closely monitoring directives from the new presidential administration that may impact humanities funding and thus our grants and other programming, and we will adapt our operations as needed. Nevertheless, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to providing Delawareans with ways to engage with the humanities in their state.
We invite you to get to know Delaware Humanities and keep in touch with the latest updates about the work we do– visit our website regularly, subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow our social media channels – our knowledgeable staff is available to assist with programming, applications for grants, or any questions you may have. After all, the humanities are all around us and we’re here to make them available to you in Delaware.
Michele Anstine, Executive Director