NEH Announces Creating Humanities Communities Grant Program

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced Creating Humanities Communities, a new grant that supports grassroots humanities programs by encouraging partnerships and collaborations between multiple institutions or organizations in a town, county, region, or area. NEH hopes that the relationships built and strengthened through Creating Humanities Communities will lead to increases and improvements in humanities infrastructure for years to come, even beyond the initial activities funded by these grants.

“All Americans, no matter where they live, should be able to benefit from the power of the humanities,” said NEH Chairman Adams. “Through this new grant program, the National Endowment for the Humanities will stimulate the humanities in communities that have received less support in the past. The Endowment is particularly reaching out to Native American groups and tribal governments with this new grant.”

Creating Humanities Communities grants are available only to states and territories designated as “incentive areas.” These are the twenty states and five territories that received the least funding through competitively awarded NEH grants in the previous fiscal year. This year’s incentive areas are:

 Alabama                     Idaho             Nebraska                                Oklahoma                 Utah

 Alaska                        Iowa               Nevada                                   Rhode Island            Vermont

 Arkansas                    Kentucky        New Mexico                           South Carolina         West Virginia

 Hawaii                        Montana         North Dakota                         South Dakota           Wyoming       

 American Samoa       Guam              Northern Marina Islands        Puerto Rico              U.S. Virgin Islands

Institutions and organizations from incentive areas may apply for matching grants of $30,000, $60,000, $90,000 or $150,000 over three years. Each $1 of NEH grant support awarded must be matched by $1 in nonfederal third-party funds. More information on Creating Humanities Communities budgets and how matching grants work can be found here.

“This grant is a great opportunity for small organizations to join forces and create new projects that will benefit communities in a significant way. NEH staff is eager to talk to prospective applicants at every stage in the process. Call us, write to us, we’re here to help you,” urged Katja Zelljadt, Director of the Office of Challenge Grants.

Application guidelines for Creating Humanities Communities are available here. The Office of Challenge Grants program staff can be reached at 202-606-8309 and challenge@neh.gov. The application deadline for the inaugural round of grants is February 15, 2017. Office hours to discuss applications are from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. EST on January 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, and February 7, 8, and 9, 2017, and applicants who would like staff to review their applications in advance must submit drafts by January 16, 2017.