We create & support educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning.

Maryland Humanities creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities.


Maryland Humanities formed in 1973 at the invitation of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Initially known as the Maryland Committee for the Humanities and Public Policy, Maryland Humanities incorporated in 1977 and acted almost exclusively as a grant-making organization for 20 years.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Maryland Humanities began to conduct its own public humanities programs, while still awarding grants to support the programming efforts of Maryland institutions and organizations. In 2002, cuts in state funding prompted Maryland Humanities to reach out to the community for foundation, corporation, and individual support.

A successful capital campaign allowed Maryland Humanities to relocate its headquarters to Mount Vernon Cultural District in 2005, where the high-profile location provides enhanced visibility for our programming in the vibrant cultural center of Baltimore.

In 2006, Maryland Humanities revised its mission statement to reflect its commitment to working with communities, groups, and audiences throughout the state to stimulate and promote informed dialogue and civic engagement on issues critical to Marylanders. Programs such as Practicing Democracy and initiatives like the”Remembrance & Reconciliation: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” and “Sitting Down to Take a Stand” Rosa Parks programs generated discussion on race in Maryland while commemorating Civil Rights Movement.

In 2012 Maryland Humanities embarked on a strategic planning process that resulted in a new mission, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to lifelong learning in the humanities and its power to enrich our lives and communities.