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NATCHEZ — Mississippi Humanities Council officials said they received notice late Wednesday night from the Department of Government Efficiency that its federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities has been terminated effective immediately.

“We, along with our colleagues at other state councils and the Federation of State Humanities Councils are looking into a possible legal response,” according to an email sent by the state council to its supporters Thursday morning.

In the meantime, the email asked that supporters contact their elected representatives in Congress to show support for the Council’s work in Mississippi and to “urge them to stop DOGE from gutting the NEH and state humanities councils.”

“The Mississippi Humanities Council serves as the state affiliate of the NEH, and if the termination of funding to state councils is not stopped, we will love all of the federal funding that supports our work,” according to the email.

MHC officials wrote that in 2024 with $1 million in federal funding, the council presented 750 programs across 90 communities and supported 65 grants to various institutions, including colleges, historical societies, museums and community organizations.

The initiative includes the Mississippi Freedom Trail. Natchez has two of the trail markers.

Carter Burns, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, said that while the foundation currently does not receive grants from the Mississippi Humanities Council, it has benefited from grants from the agency in the past.

“Funding from the Mississippi Humanities Council is important, especially in rural states,” Burns said.

Daye Dearing of the Natchez Historical Society said that the group has received a mini-grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council for the last two years to defray the cost of speakers at the group’s monthly meetings.

“It’s a competitive grant and this is our second year to have it. We use it to provide an honorarium to guest speakers. It has allowed us to bring in more speakers from out of town,” Dearing said.

“Absolutely, people should call their representatives and lobby for continuing federal funding for the National Endowment for Humanities,” she said.

The Mississippi Humanities Council has also provided funding for the Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum, The Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, Visit Natchez, The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, and NAPAC museum.