June 30, 2026
Mr. Lieu (for himself, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Ms. Norton) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
To establish a grant program in the National Endowment for the Arts to document the American experience.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the 21st Century Federal Writers’ Project Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The observance and commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States are of major significance to the national heritage.
(2)
The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States should inspire patriotism and national unity.
(3)
Documenting the full breadth of the American experience, including the history, culture, customs, folklore, and daily life of communities across all States and regions, will foster mutual understanding and national unity.
(4)
Nearly a century ago, the Federal Writers’ Project employed up to 7,700 people to document the American experience, producing—
(A)
the American Guide Series, which included 48 States, 40 cities, 18 regions and territories, and countless counties; and
(B)
more than 1,000 books and pamphlets covering local and regional histories, folklore collections, humor, and nature studies.
(5)
The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States merits a new portrait of American life, capturing the history, culture, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, and communities that define this Nation, produced by a 21st-Century Federal Writers’ Project.
(6)
The National Endowment for the Arts is the appropriate Federal agency to administer a program supporting literary and documentary arts that capture the full diversity and vitality of the American experience, consistent with its mission under the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 951 et seq.).
(7)
American feature writers, photographers, and documentary artists possess skills uniquely suited to preserving a living record of American life for future generations.
Sec. 3. 21st Century Federal Writers’ Project Grant Program
(a) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (in this section referred to as the Chair
), with the advice of the National Council of the Arts, shall establish a competitive grant program (in this section referred to as the Program
) to provide grants to eligible entities described in subsection (d) to document in writing and images the history, culture, customs, folklore, and lived experience of the American people.
(b) Advisory panel
(1) Establishment
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Chairperson shall appoint an advisory panel comprising 5 members to assist in developing guidelines for the Program.
(2) Members
The advisory panel shall include—
(A)
a member representing the literary arts, documentary audiovisual, or print journalism communities;
(B)
the Librarian of Congress, or the Librarian’s designee;
(C)
a member representing a State arts agency;
(D)
a member representing communities underserved by existing arts and literary programs, including rural and Tribal communities; and
(E)
a member with expertise in—
(i)
the original Federal Writers’ Project;
(ii)
involved with ongoing efforts to reproduce it; and
(iii)
with Federal experience with administering nationwide programs.
(3) Reports
Not later than 90 days after the advisory panel is established, the panel shall submit to the Chairperson a report with recommended guidelines for the Program, including criteria for evaluating applications and ensuring that projects collectively cover the geographic and cultural breadth of the American experience.
(4) Termination
The advisory panel shall terminate not later than 90 days after the submission of the report under paragraph (3).
(c) Grant administration
(1) Grant parameters
The Chairperson shall determine—
(A)
the parameters and scope of the Program; and
(B)
the amount and duration of grant awards, except that no individual grant awarded for a fiscal year shall exceed an amount equal to 10 percent of the amounts appropriated under subsection (l) for such fiscal year.
(2) Limitation
Notwithstanding section 5(e) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 954(e)), the matching requirement shall not apply to grants made under this section.
(3) Editorial and curatorial role
In administering the Program, the Chairperson shall—
(A)
publish, prior to the first solicitation of grant applications, an editorial framework for the Program that—
(i)
identifies the thematic and subject-matter scope of the Program as a whole;
(ii)
establishes standards for factual accuracy, editorial consistency, fair and balanced geographic and demographic coverage, and attribution of individual works; and
(iii)
identifies the intended forms of publication and distribution for works produced under the Program, which includes not only books, but periodicals, digital media, audio recordings, documentary film, and other formats;
(B)
enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with a qualified organization to serve as the editor-in-chief and executive editor for the Program. Such organization shall be responsible for—
(i)
providing editorial guidance to grant recipients consistent with the editorial framework established under subparagraph (A);
(ii)
reviewing and approving works prior to public release to ensure compliance with Program standards; and
(iii)
reporting to the Chairperson on the progress and geographic and thematic coverage of the Program;
(C)
coordinate with grant recipients to ensure that the subject matter of individual projects collectively covers the full range of topics and regions contemplated by the Program, avoiding duplication and gaps in geographic or thematic coverage;
(D)
facilitate the production and publication of works developed under the Program, including by entering into agreements with publishers, distributors, or other entities to make such works available to the public in print and digital formats; and
(E)
ensure that the Program as a whole replicates, to the greatest extent practicable, the scope, editorial standards, and public-facing mission of the original Federal Writers’ Project of the 1930s and 1940s.
(d) Eligible entities
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall—
(1)
submit an application to the Chair at such time, in such form, and in such manner as the Chair may require; and
(2)
be one of the following:
(A)
A nonprofit, tax-exempt organization with experience in literary arts, documentary arts, journalism, oral history, or the collection and dissemination of cultural or educational content.
(B)
The fiscally sponsored projects of organizations under subparagraph (A).
(C)
A State arts agency established pursuant to section 5(g) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 954(g)), or a regional arts organization designated by the National Endowment for the Arts.
(D)
A State or territorial commission established by State legislation or executive order for the purpose of commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
(e) Use of grant funds
An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use grant funds to engage individuals to produce written, photographic, audio, or other documentary works capturing the history, culture, customs, folklore, and lived experience of the American people, and may use grant funds for related administrative, training, and editorial activities directly supporting such work.
(f) Preference for certain individuals
In selecting individuals to receive funds, a eligible entity shall give preference to individuals with education or experience in—
(1)
literary arts, journalism, documentary arts, or oral history; or
(2)
occupations described in the Standard Occupational Classification for categories 25–0000 (Education, Training, and Library Occupations) and 27–0000 (Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations).
(g) Geographic and thematic scope
In selecting the recipients and evaluating applications under this section for a grant, the Chair shall ensure that the projects funded under the Program, taken as a whole, collectively document communities and subjects from all regions of the United States, including—
(1)
urban, suburban, and rural communities;
(2)
Tribal communities;
(3)
each of the major geographic regions of the United States; and
(4)
the full range of subjects that defined the original Federal Writers’ Project, including history, culture, customs, and folklore.
(h) Repository, archive, and publication
(1) Repository
The Chairperson shall establish a publicly accessible repository of works developed through the Program. Grant recipients shall submit completed works to the repository and each such work shall include attribution to the individual writer, photographer, or artist who created it.
(2) Archive
The Chairperson shall transmit works received under paragraph (1) to the Librarian of Congress not later than 90 days after their receipt. The Librarian of Congress shall establish an archive program within the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to collect and make publicly available, in both digital and print formats, the written and visual drafts and finished works produced under the Program, with attribution given to each work’s Creator.
(3) Publication
The Chairperson shall facilitate the publication and public distribution of written works produced under the Program. In carrying out this paragraph, the Chairperson may—
(A)
enter into agreements with commercial, nonprofit, or government publishers for the publication of books, anthologies, periodicals, or other print or digital works derived from the Program;
(B)
use revenues derived from any such publication agreements, to the extent permitted by law, to support the ongoing activities of the Program; and
(C)
ensure that any published works include attribution to individual creators and to the Program.
(i) Reporting requirements
(1) Grant recipient reporting
The Chair shall develop reporting guidelines for grant recipients under this section to include, at a minimum, information regarding—
(A)
the amount of funds received and expended;
(B)
the number of individuals engaged and works completed under the grant;
(C)
the geographic location and subject matter of works completed under the grant;
(D)
the number of public requests to access or review completed works, where available;
(E)
the number of copies of published works distributed or sold, where applicable, including through any agreements entered into under subsection (h)(3);
(F)
such other data as the Chairperson considers important to assess Program efficacy; and
(G)
such other data as the Chairperson considers important to assess Program efficacy.
(2) Reporting to Congress
Not less than once each year while the program under this section is in operation, the Chair shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations and Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate summarizing—
(A)
the data collected under paragraph (1);
(B)
the geographic and thematic distribution of projects funded under the Program; and
(C)
the Chairperson’s assessment of Program efficacy and recommendations for improvement.
(j) Administrative costs
The Chair may reserve not more than 20 percent of the funds made available to carry out the Program for administrative costs of the National Endowment for the Arts.
(k) Coordination with other Federal agencies
The Chairperson may enter into interagency agreements with other Federal agencies to fund the Program and support the purposes, consistent with section 5(o) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 954(o)).