Maryland Humanities offers Coronavirus Relief funding to cultural organizations through a new grant program

Maryland Humanities announces the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act Emergency Relief Grants, a new funding opportunity for Maryland nonprofits who offer humanities programming as a significant part of their mission.

The goal of the $500,000 grant fund is to ensure that organizations can continue to provide opportunities for Maryland’s diverse communities to access and engage with public history, cultural heritage, and civic learning.

Grants will support nonprofit general operating expenses, which include salaries, rent, utilities, supplies, and equipment. Applications open May 1 with a deadline of May 11 at 11:59 P.M.

Eligible nonprofit organizations include: museums, historic sites, preservation & historical societies, and community & cultural organizations with a significant humanities focus and an annual budget of up to $300,000. All grant awards will be for the same amount, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 100 grants awarded; therefore, the minimum grant award is $5,000 and the maximum is $10,000. Maryland Humanities aims to fund organizations throughout all regions of Maryland.

These grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act economic stabilization plan appropriated by the U.S. Congress.

“Maryland Humanities is honored to help bolster the public humanities throughout Maryland in providing emergency relief funding to organizations that shape our cultural and educational landscape,” says Aaron Heinsman, Acting Executive Director at Maryland Humanities. “Thank you to our elected officials in Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities for entrusting us with this urgent responsibility.”