Programs › 45.130
Assistance listing · 45.130
Promotion of the Humanities Challenge Grants
Federal financial assistance obligated under listing 45.130, the organisations that receive it and where it goes.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $6.3M in awards under assistance listing 45.130, Promotion of the Humanities Challenge Grants, in FY2025, and $60M over the five fiscal years since FY2022; the program ranks 930 of 1056 on this site.
Obligations were down 63% on FY2024 ($17M), with $18M so far in FY2026.
The largest recipient organisations by the value of $1.0M-plus awards since FY2022 were University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ($10M), Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy ($5.6M) and Leo Strauss Foundation ($1.1M).
By place of performance, the most money went to NC, NY and IL.
Obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest program FY2025
| Measure | This program | Grants to States for Medicaid | All assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obligations, FY2025 | $6.3M | $666B | $4.5T |
| Five-year total | $60M | $3.2T | $21T |
| Share of all assistance obligations, five years | 0% | 15.2% | 100% |
Largest recipients $1.0M+ award value since FY2022
| # | Organisation | Awards | Award value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 1 | $10M |
| 2 | Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy | 1 | $5.6M |
| 3 | Leo Strauss Foundation | 1 | $1.1M |
Awarding agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the money goes
Largest awards since FY2022
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $10M | 13 May 2026 | NC | USAspending |
| Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $5.6M | 13 May 2026 | NY | USAspending |
| Leo Strauss Foundation | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $1.1M | 13 Aug 2026 | IL | USAspending |
Other programs numbered 45.xxx
- 45.310 Grants to States $882M
- 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals $465M
- 45.025 Promotion of the Arts Partnership Agreements $332M
- 45.129 Promotion of the Humanities Federal/State Partnership $266M
- 45.312 National Leadership Grants $132M
- 45.164 Promotion of the Humanities Public Programs $114M
- 45.161 Promotion of the Humanities Research $75M
Questions and answers
How much is obligated under assistance listing 45.130?
$6.3M in FY2025 and $60M over the five fiscal years since FY2022, counting every award type recorded under the listing (grants, direct payments, loan subsidy cost, insurance and other assistance). Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who receives the most under Promotion of the Humanities Challenge Grants?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ($10M), Association of the Graduates of the United States Military Academy ($5.6M), Leo Strauss Foundation ($1.1M). Individuals are never listed; where a program pays individuals, USAspending records aggregated rows that appear here as "not shown".
What is an assistance listing (CFDA) number?
A five-digit number that identifies a federal financial assistance program on SAM.gov (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance). Every grant, loan, direct payment or other assistance award on USAspending carries one; contracts do not.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (assistance listing) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 listing table, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.