Programs › 45.161
Assistance listing · 45.161
Promotion of the Humanities Research
Federal financial assistance obligated under listing 45.161, 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 $3.5M in awards under assistance listing 45.161, Promotion of the Humanities Research, in FY2025, and $75M over the five fiscal years since FY2022; the program ranks 890 of 1056 on this site.
Obligations were down 71% on FY2024 ($12M), with $36M so far in FY2026.
The largest recipient organisations by the value of $1.0M-plus awards since FY2022 were Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia ($10M), The Massachusetts Historical Society ($3.0M) and University of Mary Washington ($3.0M).
By place of performance, the most money went to VA, TN and MA.
Obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest program FY2025
| Measure | This program | Grants to States for Medicaid | All assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obligations, FY2025 | $3.5M | $666B | $4.5T |
| Five-year total | $75M | $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 | Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | 1 | $10M |
| 2 | The Massachusetts Historical Society | 1 | $3.0M |
| 3 | University of Mary Washington | 1 | $3.0M |
| 4 | Cumberland University | 1 | $3.0M |
| 5 | University of Tennessee | 1 | $2.7M |
| 6 | Museum of the American Revolution | 1 | $2.2M |
| 7 | The Institute on Religion and Public Life, Inc | 1 | $1.8M |
Awarding agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the money goes
Largest awards since FY2022
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $10M | 16 Dec 2025 | VA | USAspending |
| The Massachusetts Historical Society | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.0M | 17 Dec 2025 | MA | USAspending |
| University of Mary Washington | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.0M | 7 Jan 2026 | VA | USAspending |
| Cumberland University | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.0M | 13 Mar 2026 | TN | USAspending |
| University of Tennessee | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.7M | 24 Dec 2025 | TN | USAspending |
| Museum of the American Revolution | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $2.2M | 26 Mar 2026 | PA | USAspending |
| The Institute on Religion and Public Life, Inc | National Endowment for the Humanities | GrantProject Grant (B) | $1.8M | 6 Aug 2026 | NY | 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
- 45.130 Promotion of the Humanities Challenge Grants $60M
Questions and answers
How much is obligated under assistance listing 45.161?
$3.5M in FY2025 and $75M 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 Research?
Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia ($10M), The Massachusetts Historical Society ($3.0M), University of Mary Washington ($3.0M), Cumberland University ($3.0M), University of Tennessee ($2.7M). 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.