Editor's note: Please double check deadlines and availability.
National Survey of COVID-19 Impact on United States Museums
On June 8, 2020, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) launched a survey designed to capture a snapshot of the state of US museums during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the survey closed on June 30, directors of 760 museums of all types and sizes had reported on their plans for reopening, the projected financial impact of the pandemic, and the services they were providing to their communities. The survey results document extreme financial distress in the museum field. One-third (33%) of respondents were not confident they would be able to survive 16 months without additional financial relief, and 16 percent felt their organization was at significant risk of permanent closure. The vast majority (87%) of museums have only 12 months or less of financial operating reserves remaining, with 56% having less than six months left to cover operations. Forty-four percent had furloughed or laid off some portion of their staff, and 41 percent anticipated reopening with reduced staff. During the pandemic, 75% of museums stepped into their pivotal role as educators providing virtual educational programs, experiences, and curricula to students, parents, and teachers. However, two-thirds (64%) of directors predicted cuts in education, programming or other public services due to significant budget cuts. Read the results here.
Mass Cultural Council’s COVID Recovery Survey
In June, Mass Cultural Council surveyed nonprofit cultural organizations on the economic impacts of COVID-19, as well as the recovery strategies necessary in order to safely reopen and reengage with the public. Read the full report here. Key Findings: Massachusetts’ cultural nonprofits have lost $425 million in revenue due to COVID-19 cancellations and closures. Since March, at least 98% of respondents had to cancel in-person programmatic activity and 79% had to cancel funding events/activities. 68% of responding organizations indicated that they expect layoffs, furloughs, and reductions in pay and working hours for their employees. These difficult decisions will impact 17,020 employees and their jobs statewide. The cost of implementing recovery strategies, to reopen to the public, as identified by survey respondents is $117 million.
Value of History Statement
If there’s anything the world has learned in the past several months, it is the relevance of the past. Today more than 350 institutions have signed and are using the History Relevance initiative’s Value of History statement, and there’s room for yours, too. Full details here.
Free Nomenclature resources
Did you know that Nomenclature is available online, in its entirety, for free? You can find the word you’re looking for (in English and French) in no time to categorize an item in your collection, thanks to the AASLH Nomenclature Task Force, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and Parks Canada. Access the catalog here.
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: August 7-28. Proposal deadline: September 7 – October 5, 2020.
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 November 16, 2020.
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 31, 2020. Click here for complete details.
Historic New England's Community Preservation Grants
Each year, Historic New England provides Community Preservation Grants of $1,250 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: September 11, 2020. 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: October 15, 2020.
New Hampshire Community Project Grants
New Hampshire Humanities Council is awarding two types of Community Project Grants in 2020-2021. 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, 2020. 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 15, 2020.
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, 2020. 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 8, 2020. 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 15, 2020. 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.
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, 2020.
Vermont Spark Connecting Community
Spark Connecting Community grants put building and nurturing community front and center. We aim to support grassroots work that builds social capital—the connective tissue of our communities. Social capital can be described as the value developed from working together, connecting across social networks, and sharing common place-based experiences. The more social capital a community has, the stronger and more resilient those communities will be, providing desirable places for us to live, work and play. Higher levels of social capital are correlated with better health outcomes, higher educational achievement and increased civic engagement. Deadline is October 15, 2020.
Vermont Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant
Vermont Nonprofit Capacity Building grants programs will continue to make grants of up to $3,000 on a rolling basis with fast turnaround times. In recognition that COVID-19 is disrupting the program and operating models of many nonprofits, we welcome proposals that seek funding for strategic planning, merger explorations, financial sustainability planning, and other consultant services that relate directly to how you might achieve your mission in this new time. Although we know that many organizations are feeling the strain of lost revenue associated with the pandemic, this grant program is not designed to supplant lost revenue. Deadline: Rolling deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed monthly. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.