Our mission
We believe the humanities are central to the lives of the people of Massachusetts.
Our mission is to lead and support programs using history, literature and other humanities disciplines to improve civic life in Massachusetts. We do this through grants, programs, and partnerships with nonprofits around the Commonwealth. Our work is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mass Cultural Council, and the generosity of our donors.
We support a thriving humanities ecosystem in Massachusetts. In towns and cities, the ingenious work of people, organizations, and institutions serve communities in every corner of the Commonwealth. Public humanities programs reflect the ways all of us in the Bay State embrace the humanities to improve our lives.
What are the Humanities?
The humanities — history, literature, philosophy, cultural studies and more — help each of us explore what it means to be human. The humanities help us wrestle with the meaning of life, understand our relationship with our government, and pass on the stories of our hometowns.
At Mass Humanities, we believe the humanities inform the decisions we make every day and the way these decisions impact our families, communities, and nation. The more we all think critically, speak publicly and learn together, the better the decisions we’ll make, and the stronger Massachusetts will be.