Women Make Movies (WMM) and six other venerable filmmaker support organizations are deeply concerned by the news that DOGE is immediately cutting U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities grant programs. The NEH’s vital support of documentaries in the U.S. includes the NEH Media Projects grant program and documentary funding grants from many U.S. state humanities councils. For decades, they provided meaningful arts programming for general audiences, bridging scholarly research, documentary-making, and the public. Since Wednesday, we have received reports of dozens of grant terminations from filmmakers, affecting their ability to pay contracted crew and deliver quality programs for audiences all over the U.S.
The blanket termination of active grants, including those awarded under a previous Presidential administration, is a blatant attempt to impose ideological control over artistic production and will continue to devastate the affected productions. We reject the content-based suppression of documentary makers and urge Congress to reinstate NEH grants and support state humanities councils.
Women Make Movies
Center for Independent Documentary
Documentary Educational Resources
The Film Collaborative
International Documentary Association
Third World Newsreel
Visual Communications
