Office of Data and Evaluation

The Office of Data and Evaluation (ODE) supports NEH in fostering a thriving and equitable humanities sector through analysis. ODE’s grant programs and administrative activities enable NEH to fund more broadly impactful humanities initiatives, and to convey the importance of those initiatives—and the humanities generally—to the public.

ODE financially supports data collection and data-grounded research studies that investigate the state, impact, and value of the humanities in the United States. Through its funding opportunities, ODE aims to create a better-informed public (and better-informed humanities professionals) by providing information and dispelling myths about the humanities. Supported research may make use of quantitative or mixed-methods analysis and encourages the participation of humanities professionals and humanistic methods.

In its administrative capacity, ODE works to ensure the equitable distribution, reach, and impact of NEH grantmaking through evaluation of agency activities in alignment with federal guidelines. ODE aims to furnish NEH with data and evidence-based guidance to inform the agency’s decision making, ensuring that NEH maximizes the impact of its funds and uses those funds to best support a thriving humanities sector. ODE was established in line with NEH’s Equity Action Plan and the federal government’s Open Data directive.