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Connecticut Governor's Proposed Budget
The governor’s proposed two-year budget (for FY 2015-17) would eliminate what is currently $2 million in state support for the Connecticut Humanities Council, Inc. in the State Library budget. This amounts to about two-thirds of Connecticut Humanities’ budget and would be devastating to CH's support of heritage and cultural organizations statewide. This money is largely re-granted to others through a competitive process, based on merit.  Should this re-granting pool cease to exist, there would be no place for hundreds of nonprofit organizations across Connecticut engaged with history and the humanities to go for funding support.

1) E-mail your legislators, you can find your state representative and state senator and their email addresses here. The length of your email is less critical than the fact that you contact your legislators directly. Your message should simply:

  • Identify who you are and what your connection is with Connecticut Humanities
  • Urge your representatives to maintain funding for the Connecticut Humanities Council
  • Let them know the types of activities that you have been able to do with Connecticut Humanities’ support — and the problems it would cause your organization and community if this source funding were to go away.

2) SHARE your opinion with Governor Malloy. He can be contacted here.

Save the date: March 25
Connecticut Humanities, in partnership with the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Connecticut Historical Society, and the Connecticut League of History Organizations, is planning a “Rally Day” at the State Capitol on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 25. More details to come, but we hope that you and other fans of humanities and history in Connecticut can arrange to join us in person that afternoon.


Maine Governor's Proposed Budget
Governor LePage’s 2016/17 budget proposes to eliminate state revenue sharing with municipalities in exchange for allowing localities to tax larger nonprofit organizations, including museums, archives, historical societies and historic sites. Traditionally, revenue sharing provides roughly $60 million to municipalities to pay for services and reduce property taxes. The Governor’s proposal allows towns and cities to offset those losses by collecting property taxes from previously exempt nonprofits with $500,000 or more of assessed value. The property/organization would be entitled to a 50% exemption (rather than 100%) with respect to the aggregate value exceeding$500,000.

For more information on the proposal and early reactions, we recommend the following sources:


IMLS Releases Updated Museum Data File
The Institute of Museum and Library Services has made its first semi-annual update to the museum universe data file, thanks to feedback from 450 individuals and new lists of museums provided to the agency, resulting in updates to 13,125 records. Learn more about the update, review the file and see how others are using the data.


National Endowment for the Arts Reports
Three reports from the National Endowment for the Arts reveal new findings about the impact of arts and cultural industries on GDP, as well as how and why Americans participate in certain arts activities. The data for the three reports is all from 2012, so for the first time the NEA can show a comprehensive view of a single year in the life of the arts and cultural sector from three different angles: supply, demand, and motivations for consumer behavior. The new information will help arts providers and others more effectively understand and develop strategies to engage individuals and communities in the arts.


Let's Move! Turns Five in 2015
The White House will mark the fifth anniversary of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Initiative in 2015, and participants in the museum field's sub-initiative—Let's Move! Museums & Gardens (LMMG)—are invited to highlight their effort in conjunction with the White House celebration. If your museum already takes part in the LMMG initiative, consider planning activities this winter and add the birthday celebration messaging to your programs. Check out the LMMG 5th Anniversary Toolkit to help plan your activities. If you are not yet participating in the initiative, it's not too late to sign up.

TrendsWatch Report
The Center for the Future of Museums has released the fourth annual TrendsWatch report. This year's forecasting focuses on six trends: open data, ethical consumerism, personalization, wearable technology, slow culture and the changing seascape of museum risk. Read a summary of the report on the blog and learn how to download your free PDF copy.

 

Challenge America Fast-Track Grants
The National Endowment for the Arts' Challenge America Fast-Track grants offer support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved; at least one of the underserved characteristics noted above also must be present. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development. Deadline is April 16, 2015.


General Preservation Assessments
The National Endowment for the Humanities' Preservation Assistance Grants examine policies, practices, and conditions affecting the care and preservation of your collections. A preservation assessment and comprehensive report is very often the key to success when seeking other grant funding for preservation or conservation. Deadline is May 5, 2015.

 

Preservation and Access Education and Training Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities' Preservation and Access Education and Training grants are awarded to organizations that offer national or regional (multistate) education and training programs. Grants aim to help the staff of cultural institutions, large and small, obtain the knowledge and skills needed to serve as effective stewards of humanities collections. Grants also support educational programs that prepare the next generation of conservators and preservation professionals, as well as projects that introduce the staff of cultural institutions to new information and advances in preservation and access practices. Deadline is May 5, 2015.

 

Challenge Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities' Challenge Grants are capacity-building grants, intended to support significant humanities activities of high intellectual quality and to help institutions secure long-term support for their humanities programs. Through these grants many organizations and institutions have been able to increase their humanities capacity and secure the permanent support of an endowment. Grants may be used to establish or enhance endowments or spend-down funds that generate expendable earnings to support and enhance ongoing program activities. Challenge grants may also provide capital directly supporting the procurement of long-lasting objects, such as acquisitions for archives and collections, the purchase of equipment, and the construction or renovation of facilities needed for humanities activities. Deadline is May 5, 2015.

 

Google Ad Grants
Google Ad Grants offer eligible non-profit organizations up to $10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords™ advertising 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.

 

Kress Foundation Grants
Through its grant programs, the Kress Foundation supports scholarly projects that promote the appreciation, interpretation, preservation, study and teaching of European art from antiquity to the early 19th century. The History of Art program supports scholarly projects that will enhance the appreciation and understanding of European art and architecture. The Conservation Grants program supports the professional practice of art conservation, including conservation research, scholarly publications, international conferences and symposia, especially as it relates to European art of the pre-modern era. Grants are awarded to projects that create and disseminate specialized knowledge, including archival projects, development and dissemination of scholarly databases, documentation projects, exhibitions and publications focusing on art conservation, scholarly publications, and technical and scientific studies. The Digital Resources program is intended to foster new forms of research and collaboration as well as new approaches to teaching and learning. Support will also be offered for the digitization of important visual resources (especially art history photographic archives) in the area of pre-modern European art history; of primary textual sources (especially the literary and documentary sources of European art history); for promising initiatives in online publishing; and for innovative experiments in the field of digital art history. Please note that this grant program does not typically support the digitization of museum object collections. Application are due on April 1 or October 1. See the Kress Foundation website for complete program guidelines, information about previous grant recipients, and application guidelines.

 

Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Enabling New Scholarship through Increasing Access to Unique Materials
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funds to create a national competition in 2015 to digitize and provide access to collections of rare or unique content in cultural heritage institutions. Eligible formats include, paper collections, moving images on film or video, all types of sound recordings, ephemera, specimens, electronic files or data sets, works of art, to myriad types of artifacts. Initial proposal is due  April 30, 2015. The initial proposal round is open. The final proposal round is by invitation only. See the Digitizing Hidden Collections Application Guidelines.

 

1772 Foundation Announces Historic Preservation Grants in Rhode Island and Connecticut
The 1772 Foundation has announced 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; installation or upgrade of fire detection, lightning protection and security systems; porch, roof and window repair/restoration; structural foundation and sill repair/replacement; and chimney and masonry repointing. Letters of inquiry is due March 15. All organizations who wish to be considered should send a one-page letter of inquiry to maryanthony@1772foundation.org.  Not all letters of inquiry will result in an invitation to submit a full application. Invited applications will be due on June 5, 2015. To be eligible to apply, organizations must have a 501c3 IRS designation. Funding will not be provided for schools or churches. View complete guidelines for letter of inquiry. 

Connecticut Humanities Grants  
Project planning and implementation grants.
Applications between $1,000 and $9,999: Application deadline: the first workday of January, April, July and October.
Applications between $10,000 and $50,000: Application deadline: the first workday of February, May, August and November.

 

General Grant Cycle
Main Street Community Foundation is currently accepting grant applications from area nonprofit organizations through its competitive General Grant Cycle. All applications are available on the Foundation's website, www.mainstreetfoundation.org. Nonprofit organizations serving Bristol, Burlington, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and/or Wolcott, Connecticut may be eligible to apply for grants through the Foundation's competitive General Grant Cycle. Funding consideration will be given to, but not limited to, proposals requesting support for charitable projects in the areas of education, health, human services, sports field maintenance, animal welfare, environment and arts and culture. Proposals for the General Grant Cycle are due March 31, 2015.   

 

Maine Arts and Humanities Grants
The Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Humanities Council collaborate to provide Arts and Humanities grants that assist organizations in Maine to investigate and present stories and cultural expressions of the state, its communities and its people. These grants support projects and public programs that include or combine both arts and humanities disciplines. The arts help build communities by helping them discover their cultural assets, building audiences and promoting the excellence of the creative sector. The humanities explore the nature and value of human experience through literature, history, theology, philosophy and the disciplines of social and political science. Deadline is March 13, 2015.

Maine Arts Commission's upcoming grant deadlines   

  • The Arts Learning grant provides funding to support high-quality visual and/or performing arts education for PK-12 students and/or educators of this population. Deadline is March 25, 2015.
  • Creative Communities = Economic Development encourages cultural, economic and governmental sectors to work together to effect community revitalization. This consortium grant will be delivered to one nonprofit cultural organization within a geographic community or region. Applications will be considered from communities/regions with a strong commitment to inter-sector collaboration that seeks to strengthen the cultural assets of their community. Application Deadlines: Letter of Interest, March 25, 2015; Full application upon invitation, October 2, 2015.
  • Partnership grants provide funding for arts and cultural organization to enter into partnership with the Maine Arts Commission. Funds are unrestricted and will go to building the state's cultural infrastructure. Application Deadline: March 25, 2015
  • Project Grant for Organizations fosters the growth of the arts in Maine. The program supports the creation of high quality arts programming that engages Maine's communities, enhances the quality of life and attracts visitors to strengthen Maine's creative economy. Application deadline is March 25, 2015

 

Mass Humanities Upcoming Grant Deadlines

 

NH Major Grant of $10,000
The New Hampshire Humanities Council Major Grant of $10,000 are awarded twice a year Whether acting as seed money to attract other funders or paying for the bulk of a project's cash expenditures, these grants have major impact by helping with critical aspects of project planning, research, and public presentation. Mandatory letter of interest is due April 1.

 

2015 New Hampshire Governor's Arts Awards Call for Nominations
Governor's Arts Awards recognize outstanding contributions made by individuals, organizations and communities to the cultural life of our state. While these contributions are usually made unselfishly, it is important to take the time to recognize and thank people for outstanding achievements. Please take a moment to consider individuals, organizations and communities that deserve to be acknowledged with a nomination for a 2015 Governor's Arts Award.  Nominations can be made by an individual, group, organization or business. Deadline is Friday, May 1, 2015.

 

Investments in Arts and Culture
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts’ Investments in Arts and Culture (IAC) operating support grants are designed to support those organizations that produce or present annual programs in the arts and have developed a funding relationship with RISCA over time. The IAC program does not accept unsolicited proposals. The application is open by invitation only to pre-approved organizations. If you have questions regarding your organization's eligibility, please contact Lauren Faria at 401-222-3882 or lauren.faria@arts.ri.gov. The next deadline for IAC grants is April 1, 2015. The Arts Access Grant (AAG) program provides small grants to new ventures, occasional arts programs, or arts and cultural organizations that do not meet the eligibility requirements of Investments in Arts and Culture. The next deadline for AAG grants is April 1, 2015.
 

Mini Grant Program
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, documentary film, civic education initiatives, and individual research. Mini Grant Deadlines are February 1, May 1, 2015, and August 1, 2015.


Joseph O'Neill Ott Fund
The Rhode Island Foundation is now accepting applications for the Joseph O'Neill Ott Fund, which supports the preservation of historical manuscripts, documents and municipal records dating from the 19th century and earlier. All historical and preservation societies from the smaller cities and towns of Rhode Island are eligible to apply. Grants generally range from $250-$600 and support direct conservation efforts for paper-based documents, photographs, and other two-dimensional historical evidence (excluding artwork). This can include restoration, preservation, or to defray the costs associated with the acquisition of documents. Proposals that demonstrate concern about long-term storage issues or have planned document storage will be looked upon most favorably. The deadline to apply is March 13. View grant guidelines and apply online.

 

Blackstone Heritage Corridor Partnership Program

The Blackstone Heritage Corridor is now accepting applications for grant assistance through their Partnership Program. The grant program offers cities and towns, non-profit organizations, and state agencies an opportunity to receive funding for projects that relate to the work of the organization, including: telling the Story of American Industrialization; Preserving and Enhance the Valley Communities; Balancing Conservation and Growth; and Promoting River Recovery. Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $15,000 and require a 1-to-1 match. Applications are due no later than 12:00 pm on March 31st.

 

Call for Nominations
The Rhode Island Humanities Council invites you to submit nominations for the 2015 Celebration of the Humanities awards. The theme of the 2015 celebration is Connect the Dots, focusing on how the humanities create meaningful connections across disciplines and sectors and between people and ideas. The deadline for submissions is 5:00pm on March 16, 2015. Click here for details.

 

Facilities Grant
The Vermont Arts Council’s Cultural Facilities Grants help Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities enhance, create, or expand the capacity of an existing building to provide cultural activities for the public. Examples of projects eligible for funding include: improvements such as wiring, heating, ADA accessibility features, lighting, and stage improvements; building improvements, permanent display panels or exhibit cases, permanent infrastructure or fixed equipment; and wireless/broadband capacity that enhances programming capacity. Deadline is May 1, 2015.