Laredo, TX – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $5,000 in federal relief funds to Webb County Heritage Foundation and $2,500 to Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). This funding, awarded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and distributed by Humanities Texas, will be used to cover both operating and programming expenses, enabling recipients to pay overhead costs, retain staff, shift in-person programming to online and make resources available to those who depend on them for education and connection. Specifically, TAMIU’s Humanity Department will hire five to six speakers for a virtual speaker series throughout August 2020 to May 2021. The speaker series will focus on South Texas history, culture, sports, and literature.

“Educational and cultural organizations have suffered immensely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” said Congressman Cuellar. “Nonprofits rely on community support in sustaining their mission and goals, but due to coronavirus, community members and businesses are struggling to stay afloat themselves. These funds will provide much needed relief for both Webb County Heritage Foundation and Texas A&M International University. As a senior member on the Appropriations Committee, I will work hard in ensuring that these types of organizations receive the necessary funding and resources to advance the arts within our communities. I’d like to thank Humanities Texas for their efforts in assisting Laredo organizations recover from this unprecedented health crisis.”

Humanities Texas Director Eric Lupfer said, "We are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide critical support to so many organizations across the state. We will continue to seek ways to assist Texas cultural and educational institutions in surviving this crisis."

As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Cuellar helped secure $75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts in the CARES Act. 

Humanities Texas

Humanities Texas, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded over $1.1 million in support to 198 Texas nonprofits that have suffered losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In all, Humanities Texas Relief Grant recipients are in 96 towns and cities across the state and include museums, libraries, preservation organizations and heritage and cultural centers, among many others. Of the recipients, half have annual budgets of less than $300,000, and nearly a third of the grants will go to organizations in communities of 20,000 people or fewer.