Yesterday, the Authors Guild filed a class action lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Humanities and officials within the Department of Government Efficiency, opposing the termination of tens of millions of dollars in grants that had been previously awarded to scholars and writers.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York City on behalf of individuals nationwide whose NEH grants were cancelled in April without cause. The plaintiffs include grantees under the Public Scholar, Fellowship, Summer Stipend, and other NEH programs. Washington, D.C., law firm Fairmark Partners is representing the plaintiffs.

The Authors Guild alleges the administration's actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution's guarantees of separation of powers and freedom of expression, as well as exceeded the congressionally granted authority of agencies. The suit seeks to stop the mass termination of grants, restore funds to grantees, and require the government to operate the NEH in accordance with Congress's intent. “At the heart of the matter is the fact that this is the domain of the legislative and not the executive branch to decide,” Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger told PW.

In early April, the NEH sent letters to grantees terminating their grants because the agency was repurposing its funds "in furtherance of the President's agenda." The letters cited executive orders that have nothing to do with the agency's congressionally defined mission, including “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing, defending women from gender ideology extremism, and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”

"To suddenly redirect congressionally-appropriated funds away from hundreds of scholars and creators midway through their projects—leaving them financially vulnerable and professionally compromised—isn't just administratively questionable, it's morally indefensible,” Ralph Eubanks, president of the Authors Guild, said. He added, “many recipients structured their entire lives around these commitments, forgoing other opportunities and making significant personal investments.” Individual grant recipients are not allowed to work or take any other form of remuneration during the period of the grant.

The grant cancellations left recipients stranded mid-project, with the completion and publication of planned books now in question. Rasenberger added that this is especially damaging. “Many scholars rely on the prestige of the NEH grant and the resulting book to get published, which is itself essential to pursuing tenure and other opportunities,” she told PW. “Furthermore, there was no way for individuals to appeal the cancelations. It’s simply done.”

For nearly 60 years, NEH awards have provided funding for humanities and arts in the United States, making projects possible for historians, biographers, filmmakers, teachers, librarians, social scientists, and others.

The Trump administration announced that the canceled grant funds would be diverted from more than a thousand projects throughout the country to a single sculpture garden, the National Garden of American Heroes, at a yet-to-be-determined location, as well as celebrating America's 250th anniversary in July 2026.

Asked if a similar lawsuit might be in the works for those whose grants were canceled under the National Endowment for the Arts, Rasenberger said that all the grants given to individual authors and translators were paid out by the time the cancellation notices were sent out earlier this month. The Author’s Guild also represents individuals and not organizations, many of which are in the process of contesting the cancellations. Rasenberger also noted that while many organizations had NEA grants terminated, others did not, including the Authors Guild, CLMP, and Poets & Writers. “I think everyone who did have grants cancelled must be considering their options,” she said.