Our Mission

The California Council for the Humanities has been bringing people together around their history and culture for more than 25 years.

The California Council for the Humanities connects Californians to ideas and one another in order to understand our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation, and shape our future.

Our History

CCH is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Originally a granting organization, the Council began to create and manage humanities programs and projects of its own in the early 1990s and is now a leader in statewide humanities programming, with a grants program connected to its programming efforts.

The Council is governed by a volunteer board of 20 to 26 members. Six board members are appointed by the governor of California; the remaining members are nominated by the public and elected by the Council. All serve without pay for three-year terms, which are renewable once.