The National Humanities Center is a private, nonprofit organization, and the only independent institute of its kind in the world dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities.

Through its residential fellowship program, the Center provides scholars with the resources necessary to generate new knowledge and to further understanding of all forms of cultural expression, social interaction, and human thought. The Center’s education programs strengthen teaching on the collegiate and pre-collegiate levels. Model programs developed at the Center provide teachers and faculty with new materials and instructional strategies to make them more effective in the classroom and rekindle their enthusiasm for the subjects they teach. Through public engagement in the form of community lectures, panel discussions, symposia, exhibits, screenings, and a rich multimedia library, the Center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for their foundational role in a democratic society.