>> decision by the Trump administration to cancel 175 million dollars in grants to arts and cultural groups could soon be felt in Illinois.

That's because more than 1000 grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities were terminated by the administration last week.

The abrupt move means that Illinois Humanities, which was expecting 2 million dollars from the any age is now looking at a 1 million dollar shortfall in its budget for this year.

And the cuts will likely impact the agency's ability to deliver programming in communities across the state.

Joining us now with more our Gabrielle Lion executive director of Illinois.

Humanities and Jean Schulz.

Angel president of the Illinois Association of Museums and Associate vice president of Humanities at Neighbor Settlement Museum.

Ladies, thank you for joining us.

Thank you Gabrielle Island.

Start with you.

Please explain the mission of Illinois, Humanities and your link to the any age.

Please.

mean, we have an amazing mission.

It is literally to take tax dollars from the federal government and make sure they come back to Illinois.

>> And are available for everyone to benefit from particularly arts history.

Heritage, museums, libraries, things like that.

So we do 3 things in Illinois.

Humanities, we do grant making we do free public programs.

We do education and those federal dollars.

Those dollars that come every year as they have for 50 years.

To Illinois.

Humanities, that's our foundation.

That's the foundation for everything we do name, if you would an example or 2 of something that you funded, that all of us can go Some of us can go up that right?

Well, I mean, one of the things that is about to happen at neighbor settlement is a speaker will come and talk about the history of her grandmother's quilts.

You know, we actually activate programs in small towns and rural communities.

So if you're here in Chicago, you may not have heard of all of them, but we also have major programs in Chicago like The Odyssey Project.

It's an education program for adults who haven't had the chance to go to college.

They can earn college credit by taking humanities classes with us when and how did you learn about this funding cut?

learned about it in the dark of night.

I received an email shortly before midnight and I wasn't the only one to receive an email with a very short statement saying that our current and future funding was being terminated.

Illinois Humanities is a non-profit in Illinois, but every state has a humanities council.

Going back 50 years.

So our colleagues in Alabama, Indiana, Wisconsin, we all got the same letter that went in alphabetical order.

Did you receive any justification in that letter?

We did not receive justification the statement was funding has been terminated because the policy priorities of the administration don't align.

What we've been doing.

Jean felt angel, what impact are the spending cuts going to have on Illinois museums?

Well, you know, there's over 1000 museums across Illinois.

Most of them are small volunteer runner, one or 2 persons staffed places.

But those places are essential in small communities all over the state.

They are keepers of their heritage.

Their keepers of history.

There keepers of collections of assets.

So, you know, museum funding all across the state is very diverse.

Museums are funded in many different ways.

And so to a source of funding for grant projects for exhibits.

For collections.

For what have you is going to make an impact and it'll have a ripple effect.

Not every museum gets federal funding, but the ones that to make incredible strides in what they're doing and what they're able to offer people all over the state.

Now in the context of the federal budget, the 175 million dollars in grants that National Endowment for the Humanities make.

That's a fraction of the federal 6 to 7 trillion dollar budget.

What do you think the Trump administration is doing?

Is Jane?

And then I want to hit you got somebody come to you, too.

I I I wouldn't venture a guess on why they're doing it.

I think I would people who enjoy museums.

You know what impact that will have on their family experiences on the memories they make and those institutions and, you know, I would time is now to have a voice for museums and what those museums mean for your community.

I totally agree with what Gina saying and I think this thing about how do we make memories is really important.

You know, as an organization that is working in every nook and cranny in the state, but also working right here in Chicago with the Haitian American Museum or the Cambodian Heritage Museum.

You know, we are in the places that are maybe not the largest but mean the most to the people they serve.

And I think we're most concerned about the kinds of things programmatically that this will really a fat.

Reading groups like re-imagining the American Dream.

That's a program that Illinois humanities has been doing, especially in Collier counties to say what is it like?

Where did you come from?

What is your story?

And to have a protected place in space to be in conversation just people, you know, not because of your political party.

So free programs, history, heritage exhibits like the ones Gene is talking about and the funding doesn't only come to Illinois, Humanities, but our funding is particular.

These are tax dollars were in statute.

Congress appropriated them and it's, you know, a question that I have.

Why can't we decide here in Illinois what to do with the dollars that are supposed to be coming here what do you think people should care if funding for humanity's is cut?

What's lost with that?

Well, the first thing is the kind of program we have happening right now in this conversation, the protected places and spaces for us to talk about things that matter.

So sometimes those happened at libraries or senior centers are veterans homes.

Sometimes they happened at the gym.

You know, they might happen in a Bible study group.

Those are the kinds of conversations, but its also the enrichment.

You know, my grandmother's quote, collection starts to become more meaningful when I can go to a purse adamant in program and be with other people who have that same kind of interest, but its culture, its community, its connection.

And that's the fundamental mission we're working to protect.

What do you say to people then who think the federal government shouldn't be paying for, you know, arts culture, humanitarian or humanities programs and that this is one way for the government to save money.

I think that's a really, really good point.

And back to I think our biggest concern, these are not general dollars.

These are tax dollars that we have already contributed that are supposed to be coming back to Illinois.

And the big question for us is how do we continue to serve people in programs?

They're at their highest demand of all time coming out of COVID.

These are standing room only programs and then the second thing is, you know, with major events on Dak the 200 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independents, you know, our own commemorations Juneteenth.

How do we commemorate those things?

If we don't all do it together, I can tell you why people should care because your children are going to museums.

They're learning from museums.

We're supplemental in informal educators.

>> We educate we, we work we provide quality of life.

You know, it's one thing to have really great streets.

It's one thing to have make sure that there are is enough food to feed people and, you know, the hospitals are good.

It's another thing.

Also and important to swell to have that layer of culture and humanities because it enriches our lives and it makes a quality of life in our American communities communities across Illinois that much better.

Jean, what is the possibility of funding from elsewhere to cover the shortfall that's going to have?

know, that's a really challenging question for the museum industry.

>> Museums are funded.

Every museum is not funded the same way we go.

And we look for diverse funding sources so we can be sustainable and because of that.

We are always looking for opportunities.

And when you cut off federal funding sources, you're cutting off a significant way of funding really wonderful, wonderful exhibits that are not inexpensive to put And what's the likelihood that this has a disproportionate impact on the smaller institutions?

The smaller institutions will feel the effect of this by the fruit of the vine.

So if a larger institution has to look to other places rather than the federal government for funding, they're going to be looking to places that smaller institutions are already looking to those places as well.

So it's just a smaller source of grant funding and it's going to affect all museums across the state one of the things that I think is so important about this question is Illinois.

Humanities is the champion for small towns, rural communities and community-based places.

So >> the museum's but also History Center's Archives Arts Center's cultural centers.

Those are all destinations.

>> Not only because they're a luxury, but that might be the place where you get to speak in your own language.

>> That might be the place where you get share your story and history for the future.

So I think we're really, really looking at, you know, moving forward.

Go to a program, participate and ideally, if this is something you're concerned about, that you in fact, share your concerns with elected folks, particularly Congress before we run out of time.

I want to ask what recourse do you have?

Is there anything that you can do to push back on these cuts and 30nd, I would say the first thing we're asking everyone to do is get involved.

You can go to the Illinois Humanities website at Illinois.

Humanities stopped work.

The second thing is we're looking at the legality of it.

And the 3rd thing is we are extraordinarily energized by the response.

If you thought the humanities we're invisible, I can tell you that people are coming out of the woodwork and we're so thrilled to be in partnership visit a museum.

There you go.

All right.

We'll have to leave it Gabriel Line and Jean Charles Angel, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

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