The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities invites applications to two new grant programs in support of humanities organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Rhode Island. The goal of the new general operating support grant program is to ensure that humanities organizations can continue to provide opportunities for our state’s diverse communities to access and engage with public history, cultural heritage, and civic learning during this unprecedented time and in the future. Grants will support nonprofit general operating expenses; matching funds are not required. Eligible nonprofit organizations include: museums, libraries, historic sites, preservation & historical societies, and community & cultural organizations with a significant humanities focus. The Humanities Council is committed to a short turnaround for the review and approval of grant requests. Applications open on April 22, 2020 and the first application review period deadline is May 1, with a second on May 15.
In addition to general operating support grants to nonprofits, the Council will fund project grants that support individual scholars, film and other media makers, and cultural producers—as well as nonprofit humanities organizations—in the production of publicly-accessible projects that document and interpret the experience of the pandemic in Rhode Island, create or extend humanities-learning practices that have been amplified or emerged in response to the pandemic, or encourage audiences to explore topics relevant to social, cultural, and civic life in Rhode Island.
For both funding opportunities, the Council encourages applicants to submit proposals as soon as possible. This funding has been provided to the Humanities Council by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the federal CARES Act.
Click here for more details about eligibility and the application process.