HNY strengthens civil society and the bonds of community, using the humanities to foster engaged inquiry and dialogue around social and cultural concerns. Founded in 1975, Humanities New York is the sole statewide proponent of public access to the humanities. HNY is a private 501(c)3 that receives Federal, State, and private funding. What does it mean to be human? This question has given rise to the fields known collectively as “the humanities,” which examine what humans have created, debated, done and believed throughout the millennia. The skills and methods of the humanities—reading, analysis, discussion, critical thinking; about history, ideas, arts, texts—help connect us to one another and to lead meaningful lives.