NEA Funding Level Finally Set
President Trump signed legislation that included a $155 million funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts. This amount, a $2 million increase over last year, was made possible by House and Senate appropriations committees on a bipartisan basis throughout the appropriations cycle last year, even surviving a vote on the House floor to cut the agency by 15%. That vote failed by a 183-vote margin. Final approval of the FY 2019 appropriations bills was delayed due to a partial government shutdown and border security negotiations.
Disaster Planning Kit Now Available Online
The full curriculum for Finding Common Ground: Collaborative Training for the Cultural Heritage and Emergency Response Communities. This program was developed by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services between 2017 and 2018 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities grant. Finding Common Ground is available to help institutions dedicate the time to accomplish disaster planning, work with their first responders, and provide the expertise to guide them in their planning.
University of Denver Museum of Anthropology Conducts Nationwide Survey on NAGPRA
As part of an IMLS funded project, the University of Denver Museum of Anthropology is conducting a nation-wide survey to collect information on the current state of NAGPRA implementation and identify needs for the future. Please take a moment to lend your voice to the conversation! This survey is anonymous and will take about 10 minutes.
International Museum Day
The worldwide community of museums will celebrate International Museum Day on and around May 18, 2019. Participation in International Museum Day is growing among museums all over the world. In 2018, more than 40,000 museums participated in the event in some 158 countries. The International Council on Museums selects each year a theme that is at the heart of the concerns of society. 2019 will focus on “Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition.”
Mellon Foundation Survey Indicates Museums Have Grown More Diverse
Museums have incrementally hired more people of color in recent years, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has concluded in a second iteration of a comprehensive survey, conducted last year. The survey, carried out with the Association of Art Museum Directors, the American Alliance of Museums and Ithaka S+R, a research group, collected data on more than 30,000 museum employees from 332 museums, most of which are members of the directors’ association. It found that in 2018, the share of people of color hired at the institutions it surveyed was 35 percent, up from 26 percent in 2015.
Closing the GAAP on Direct Care
For 25 years, the AAM Code of Ethics for Museums and accounting standards were out of alignment regarding the use of proceeds from the sale of deaccessioned collections. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has updated its standard to bring the two into alignment: allowing for direct care as well as acquisition. Read more in the blog post and download the updated Direct Care white paper.
Massachusetts Nonprofit Awareness Day
On June 3, 2019, hundreds of nonprofit, government, and business leaders will descend on the State House to celebrate Nonprofit Awareness Day: A Celebration of Nonprofit Excellence, a statewide holiday honoring the contributions of nonprofits in Massachusetts. The celebration is hosted by Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and is presented by Citizens Bank. During Nonprofit Awareness Day, Nonprofit Excellence Awards will be presented to four organizations and two professionals that exemplify the innovative and effective work of nonprofits across Massachusetts.
Blue Star Museums 2019
Registration is now open for Blue Star Museums 2019! Each summer, the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families work with museums across the country to provide free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families. This summer marks the 10th year of the program. It will begin on May 18, Armed Forces Day, and run through September 2, Labor Day. More than 2,000 museums across America participate each summer, including children's museums, fine art museums, history and science museums, zoos, and nature centers. For more information and to register, visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums, and don't forget to check out #bluestarmuseums on Twitter and Facebook.
AAM’s Committee on Museum Professional Training (CoMPT) becomes Museum Studies Network (MSN)
Since its founding in 1973 as the Museum Studies Curriculum Committee at the annual American Association of Museum conference that year, the Committee on Museum Professional Training has seen a significant change in the fields of Professional Training and Museum Studies. Forces in both the university world and the museum world have reshaped Museum Studies programs themselves and have also reshaped what the profession needs from them. CoMPT surveyed over 1,000 members to determine a new set of goals and guidelines, and AAM will introduce the new MSN at this year’s annual conference in New Orleans.
NEA Publishes Reports on the Arts in Neighborhood Choice
Published in February, this report is based on analysis of the 2015 American Housing Survey—specifically an arts module that was co-authored by researchers at the National Endowment of the Arts and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The report enumerates and describes adults who value living near arts/cultural venues. It also reports data on householders who cited greater access to arts venues as a reason for having moved to their present location, and who affirmed neighborhood benefits from those venues.
Massachusetts State Budget Data Tool Available Online
Massachusetts nonprofits that depend on state funding can get comprehensive historical and current state budget data online free from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, an independent nonprofit that conducts research and analysis of state budget and tax policies. The online tool, developed by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, provides comprehensive state budget information that can be accessed and understood by anyone interested in how the state uses its resources.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Through a joint effort with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the US CIS seek to support museums by offering public information and engagement opportunities, and by distributing educational materials and training resources on immigration and citizenship.
Gender Transition and Transgender Inclusion in the Museum Workplace
The American Alliance of Museums and the LGBTQ Alliance’s Task Force for Transgender Inclusion has released Gender Transition and Transgender Inclusion in the Museum Workplace: A Toolkit for Trans Individuals, Institutions, and Coworkers. This expansive set of guides approaches trans inclusion from the perspective of transitioning museum professionals, their institutions/museums, and their colleagues.
NEH and IMLS Offer Digital Humanities Advancement Grants
Digital Humanities Advancement Grants (DHAG) support digital projects at different stages throughout their lifecycles, from early start-up phases through implementation and sustainability. Experimentation, reuse, and extensibility are hallmarks of this program, leading to innovative work that can scale to enhance scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. Deadline: June 19, 2019.
NEH Grants Available
The Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments. The projects must be designed to attract broad public audiences. Deadline: June 12, 2019.
Through NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication, the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation jointly support individual scholars pursuing interpretive research projects that require digital expression and digital publication. To be eligible for this special opportunity, an applicant’s plans for digital publication must be integral to the project’s research goals. Successful projects will likely incorporate visual, audio, and/or other multimedia materials or flexible reading pathways that could not be included in traditionally published books, as well as an active distribution plan. Deadline: April 10, 2019.
NEH Fellowships are competitive awards granted to individual scholars pursuing projects that embody exceptional research, rigorous analysis, and clear writing. Applications must clearly articulate a project’s value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Fellowships provide recipients time to conduct research or to produce books, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, e-books, digital materials, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, or critical editions resulting from previous research. Projects may be at any stage of development. Deadline: April 10, 2019.
NEH Preservation and Access Education and Training supports the development of knowledge and skills among professionals responsible for preserving and establishing access to humanities collections. Thousands of libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country maintain important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture collections, electronic records, and digital objects. The challenge of preserving and making accessible such large and diverse holdings is enormous, and the need for knowledgeable staff is significant and ongoing. Deadline is May 15, 2019.
NEA Grants Available
Challenge America grants support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Matching grants are for $10,000. A minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount is required. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater. Deadline: April 23, 2019.
National Trust Offers Preservation Grants
Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for particular projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. A small grant at the right time can go a long way and is often the catalyst that inspires a community to take action on a preservation project. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000. Deadline: June 1, 2019.
The National Fund for Sacred Places is a grant-making program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Fund is guided by an Advisory Committee, bringing together faith leaders, architects, and philanthropists from across the country to inform the grant-making process. Through this partnership, roughly 50 houses of worship will be awarded $10 million over 4 years beginning in 2016. The National Fund is made possible by generous financial support from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., with additional support in 2019 from the Gerry Charitable Trust. Deadline: May 1, 2019.
Google Ad Grants
Up to $10,000 per month in-kind AdWords advertising available to nonprofits to promote their missions and initiatives on Google.com. You create advertisement and key word searches that relate your nonprofit, services, and organization as a whole, and when people use Google to search for related offerings online, your ad may appear next to the search results. When people click the ad, they will be directed to your website. For full program details, click here.
Sherlock Holmes Teaching Grant
The Beacon Society announces that once again, grants to U.S. and Canadian teachers, librarians, children's museums, and Sherlockian literary societies are available. The grants, in honor of a wonderful Sherlockian, Jan Stauber, will provide up to $500 to fund the development of a project that will introduce young people to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about his famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Deadline: May 1, 2019.
Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations
StEPs is AASLH's self-study standards program designed specifically for small- to mid-sized history organizations, including volunteer-run institutions. Through a workbook, online resources, and an online community, organizations enrolled in StEPS assess their policies and practices and benchmark themselves against nationally recognized standards. The program is divided into six sections that can be addressed in any order. In each section, organizations can identify their current practice as Basic, Good, or Better. Each level has its indicators, allowing organizations to set realistic goals and tackle challenges in small, manageable steps. Work in each section at your own pace using checklists, worksheets, sample documents, and the 24/7 online community. NEMA members that enroll in StEPs receive a free AASLH webinar registration.
TD Charitable Foundation
Grants are awarded to area non-profit and public institutions to create meaningful change and improvement in the communities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings. Rolling deadline.
Walmart Community Grant Program
The Walmart Foundation is accepting applications for their Community Grant Program, which awards grants from $250 to $2,500 to nonprofits, government entities, schools, or churches in the service area of Walmart stores. Deadline: December 31, 2019, but submissions can be made at any time.
The Edwin S. Webster Foundation
The Foundation will consider requests for capital programs, special projects or operating income. They support organizations with an emphasis on hospitals, medical research, education, youth agencies, cultural activities, and programs addressing the needs of minorities. Deadlines: May 1 and November 1.
Mass Humanities Discussion Grant
Partly inspired by traditional Reading & Discussion series, a Discussion Grant project may be a series of events, such as a film-and-discussion series; it may be a one-time event that includes active reflecting and discussing; or it may be something different, such as the creation of an exhibit or walking tour along with a discussion. Rather than requiring reading, Discussion Grant projects allow for the exchange of thoughts, opinions, and ideas in response to almost any kind of text or event: films, talks, performances, tours, exhibits, lectures, and more. Letter of intent deadline: April 1, 2019. Final application deadline: April 21, 2019.
Roving Archivist and Archival Supplies
Through generous funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Massachusetts Archives is pleased to provide funding for the Roving Archivist program and funding for the purchase of supplies and materials needed to arrange, describe, preserve, and make accessible archival collections.
MCC Cultural Investment Portfolio
CIP Projects grants are one year grants for specific, eligible, public programming, and are not for general operating support. Organizations that receive funding as Portfolio grantees are not eligible to apply to this program. Deadline: May 1, 2019.
Awesome Foundation Grants (Massachusetts)
Awesome Foundation awards $1,000 grants every month for awesome project ideas. Chapters exist in three Massachusetts cities: Boston, Gloucester, and Rockport. Rolling submissions online.
Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund Local Grants Program
The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund supports projects in Coös County, NH and bordering communities in the United States and Canada that focus on community revitalization. Deadline: July 18, 2019.
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The Community Grants Program – Unrestricted Grants, formerly known as Operating Grants, awards unrestricted grants to support an organization’s general operations (rather than a particular project or capacity-building effort). This program was formerly called Operating Grants. Deadline: August 1, 2019.
Rhode Island Foundation
Organizational Development Grants can be used for a variety of activities that strengthen and improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness, including strategic planning, business planning, fund development planning, marketing planning, feasibility studies, reorganization and streamlining, mergers, financial management planning or systems, and transition or succession planning. Deadlines: April 26, July 12, October 11, 2019.
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
RISCA’s Investments in Arts & Culture Program (IAC) provides annual operating support to arts and culture organizations across Rhode Island that make important contributions to the vitality of our communities, the economy of our state, the enrichment of all Rhode Islanders, and our quality of life. Organizations must demonstrate excellent artistic, educational, and cultural value; responsiveness and engagement with their community; and a high level of financial and managerial accountability, including a history of support from RISCA.
The IAC program does not accept unsolicited proposals. The application is open by invitation only to pre-approved organizations. If you are unsure whether you qualify for IAC, contact Todd Trebour, Organizations Program Director, at todd.trebour@arts.ri.gov or 401-222-3882.
2019 Matching Grants for Historic Preservation in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island
The 1772 Foundation announces that funding in the form of 1:1 matching grants of up to $15,000 will be made available for the following historic preservation projects: exterior painting, finishes and surface restoration, fire detection/lightning protection/security systems, repairs to/restoration of porches, roofs and windows, repairs to foundations and sills, and chimney and masonry repointing. Connecticut and Rhode Island organizations must submit letters of inquiry. Not all letters of inquiry will result in an invitation to submit a full application.
Vermont Arts Council
Arts Impact Grants support nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and schools in their efforts to add vibrancy to Vermont communities by providing equal and abundant access to the arts. The Arts Council seeks applications for projects that identify and break down barriers to participation. Deadline: June 3, 2019.
Vermont Community Foundation
The Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) grant helps Vermont nonprofits with unexpected expenses that impact their ability to meet their mission. A SUN grant can help an organization manage an unbudgeted, unforeseen, and time-sensitive emergency or take advantage of an unanticipated opportunity that will enhance its work. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Nonprofit Capacity Building grants offer $2,500 each to support the cost of consultants to facilitate discussions related to strategic planning, development of an organizational fundraising strategy, or orchestrating a merger. Ongoing application process.
The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund offers grants up to $5,000 to Vermont artists and Vermont arts organizations. Deadline: April 12, 2019.