Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

What Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities does

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1971 and headquartered in New Orleans. As Louisiana's official state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, LEH champions humanities education and cultural programming across all 64 of Louisiana's parishes through a hybrid model of grant-making, direct program operation, and digital content publishing. The organization distributes grants (Parish America 250 Mini Grants up to $1,500, Rebirth Grants up to $5,000, Emergency Readiness Grants up to $5,000, Constitution Day Grants, and Louisiana Culture Care Fund general operating support) to cultural organizations, schools, libraries, and community groups via an online grant portal.

LEH operates two core subsidiaries: Prime Time, Inc., which runs the nation's longest-running humanities-focused family literacy program (launched 1991, now replicated in 40 states) and directly operates Head Start and Early Head Start centers in Lafayette and Iberia parishes serving approximately 635 children through 150 staff; and 64 Parishes, an online encyclopedia and magazine providing multimedia humanities scholarship (podcasts, videos, articles, music clips) documenting Louisiana history and culture since 1971. Other signature programs include the Institute for Louisiana Culture and History (K-12 educator resources), the Currents book and film club program, the Louisiana Poet Laureate ambassadorship, and the annual Bright Lights Awards Dinner.

Revenue is derived from federal sources (NEH operating support and Head Start funding), state appropriations, foundation and corporate grants (Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, BHP Billiton, Shell, W.K. Kellogg, Walton Family Foundation), individual donations, and event sponsorships. Miranda Restovic serves as President and Executive Director. The organization reached approximately 2.1 million people in 2023 and has reached over 74 million people cumulatively across five decades of operation. Recent disruptions include an April 2025 cancellation of NEH general operating support and an October 2025 federal government shutdown that required a $650,000 internal loan to keep Head Start centers operational.

Name

Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

Legal name

Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

Website

https://leh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1971 that serves as the state's NEH affiliate, distributing grants and operating humanities education, family literacy (Prime Time), Head Start, and digital publishing (64 Parishes) programs across all 64 Louisiana parishes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanities Education and Cultural Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Social Studies & Civics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAI), Humanities (History, Philosophy, Literature, Languages) (EDAGABAE)

Keywords

• Humanities education programs
• Family literacy services
• Cultural grant funding
• Head start programs
• Public humanities councils

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: NEH general operating support grants and state funding from Louisiana
2. Federal Head Start Funding: Federal grants for Head Start and Early Head Start services through Prime Time, Inc.
3. Foundation & Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations including Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, BHP Billiton, Walton Family Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and corporate sponsors
4. Individual Donations & Memberships: Donations from individuals and membership programs supporting LEH's humanities work
5. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for Bright Lights Awards Dinner and other events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LEH champions the humanities across Louisiana through grant-making to cultural organizations, schools, libraries, and community groups, and through direct operation of educational programs including the Prime Time family literacy model, Head Start and Early Head Start services via its subsidiary Prime Time, Inc., and the 64 Parishes online encyclopedia of Louisiana history and culture. The organization operates statewide programs serving all 64 Louisiana parishes, providing standards-aligned K-12 resources, family literacy support, and public humanities programming.

Product overview

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) operates a portfolio of interconnected humanities programs across Louisiana. The organization functions as a platform offering educational programs (Prime Time family literacy, Head Start, ILCH), content resources (64 Parishes encyclopedia), grant programs (Parish America 250, Emergency Readiness, Rebirth, Culture Care Fund), recognition initiatives (Bright Lights Awards), and cultural facilities (Helis Foundation John Scott Center). Prime Time, Inc. operates as a subsidiary providing Head Start services. These offerings work together to fulfill LEH's mission of championing the humanities to enrich lives throughout Louisiana, serving families, educators, cultural organizations, and the general public across all 64 parishes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prime Time: Family literacy and early childhood education programs including Prime Time Family Reading, Prime Time Preschool Reading, Prime Time HomeRoom, and Prime Time Head Start
• 64 Parishes
• Bright Lights Awards
• Currents
• Institute for Louisiana Culture and History (ILCH)

Products and services

• Prime Time Family Reading Humanistic family literacy program that brings families together for reading and discussion sessions based on award-winning children's books that promote literacy and critical thinking. Operates in all 64 parishes of Louisiana and in 40 other states.
• Prime Time Preschool Reading Early childhood literacy program that provides pathways for life-long learning for every generation through preschool reading initiatives. Targets preschool-age children and their families.
• Prime Time Head Start and Early Head Start Federal Head Start program operated through LEH's subsidiary Prime Time, Inc., providing early childhood education services to children and families in Lafayette and Iberia parishes, serving approximately 635 children through four centers with approximately 150 staff.
• 64 Parishes Encyclopedia Online encyclopedia of Louisiana history and culture serving as a fundamental reference for students, educators, and researchers, providing multimedia humanities scholarship including podcasts, videos, articles, and music clips. Free public access at 64parishes.org.
• Institute for Louisiana Culture and History (ILCH) Statewide educational hub providing reliable, accessible Louisiana social studies resources to K-12 students and teachers through summer workshops and quarterly sessions around the state. Offers standards-aligned curriculum resources and professional development for educators.
• Parish America 250 Program Mini Grants Grant program of up to $1,500 with a 1:1 matching cost share requirement (cash or in-kind), supporting public humanities programming that engages local audiences with Louisiana's significant contributions to the founding and development of the United States. Applications accepted monthly through October 2026.
• Emergency Readiness Grants Grants of up to $5,000 helping cultural organizations mitigate impacts from emergencies or prepare for future threats, including writing emergency plans, staff training, and physical repairs.
• Rebirth Grants Annual programmatic grants of up to $5,000 supporting a wide variety of project types that use the humanities to deepen public understanding of a given topic.
• Louisiana Culture Care Fund Grants General operating support grants for operational expenses including staff retention, rent, insurance, and utilities, with award amounts varying based on the applicant organization's annual operating budget.
• Currents Turnkey book and film club program offering libraries and community-based nonprofits tools to host themed reading or viewing and discussion programs centered on timely humanities topics.
• Louisiana Poet Laureate Program Two-year literary ambassadorship program where the Poet Laureate travels the state encouraging Louisianans to explore and engage with poetry through public programming in libraries, museums, schools, and community centers.
• The Helis Foundation John Scott Center Humanities center operated by LEH that hosts cultural programs, exhibitions, and serves as a space for public humanities engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prime Time participants consistently finish preschool significantly ahead of their peers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• America 250 Louisiana State CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Partnership to award Parish America 250 Program Mini Grants supporting public humanities programming commemorating Louisiana's role in the founding and development of the United States
• Louisiana Office of the Lieutenant GovernorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Partnership with LEH and America 250 Commission for Parish America 250 grants
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEH is the state affiliate of NEH; receives general operating support grants from NEH and participates in special initiatives like A More Perfect Union
• Federation of State Humanities CouncilsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 initiative with Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural HeritagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 community-driven programs exploring 250 years of nation's cultural life
• Louisiana State MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue sponsor for Bright Lights Awards at Capitol Park Museum; partnership for exhibitions

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: Cultural-heritage program of the Smithsonian that partners with LEH on the By the People initiative — comparable in humanities/folk-culture mission though national in scope; a strategic partner and partial overlap in audience and programming.

Others

• Federation of State Humanities Councils: Membership network of all 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils; LEH is an active participant and partner on the By the People initiative — represents the ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Humanities Tennessee: Tennessee state humanities council delivering grants, K-12 educator programs, and community humanities projects — directly comparable in mission and programming mix to LEH.
• North Carolina Humanities Council: North Carolina's state humanities council providing grants, literacy programs, and cultural programming — a fellow NEH affiliate with an analogous operating model to LEH.
• Humanities Texas: Texas state humanities council offering grants, teacher institutes, and public humanities programs — directly analogous to LEH in operating model and constituency, with similar educational programming for K-12 teachers and cultural organizations.
• Alabama Humanities Foundation: Alabama's state humanities foundation offering grants, teacher institutes, and public humanities programming — directly comparable as a regional NEH affiliate with overlapping programming.
• Virginia Humanities: Virginia state humanities council with grants, publications, and educational programming — operates a comparable portfolio of grantmaking, content publishing (similar to 64parishes.org), and teacher professional development.
• Mississippi Humanities Council: State humanities council serving Mississippi with grants, educational programs, and cultural programming — directly comparable in structure, mission, and revenue model to LEH as a fellow NEH state affiliate.
• South Carolina Humanities Council: South Carolina's state humanities council running grants and public humanities programming — closely comparable in scale, mission, and grantmaking focus to LEH.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Humanities: Federal agency that funds LEH and all 56 state humanities councils; provides general operating support grants and special initiative funding — the broad incumbent and de facto parent organization in the U.S. public humanities ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LA_Humanities
• Facebookfacebook.com/LAHumanities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lahumanities
• Instagraminstagram.com/lahumanities/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities