On April 2, 2025, thousands of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) federal grant recipients received grant termination letters from a third party email source representing the US Government, terminating their NEH federal grants wholesale on a number of bases including contending the grants no longer align with the new administration’s priorities.
Working with RPJ client Women Make Movies (WMM), RPJ teamed up with the Cornell University Law School First Amendment Clinic and a major WDC federal contract firm to prepare a novel and highly detailed template NEH Grant Termination Appeal, now made available to hundreds of NEH Grantees in the documentary, literary, and academic fields, and, with the permission of WMM, made public for use by other NEH Grantees. The NEH Appeal template is attached and made available here. The NEH Grantees are all advised that the Appeal template is for information purposes only and is not legal advice, and Grantees should seek independent legal counsel skilled in this area with respect to each Grantee’s particular Grant situation.
Following on the heels of the April 2 wholesale NEH Grant Terminations, last Friday, May 2, 2025, thousands of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) federal grant recipients received grant termination letters with a short, seven-day Appeal opportunity. RPJ is assisting with the NEA Appeals as well. Resources for Grantees whose NEA Grants have been terminated may seek support from a range of non-profit organizations including Americans for the Arts, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the arts and arts education, advocating for federal support, and promoting access to the arts for all Americans, and the Film Festival Alliance (FFA), which has also provided guidance to grantees whose grants have been terminated and may be contacted here. The FFA has developed a template NEA Grant Termination Appeal Template which we attach here.
Once again, the above and any attachments are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice, and Grantees should seek independent legal counsel skilled in this area with respect to each Grantee’s particular Grant situation and grounds for Appeal.