PA Humanities is proud to announce the launch of Wingspan, a new grant program to support BIPOC-led and serving or rural organizations doing community-based humanities work.
Donor Name: PA Humanities
State: Pennsylvania
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/29/2023
Size of the Grant: $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
Wingspan draws its inspiration from the diverse organizations that make Pennsylvania thrive. Its mission is to help them soar and expand their possibilities by providing new resources, amplifying their voices, and cultivating additional space for creativity and connection.
Guided by the own organizational values and emergent learning process, they held listening sessions with grantees, artists, scholars, communities and partners from across the state to develop this grant opportunity. They recognized that a shift needed to be made to support the continued growth and development of the humanities and cultural sector. They heard a few things loud and clear:
- Invest in capacity. Whether it’s at the organizational, staffing or community level, strengthening capacity and supporting strategy experimentation is needed for growth and sustainability.
- Build trusting relationships. Connection and caring relationships are central to nourishing the organizations, staff and communities – and helps to cultivate learning.
- Practice equity. Equity is a non-negotiable in the organizations; funder support is needed to help organizations center it in their work.
- Focus on grantee and community needs. Grantees, residents and funders should intentionally collaborate to shape philanthropy so it is responsive and meaningful to communities.
They also heard that BIPOC-led and serving organizations or rural organizations are often less supported and recognized for the community-building humanities work they do. Capacity-building and peer relationships were especially impactful for these communities – if they were organizations with operating budgets under $1.5 million.
Funding Information
PA Humanities will provide $100,000 in flexible funding over two years to eligible organizations doing equitable humanities work in collaboration with their communities.
Uses of funds
Funding can be used for programming, operating expenses, marketing and communications, community outreach, staff development and capacity-building. Grantees will join PA Humanities’ special Wingspan Learning Community to meet with peers and learn together during the grant cycle.
Eligibility Criteria
PA Humanities is most interested in working with organizations that consciously, through their actions, work to build an understanding of their community and intentionally collaborate with residents to develop humanities programs and activities with their interests, assets, and identities in mind. To apply, you must be:
- a 501(c)(3), educational or government entity. Fiscal sponsors are allowed, but must play an active role in the project and not just serve as a pass-through entity; and
- a BIPOC-led and serving organization or a rural organization; and
- an organization or group with an operating budget under $1.5 million; and
- an organization or group that uses the humanities in their work; and
- based in and serve PA residents.
BIPOC-led and serving
They recognize that language used to describe race and ethnicity is imperfect and always evolving. For the purposes of this grant opportunity, they define BIPOC as Black, Indigenous and People of Color. This includes but is not limited to the following racial and ethnic identities: Asian, South Asian, or Asian American; Black, African, or a part of Africa’s Global Diaspora; Latino/a, Latine/x, Hispanic or Afro-Latino/a; Multi-racial, multi-ethnic, bi-racial; Native American, American Indian, or Indigenous; Pacific Islander, Samoan, or Hawaiian Native; and Persian, Arab, Middle Eastern, or North African.
To be considered a BIPOC-led and serving organization, you must demonstrate that your organization is:
- Founded by and created for BIPOC individuals
- Mission and work focuses on cultivating, promoting, and presenting the heritage, histories, or cultural practices that are representative of BIPOC experiences;
- Led by individuals who identify as BIPOC at the director level
- Strong representation of BIPOC individuals on staff and on board
- Primarily serving individuals in your community who identify as BIPOC
- Located in a primarily BIPOC community.
For more information, visit PA Humanities.
