IMLS Offers Grants Workshops for Museums in Six Regions Across the Nation
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is rolling out a new series of regional grant workshops designed for applicants for the museum grant programs. Providing greater access to IMLS funds and resources is one of the agency’s core strategic goals, and these regional workshops are a proactive step towards realizing this goal. These free workshops are intended for new and returning applicants. Each full-day workshop will offer a comprehensive overview of the IMLS grant programs administered by the Office of Museum Services (OMS), special initiatives such as MAP, CAP, Museums for All, and Museums for Digital Learning, and other agency priorities and resources. OMS staff will help prospective applicants walk through the nuts and bolts of putting together a successful IMLS application. The New England workshop will be held in Manchester, NH on September 26, 2019. Space is limited and registration is required. Attendance is limited to two staff members per institution. For additional details and event updates, please visit the workshop event page on the IMLS website.
Vermont Humanities Grants
The Vermont Humanities Council’s Grant Program supports other non-profit organizations that are conducting various projects related to the humanities, primarily focused on public programming, curriculum development, or teacher enrichment. The maximum award is $5,000. Proposals for new, as well as already-established, programs will be considered. Letter of Intent deadline: July 22 – August 23, 2019. Proposal deadline: September 2 – October 5, 2019.
New England States Touring Grants for Performing Artists
The New England Foundation for the Arts NEST (New England States Touring) funds presentations of New England-based performing artists from outside of a presenter’s state. Applications must be submitted a minimum of three months in advance of the proposed project. Next deadline is August 1, 2019.
Rhode Island Public Humanities Mini Grants
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities' Mini Grant Program for requests up to $2,000 invites individual researchers, nonprofit organizations, and schools to apply for funding in support of public humanities projects. Upcoming deadlines: August 1 or November 1, 2019.
2020 Levitt AMP Grant Awards
The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation announces an exciting grant opportunity serving small to mid-sized towns and cities across the country. Up to 15 grantees will be awarded $25K each in matching funds to produce their own Levitt AMP [Your City] Music Series—an outdoor, free concert series featuring a diverse line up of high caliber entertainment for people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy. Online public voting determines the Top 25 finalists. Grant applications are due by September 20, 2019. For more information, visit www.levittamp.org.
The Vote: Exploring voting rights in America
To commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, Mass Humanities will prioritize funding public programs in 2020 that use the humanities to explore voting rights in America. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution declared that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of a person’s sex. Mass Humanities invites applications for projects that explore the many dimensions of voting rights in America, using the lens of history, literature, philosophy, jurisprudence, identity-based studies, or any other humanities discipline. “The Vote” grant opportunity will be available as part of the fall 2019 Project Grant round and the winter 2020 Discussion Grant round. Inquiry deadline is September 9 for Project grants and November 6 for Discussion grants.
Barbara Lee Family Foundation Seeks Project Proposals
As part of its involvement with the Greater Boston Women’s Vote Centennial, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation is seeking proposals for projects related to the centennial celebration of women’s suffrage. Through this program, grants of up to $5,000 will be provided to initiatives designed to engage and benefit the people of Greater Boston. The application deadline is August 30, 2019. Apply here: https://www.barbaraleefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/RFP_BLFF-Suffrage-Grants.pdf
Museum Day 2019
Sign up now for the 14th annual Museum Day on September 21! This Smithsonian initiative encourages access and inclusion by offering free admission to participating sites. The 2019 theme is "The Year of Music."
AASLH Status Report on Preparations for USA’s 250th Anniversary
Over the past several months, the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has worked with its 250th Anniversary Task Force to gather the latest information from around the country about the status of planning for the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026. The report shows about half the states in the country have initiated planning in some form. For more information visit http://aaslh.org/250th/.
Maine Governor Signs Electronic Voting Bill Into Law
Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) was instrumental in the passage of a new law that makes it possible for a nonprofit corporation to enable its members to vote for directors or officers by electronic transmission through a change in its bylaws. Click here for more about LD 894.
Survey for the Next Edition of Leading With Intent Now Open
We invite all chief executives and board chairs to participate in the survey by answering questions about their board’s governance practices. All participants are eligible to win one of our raffles. Take the survey and check out Leading with Intent: 2017 BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. Crucial questions about today’s nonprofit boards are answered in the latest of BoardSource’s series of studies tracking and analyzing trends in nonprofit board leadership since 1994.
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. NEMA members that enroll in StEPs receive a free AASLH webinar registration. For complete details, click here.
Public Humanities Projects Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Public Humanities Projects grants support projects that bring the ideas and insights of the humanities to life for general audiences. Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history, or to address challenging issues in contemporary life. NEH encourages projects that involve members of the public in collaboration with humanities scholars or that invite contributions from the community in the development and delivery of humanities programming. This grant program supports a variety of forms of audience engagement. Application deadline: August 14, 2019. Click here for complete details.
Funding for National Convening on American History and Civics Education
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s Division of Education Programs is offering a fifteen-month cooperative agreement to a qualified organization to: 1) host two national convenings with the goal of assessing the state of, and best practices in, the teaching of American history, civics, and government in K-12 education; 2) publish a report to disseminate the convenings’ findings, including a national forum in Washington D.C. to launch the report and 3.) implement a robust national publicity strategy to the education community and general public. This opportunity is offered in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Education—National Activities program. Application deadline: August 12, 2019. Click here for complete details.
Production Grants for Media Projects
The Media Projects: Production Grants program supports the production and distribution of documentary film, television, radio, and podcast projects that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. All projects must be grounded in humanities scholarship and demonstrate an approach that is thoughtful, balanced, and analytical. The approach to the subject matter must go beyond the mere presentation of factual information to explore its larger significance and stimulate reflection. The Division of Public Programs encourages media projects that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and advance civic education. The Division of Public Programs also supports media projects that examine international themes and subjects in the humanities. Application deadline: August 14, 2019. Click here for more details.
Historic New England's Community Preservation Grants
Each year, Historic New England provides Community Preservation Grants of $1,000 apiece to one small to mid-sized heritage organization in each of the six New England states. These grants support projects that raise the visibility of historic preservation and present diverse stories of life in our region. Application deadline: August 15, 2019. Click here for details.
Exhibition Research & Development Grants
To encourage and enrich international partnerships between art museums and to deepen research and dialogue on historical American artwork, the Terra Foundation will offer three types of Exhibition Research & Development grants for the next two years: Convening Grants for Internationally Collaborative Exhibitions, International Curatorial Travel Grants for Travel to the United States, and US Curatorial Travel Grants for Travel Outside the United States. Proposal deadline for all: September 13, 2019.
New Hampshire Community Project Grants
New Hampshire Humanities Council is awarding two types of Community Project Grants in 2019-2020. Mini Grants offer up to $1,000 to support simple, single-event or short-series projects, and are available in as little as six weeks from submission deadline. Next application deadline: September 1, 2019. Major Grants of up to $10,000 enable organizations to design and carry out larger projects that attract diverse audiences, engage minds, and stimulate meaningful community dialogue. Next application deadline: October 1, 2019.
National Trust Preservation Funds
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. Next deadline is October 1, 2019.
National Trust Emergency Funds
Intervention funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation is awarded in emergency situations when immediate and unanticipated work is needed to save a historic structure, such as when a fire or other natural disaster strikes. Funding is restricted to nonprofit organizations and public agencies. Emergency grants typically range from $1,000 to $5,000, but unlike the majority of our grant funding, a cash match is not required for intervention projects. Contact the NTHP if you believe your project qualifies for this type of funding. Funding is very limited.
Arts Access Grants in Rhode Island
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts’ Arts Access Grants (AAG) program provides program support (maximum of $3,000) to new ventures or occasional arts programs executed by non-profit organizations, or groups fiscally sponsored by a non-profit organization. Eligible programs should contribute to the vitality of our communities, the economy of our state, the arts education of Rhode Islanders, and our quality of life. Application deadline: October 1, 2019. Click here for details.
Archival Access Grants
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the National Archives supports projects that promote access to America’s historical records to encourage understanding of our democracy, history, and culture. Numerous grant opportunities are available to support preservation, access, digitization, and engagement with historical records. Application deadline: October 3, 2019. Complete details online here.
Mini Grants for Public Humanities Projects in Maine
Maine Humanities Council offers mini grants (up to $1,000) to support a wide variety of public humanities projects, such as exhibits, lecture and film series, reading and discussion programs, symposia, cultural celebrations, etc. Projects must begin no sooner than eight weeks after the deadline. Next application deadline: October 4, 2019. To find out more, click here.
TD Charitable Foundation
TD Charitable Foundation grants issues awards to area non-profit and public institutions to create meaningful change and improvement in the communities.
Organizational Development Grants
As part of the Rhode Island Foundation's commitment to serving the needs of the nonprofit sector, organizational development grants of up to $10,000 is offered through the Organizational Development Grants. 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. Next application deadline: October 11, 2019. Click here for more details.
American Art Exhibition Grants
Recognizing the importance of experiencing original works of art firsthand, the Terra Foundation supports exhibitions that increase the understanding and appreciation of historical American art (circa 1500–1980). Letter of Inquiry deadline: August 1, 2019. Proposal deadline: October 15, 2019.
Arts & Humanities Grants for Innovative Projects in Maine
Arts & Humanities grants, a partnership between the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission, support innovative community projects that have BOTH arts and humanities components. Application deadline: October 17, 2019. For more information, click here.
The Edwin S. Webster Foundation
The Edwin S. Webster 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. Generally, the foundation confines its grants primarily to the New England area. Application deadline: November 1, 2019.