The document contains the texts of three presentations from a conference on financial support of the sciences and humanities in West Germany and the United States. The first paper explains financial support of the sciences and the humanities in West Germany. Awards and uses of funds are primarily determined by the scholarly community, which also receives most of the funds. Humanities receives only about 17% of the total expenditure, but it has an important role in the educational system. Humanities in West Germany includes Roman law, philosophy, economics, philology, and linguistics. Scientific research is carried out by universities, government-sponsored institutes, and industry. The second paper explores the rationale and structure of support for the humanities in the United States. Humanities in the United States includes history, literature, philosophy, religion, and ancient and modern languages. Support comes from universities, libraries, museums, learned societies, and the publishing industry. Private foundations recently have not given consistently strong support for the humanities. Federal and industrial support of the sciences in the United States are reviewed in the third paper. Basic research, applied research, and development have been strongly supported since the 1950s to increase national defense, and in private industry, to create future profits. The Congressional debate system over science policy issues is described in detail. (AV)