Civics + Humanities Middle Grades Grants support civic education for California’s middle grades-aged youth (grades 6-8 or ages 10-14) in school and beyond.
Donor Name: California Humanities
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/01/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Funds can cover teachers, supplies, transportation, administration, stipends for students and more.
Grant Categories
- Implementation Grants
- This grant is suited for applicants who are poised to launch a pilot project—or further develop a program— with emphasis on civics and humanities themes, over the course of eighteen months. Applications are accepted from California-based nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries, and public agencies who serve middle grades students.
- Planning Grants
- This grant is suited for applicants designing and planning a middle grades education project (ages 10-14, grades 6-8), with emphasis on civics and humanities themes. Applications are accepted from California-based nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries, and public agencies.
Funding Information
- Implementation Grants
- Applicants may request funding between $7,500 and $15,000.
- Planning Grants
- Awardees receive $5,000.
Grant Period
Complete project within grant period (18 months for Implementation; 12 months for Planning).
Eligible Civics + Humanities Projects
- Applications are accepted from California-based nonprofit organizations, tribes, schools, libraries, and public agencies with 501c3 status.
- California Humanities welcomes applications from wherever middle school students learn and create, including classrooms, after school programs, summer camps, libraries, field trips, writing centers, and more.
- The strongest applications will address subjects and issues relevant to the lives and experiences of middle grades students in California today. Topics and activities should authentically emerge from the interests, cares, concerns, inquiries, and desired outcomes of the youth participants.
- The area where civics and humanities overlap is evolving; so how do they define these fields? In the below paragraphs they offer some examples and potential definitions inspired by the conversations with educators and researchers.
Eligible Expenses
- Implementation Grants
- Grant funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses during the grant period, including but not limited to:
- stipends for youth participants
- honoraria for humanities advisors and consultants
- salaries and fees for staff and personnel
- supplies and materials
- public presentations
- transportation costs
- publicity and promotion
- Grant funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses during the grant period, including but not limited to:
- Planning Grants
- Grant funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses during the grant period, including but not limited to:
- honoraria for humanities advisors and consultants
- purchase of research materials
- salaries and fees for staff and personnel
- transportation costs
- and more.
- Grant funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses during the grant period, including but not limited to:
Project Requirements
- Implementation Grants
- All Implementation projects should:
- Provide middle grades-aged youth (grades 6-8; ages 10-14) opportunities for civic engagement either in classrooms or offsite at summer camps, cultural centers, afterschool programs, and elsewhere
- Focus in a non-partisan way on subjects and issues relevant and meaningful to middle grades students
- Project team should include both staff and advisors, if necessary, who bring humanities, civics, and education expertise to the project
- Integrate the humanities as central not tangential to project.
- All Implementation projects should:
- Planning Grants
- All Planning projects should:
- Conduct research and planning to explore opportunities for civic and humanities education
- Focus in a non-partisan way on subjects and issues relevant and meaningful to middle grades students
- Actively involve at least one humanities advisor or culture bearer as an integral member of the project team
- Ensure humanities are central and not tangential to the project
- Complete project within twelve-month grant period.
- All Planning projects should:
Eligibility Criteria
- Implementation Grants
- California Humanities accepts applications from California-based non-profit organizations with federally recognized tax-exempt status or state/municipal public agencies, schools, arts councils, colleges and universities, tribal governments, or libraries.
- Individuals and organizations lacking tax exempt status may not apply directly for funding but can apply under the auspices of a fiscal sponsor or in partnership with a California non-profit organization.
- Eligible applicant organizations and project directors must:
- Be in good standing with California Humanities (e.g., without unfulfilled reporting requirements) if a previous grant recipient.
- Not have an open grant or application under consideration or submit more than one application per California Humanities deadline, unless acting as a California Humanities-approved, multi-application fiscal sponsor or a college, university, public library system, or arts council.
- Eligible applicant organizations and project directors must:
- Planning Grants
- California Humanities accepts applications from California-based non-profits with federally recognized tax-exempt status or state/municipal public agencies such as schools, arts councils, colleges and universities, tribal governments, and libraries.
- Individuals and organizations lacking tax exempt status may not apply directly for funding but can apply under the auspices of a fiscal sponsor or in partnership with a California non-profit organization.
- Eligible applicant organizations and project directors must:
- Be in good standing with California Humanities (e.g., without unfulfilled reporting requirements) if a previous grant recipient. Prior grantees of Civics + Humanities funds must submit a Final Report by February 1, 2024.
- Submit only one application to California Humanities at a time. Organizations must not have an open grant with California Humanities, with the exception of approved fiscal sponsors, colleges, universities, public library systems, and arts councils.
- Eligible applicant organizations and project directors must:
For more information, visit California Humanities.
