RI Humanities

GRANTMAKING

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The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities Grantmaking Program funds nonprofit organizations and individual researchers to stimulate new research in the humanities, spark thoughtful community exchange, build new audiences for the humanities, innovate new methods in the humanities, and advocate for the importance of the humanities for a lively and engaged democratic public.

Questions? Contact Julia Renaud, Associate Director, Grants & Strategic Initiatives at juliarenaud@rihumanities.org

FUNDING AREAS
PUBLIC PROJECTS
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities supports public humanities projects that enrich and enliven the life of our state through a variety of formats including: community conversations, talks and lectures, new media technology, museum interpretations and exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions, book or film discussions, oral histories, and radio shows all with a focus on civic engagement and education and cultural equity.

offered as:
  • major grant, annually
  • mini grants, quarterly
  Featured Grants in Public Projects

 

DOCUMENTARY FILM
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities supports documentary films that preserve Rhode Island’s stories and bring its history to life. The Council follows a three-phase approach to funding documentary films:

offered as:

Phase 1: Research (mini grant)
Phase 2: Script Development (development level major grant)
Phase 3: Production & Post Production (major grant)

It is only on a rare occasion that the Council funds finishing or post-production for a film for which we have not funded its development. You can learn more about documentary film grants, by reviewing the Grant Guidelines PDF (at left).

  Featured Grants in Documentary Film

 

INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities supports original research that uncovers Rhode Island’s untold stories and sheds new light and insight on established stories all with a focus on civic engagement and education and cultural equity. The Council supports new scholarship by awarding mini grants to independent researchers to conduct research and share their findings with the public.

offered as:
  • mini grants, quarterly
  Featured Grants in Individual Research
GRANT TYPES & DEADLINES
MAJOR GRANTS (annually)
The Major Grant Program, for requests over $2,000, invites nonprofit organizations and schools to apply for funding in support of public projects, documentary films, and civic education initiatives beginning after April 1, 2020.

Major Grant Deadlines
  • Register your Intent to Apply: October 1 – November 2, 2020
  • Submit Draft for Staff Review (optional): December 1, 2020
  • Final Applications Due: January 15, 2021
  • Award notifications: mid-March 2021
All materials must be submitted to the Council through the online grants portal by 5:00pm EST on the day of the established deadline. Deadlines that fall on weekends or holidays are honored on the next business day. Please pay close attention to our grant deadlines. We want your proposal to get its fair consideration, but in fairness to other applicants and to the process, we cannot make any exceptions to our deadlines.
MINI GRANTS (quarterly)
The 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
  • November 2, 2020
  • February 1, 2021
  • May 3, 2021
  • August 2, 2021
All materials must be submitted to the Council through the online grants portal by 5:00pm EST on the day of the established deadline. Deadlines that fall on weekends or holidays are honored on the next business day. Please pay close attention to our grant deadlines. We want your proposal to get its fair consideration, but in fairness to other applicants and to the process, we cannot make any exceptions to our deadlines.

 

Covid-19 Relief Funding: Beginning in spring 2020 the Council distributed over $350,000 in general operating support grants and project grants to over 50 organizations and individual practitioners in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more about those grant recipients.

Funding for these grants was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan.

 

Want to learn more? Check out the Grant Information and Evaluation Workshop videos below.

Grant Information Workshop: On Sept. 16, 2020, the Council held a grant information workshop with an overview of our grantmaking program, and details and tips for individuals and organizations interested in applying for a Council grant. If you are interested in learning more about grants at the Council, this hour-long video is a great resource.

 

Evaluation Workshop: This 30-minute evaluation workshop video will help you understand what public humanities project evaluation is, how to do it, and why it matters. We will also discuss how project evaluation fits in the context of the Council’s grantmaking process.