Since 1975, the New York Council for the Humanities has actively nurtured the role of the humanities in the intellectual and cultural life of New York State. As a not-for-profit, independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council works with more than 4,000 cultural institutions such as libraries, historical sites, museums, art galleries, colleges and universities, and community centers to bring innovative, thought-provoking programs to over a quarter of a million New Yorkers annually.

Through our statewide collaborations, and our own programs and services that encourage imaginative thinking and critical inquiry, we work to ensure that the humanities are present in the intellectual and cultural life of every New Yorker. We see the humanities as fundamental to our understanding of ourselves as human beings and of our role in and responsibility to society.

Reading Between the Lines - an innovative book discussion program for people who love to read and who thrive in a setting that provides stimulating conversation through an open exchange of ideas and opinions. We work with university-based scholars to offer these free, monthly reading groups at local libraries, museums, historical societies, and civic forums throughout the state.

Speakers in the Humanities - a feast of more than 200 lectures by a renowned and diverse group of some 150 scholars is available to hundreds of cultural organizations and community groups across the state, an exciting program open to any not-for-profit organization in New York, including high schools.

The Grants Program - a statewide resource for support of a wide variety of lectures, festivals, panel discussions, walking tours, and the planning and implementation of exhibitions and other ventures at small and large not-for-profit institutions throughout New York State. Through this program, the Council distributes federal funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities directly to notable projects created by museums, libraries, historical societies, and other cultural and educational organizations.

State Humanities Month - each October we produce an extensive calendar and statewide publicity campaign centered on all the public programs funded through the Council's Grants and Speakers Programs in October, celebrated as State Humanities Month.

Annual Report > Read our most recent Annual Report online as a PDF file.

The humanities are both the record of human experience and a set of tools for thinking critically about who we are, where we come from, and where we are going. It is through the study of the humanities - which includes, but is not limited to, history, literature, philosophy, modern and classical languages, and art theory and criticism - that we learn more about our diverse heritage, traditions, and contemporary national experience.

The New York Council for the Humanities promotes lifelong learning in the humanities by forging relationships between adults, young people and their families, and New York State's extraordinary wealth of humanities institutions. The Council brings scholars and New Yorkers from all across the state together to explore the ideas and values that help us sustain a thoughtful and informed place in the world.