What do an archaeological dig in La Quemada, Day of the Dead history lessons and a school librarian in Yavapai County have in common? They all tell the story of how federal investment in the humanities and libraries enriches life in Arizona — and what we stand to lose if that investment is taken away.

Devastating cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services threaten to gut the cultural, educational and civic infrastructure that binds our diverse state together.

Since 2019, Arizona has received over $16 million from NEH for 90 projects — from rural libraries to university research projects that don’t just decorate our state’s cultural fabric but strengthen our communities, our education system and our understanding of one another.

They’ve supported the Arizona Digital Newspaper Project, which digitized 100,000 pages of historic newspapers for future generations. They’ve brought AZ Reads literacy programs to over 30 K–12 schools, delivering books, authors and a love of reading to students across the state. They’ve funded paid internships for emerging museum professionals at the University of Arizona, preparing the next generation of stewards of our cultural heritage.

They’ve preserved Indigenous histories of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and Latinx heritage through The Abuelas Project. They’ve ensured free public access to more than 660,000 digitized documents through the Arizona Memory Project. They’ve trained teachers, expanded library access and brought books into the hands of Title I students.

Our libraries, often the only free civic spaces in a community, have used IMLS support to hire school librarians, train paraprofessionals, and extend access in rural areas like Yavapai County. 

These are small investments with wide ripples.

Defunding NEH and IMLS silences stories, stalls learning and strips rural and underserved communities of critical access to education, culture and history.

These programs don’t just honor the past — they invest in the future. In an age of disinformation and division, we need these institutions more than ever. They preserve memory, foster critical thinking, and give voice to all Arizonans — not just the privileged few.

Arizona’s stories matter. Our children’s literacy matters. Our cultural memory matters. And we cannot afford to lose them.

Herb Paine is President of Paine Consulting Services, specializing in organizational development and change management, a social and political commentator, and former executive director of Arizona Humanities. Reach him at paineconsulting@cox.net. Follow him IN THE CENTER LANE at herbpaine.substack.com.