The HumanitiesDC is accepting applications for its DC Oral History Collaborative Grants to support oral history projects that explore Washington, DC’s life, history, and culture through interviews with the people who have lived it.
Donor Name: HumanitiesDC
State: District of Columbia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/20/2024
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
The DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) documents, preserves, and celebrates the lived experiences of all Washington, DC residents and communities through oral history. The Collaborative accomplishes this by providing training, mentorship, resources, programs, and funding to current and aspiring oral historians.
This grant opportunity funds individuals, community groups, and nonprofits who propose projects that explore Washington, DC’s history and culture through interviews with the people who have lived it. Projects should have a theme, focus, or research question that applicants aim to illuminate.
Funding Information
$8000 (plus an additional $5000 may be requested for translation of transcripts).
Project Period
May 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024
Successful DCOHC applications:
- Clearly identify the research question driving the oral history inquiry, with the question going beyond the importance of collecting and archiving stories (e.g. “What stories about community gardening are important to preserve?” becomes “How did the practice of community gardening change or evolve as gentrification took hold in Washington?”)
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter and a connectedness to relevant communities that will lend itself to the recruitment of narrators (interviewees)
- Do not propose collecting oral histories that have already been recorded and archived
- Explain how the narrators to be interviewed and their communities will be substantively engaged in the project’s development
Successful Extension applications
- Are not requests for brand-new oral history projects, but are rather continuations of previous oral history projects completed by the applicant that were funded by HumanitiesDC
- Clearly describe how an existing project will be extended, and how the project’s continuation will contribute to the originally-posed research question or theme. Applicants will identify at least five new narrators they will interview during the grant period
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the subject matter and a connectedness to relevant communities that will lend itself to the recruitment of narrators (interviewees)
- Explain how the narrators to be interviewed and their communities will be substantively engaged in the project’s development
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations applying for these grant opportunities must:
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is registered and authorized to do business in Washington, DC with a physical mailing address in the District. DC residents should comprise most of its constituents.
- The organization must be registered as either a “Domestic” entity (an entity that was incorporated in the District) or a “Foreign” entity (an entity that was incorporated in another state).
- Register and comply with the regulatory requirements of the following agencies:
- District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) – Corporations Division (indicating an “active” business license status at the time of application and agreeing to maintain such status throughout the grant period).
- District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR).
- District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES).
- United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- Must have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). UEI is a number issued by the System for Award Management (SAM) to identify businesses and other entities that do business with the federal government.
Individuals applying for these grant opportunities must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a full-time resident of DC
- Provide proof of the above two requirements through a driver’s license, passport, or other form of identification
For more information, visit HumanitiesDC.
