Humanities for All is a grant program that supports projects in the public humanities. This program responds to the needs and interests of Californians, encourages greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and/or underserved audiences. It aims to promote understanding and empathy among all our state’s peoples in order to cultivate a thriving democracy.
Donor Name: California Humanities
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Type of Entities: Nonprofit Organizations and Non-federal Public Agencies
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $10,000 and $25,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
This program aims to increase public participation in and access to the humanities by providing relevant, engaging, and meaningful humanities-based programming.
Project Grants are intended to support time-bounded projects, not open-ended activities. Projects should result in some tangible public humanities programming activity within the two-year grant period; however, projects that show potential for extension or amplification beyond the grant period are welcomed.
What Types of Programming Do Project Grants Support?
Project Grants support many kinds of real-time humanities learning experiences that encourage community engagement in and with the humanities. The choice of programming modes will depend on the subject matter, the programmer’s goals, and intent, as well as the characteristics, interests, and needs of the intended audience(s). California Humanities encourages innovation and experimentation with new approaches as well as use of time-tested formats such as:
- Community conversations, forums, and dialogues that center humanities topics and approaches to understanding the subject matter.
- Interpretive exhibits (permanent or traveling, physical or digital) with significant humanities content and accompanying public programming
- Lectures, presentations, demonstrations, and performances (with related discursive and/or participatory activities).
- Community-wide reads, or reading- or film-and-discussion programs; Book, film, and cultural festivals incorporating humanities activities; Oral history projects, story-collection and -sharing programs, non-fiction writing or media-making workshops, and other activities that produce and share knowledge products
- Interpretive tours or other types of site- or place-based humanities programming
- Any combination of the above
A Special Area of Focus
- Youth Voices: Projects that will involve teens as primary program participants or audiences, and address topics or subjects of interest of them, may apply for special consideration under this designation.
Funding Information
Applicants may request between $10,000 and $25,000. California Humanities funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses, including honoraria for speakers or presenters, staffing costs, programming expenses including travel, equipment, publicity, promotion, venue rental, refreshments, and hospitality, etc. within the two-year grant period (for this round, June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2024).
Applicant Eligibility
- Applications will be accepted from California-based public agencies (including libraries, museums, schools, universities and colleges, and tribal governments) and California-based nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status. Individuals, or organizations that do not have federal tax-exempt status, must apply under the auspices of an eligible fiscal sponsor.
- Eligible applicant organizations (including fiscal sponsors) and project directors must:
- Be in good standing with California Humanities, (e.g., if a prior grantee, have submitted a final report and closed the previous grant), and
- Not have an active California Humanities grant or an application pending review in another California Humanities grant program. However, California Humanities will accept multiple applications by universities/colleges, public library systems, and art councils. Organizations that operate an established fiscal sponsorship program that has been pre-approved by California Humanities list of multi-application fiscal sponsors (see FAQs for details) may also submit multiple applications. Recipients of a currently active Humanities Relief or Recovery grant may apply for a Humanities for All Project Grant.
- Organizations (and Project Directors) that have previously been awarded a Humanities for All Project Grant or Humanities for All Quick Grant are required to wait one year following the submission of their final report before applying for another Humanities for All Grant.
For more information, visit California Humanities.
