NEH Awards Largest-Ever Grant to Tikvah Fund, Pushing Jewish Education and Israeli Programs

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded a $10.4 million grant to the Tikvah Fund, marking the largest grant in the agency’s history. The Tikvah Fund, a conservative Jewish organization, will use the funding to support its “Jewish Civilization Project,” which includes educational curricula, fellowships, and public programs aimed at combating antisemitism and promoting Jewish heritage.

Tikvah Fund’s work spans both the United States and Israel. The organization runs educational programs that promote Jewish ideas and Zionist thought, and it operates fellowships in Israel focused on engaging young adults with Israeli society, politics, and culture. Additional initiatives include public programming, journalist fellowships, and expanded opportunities for Jewish student leadership.

Tikvah CEO Eric Cohen framed the effort as a cultural and civilizational project, saying, “We believe that Jewish ideas are essential to strengthening the best of our shared American culture and answering the perverse ideology of antisemitism with the enduring majesty of Jewish civilization.”

The grant comes amid a wider campaign by the Trump administration to clamp down on university speech it deems antisemitic—often targeting criticism of Israel or expressions of support for Palestinians.

Since January, the administration has:

Threatened to pull federal funding from universities accused of tolerating pro-Palestinian protests;

Revoked grants, including a high-profile case involving Harvard University;

Demanded student records, especially of foreign nationals involved in Gaza-related demonstrations;

Pursued deportations of visa-holders tied to protests, actions seen by many as politically motivated.

The $10.4 million award is unprecedented in scope. NEH acting chairman Michael McDonald, a Trump appointee, said the humanities “have a vital role to play” in fighting antisemitism. The grant was announced shortly after the abrupt departure of former NEH chair Shelly Lowe, who was reportedly asked to step down “at the direction of President Trump.”

The grant comes at a time when federal agencies are increasingly involved in addressing antisemitism through educational and cultural programming.

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