Welcome to the North Carolina Humanities Council

Please note, our website is currently undergoing revisions and some items may have moved. If you are having issues locating information please email nchc@nchumanities.org or call 704.687.1520

Founded in 1972, the North Carolina Humanities Council is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities dedicated to exploring and celebrating our state’s heritage, history and people. Through its programs, partnerships and scholarships, the Council preserves and shares the stories that bring North Carolina’s culture to life and enrich the lives of residents across the state.

Our web calendar in the right-hand menu lists upcoming events and activities. All event dates and times are listed as they were submitted to the Council. Please contact the local project director listed on the event link to confirm details.

Have you started a proposal in our online portal? Need to submit follow up forms for your award? Click here to login to your Applicant Dashboard and to access your proposals and all related forms.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is in jeopardy, with strong indications its funding may be eliminated in the current administration’s budget proposal to Congress. State humanities councils receive core funding from the NEH. The public humanities provide people from all walks of life with a greater understanding of ourselves and others. Local programs strengthen and build communities by fostering thoughtful dialogue around issues of importance.

We are calling on all our humanities advocates to speak up and urge Congress to sustain the NEH funding that is crucial to nation’s democracy, history and cultural heritage. Click here to learn more.

North Carolina’s Sherry Paula Watkins Looks to Encourage Civility in Conversation

Originally published as "Executive Function with Sherry Paula Watkins" in the Summer 2019 issue of Humanities magazine, a publication of the National Endowment for the Humanities

The humanities have the power to heal.

That’s Sherry Paula Watkins’s message. And, after spending a few minutes with the executive director of the North Carolina Humanities Council (NCHC), you’re persuaded.

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Humanities Program Excellence Award Presented to I AM not the MEdia, Inc

CHARLOTTE, NC (July 8, 2019) – The North Carolina Humanities Council’s Board of Trustees has selected I AM not the MEdia and their Fall 2018 “Cyber Citizen Series” program as the recipient of the 2019 Harlan Joel Gradin Award for Excellence in the Public Humanities.

The Council’s Board of Trustees selected I AM not the MEdia because of “Cyber Citizen Series’” commitment to youth programming and focus on building critical thinking skills among teens. The 2019 Gradin Award will be presented in Charlotte this December.

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Linda Flowers Award Judges Announced

CHARLOTTE, NC (June 11, 2019) – The North Carolina Humanities Council has announced its 2019 panel of judges for the Linda Flowers Literary Award. Judges were selected based on level of literary involvement in the state of North Carolina.

Submissions of original, unpublished entries of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry will be accepted for the award through June 28, 2019. For guidelines or to apply, please click here.

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North Carolina’s Letters About Literature Winners Announced

CHARLOTTE, NC (June 6, 2019) – The North Carolina Center for the Book, a program of the North Carolina Humanities Council, is pleased to announce the 2019 winners for the state-wide Letters About Literature competition. The competition asks students in grades 4-12 to read a book, poem, or speech and write to the author about how the work affected them.

Out of the hundreds of entries received, the selected North Carolina winners are:

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Jaki Shelton Green to Receive North Carolina Humanities Council’s Highest Honor

Public award ceremony held in Durham, October 2019

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 23, 2019) – The North Carolina Humanities Council’s Board of Trustees has selected Jaki Shelton Green as the recipient of the 2019 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities, the Council’s most prestigious honor. A public award ceremony and reception will be held in Durham, October 2019. Event details will be announced in early summer. The event will be open to public.

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Call for Board of Trustee Nominations

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 10, 2019) – The North Carolina Humanities Council is a 501 (c)(3) statewide nonprofit that serves as an advocate for lifelong learning and thoughtful dialogue about our shared human experience. The Council envision a North Carolina where the humanities disciplines are used as a means to drive discussion around topics of national and local importance in order to build historical and cultural understanding and community togetherness.

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