On the morning of April 3, 2025, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens received official notice that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) had terminated the School’s multi-year fellowship grant effective immediately. According to the letter from NEH, this action was taken under the authority of Executive Order 14217 (Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, issued February 19, 2025), which mandates that the NEH “eliminate all non-statutorily required activities and functions.”

This action, taken with no prior notice, left the School with no alternative but to rescind awards to four exceptionally qualified fellowship recipients who had already been selected and notified through the School’s review process.These scholars were preparing to travel to Greece in the coming months. The loss was deeply felt by the School, but even more so by these individuals, for whom this fellowship represented a unique professional opportunity.

The NEH fellowship program has long stood as one of the most competitive and respected in the humanities. The application and peer review process is among the most thorough in the field and has consistently reflected well on the American School, its academic reputation, and the strength of its research offerings.

This morning, however, the American School is pleased to announce that it has received an unsolicited anonymous grant to cover the loss of the NEH funding thereby enabling the School to ultimately fulfill its commitment to these fellows! In receiving the pledge this morning, George Orfanakos, Executive Director said, “The American School, especially our academic community and the scholars who were directly impacted by the sudden loss of funding, were thrilled to learn about this contribution. We are immensely grateful for this magnanimous and timely gift.”