Here are some tips and clarifications on fields within the Humanities Washington project grant application form. The following information will be required:

1. APPLICANT INFORMATION


• State Legislative District and U.S. Congressional District Numbers, and County Name. These may be obtained from the county auditor’s office or from the Access Washington web site.
• Name and Title of Authorizing Official. The representative of the applicant organization, usually the president of the board or the executive director, who is authorized to submit the grant application on behalf of that organization.
• Name and Title of Project Director. Person responsible for the overall management of the project, for serving as liaison with Humanities Washington staff, and for preparing the final report.
• Communication Contact. The person to whom communication should be directed if the project is funded (authorizing official or project director).
• Co-Sponsoring Organization(s). Name and address of any co-sponsoring organization or group. Co-sponsors are organizations that are involved in the planning and implementation of the project.


2. PROJECT INFORMATION


• Project Title. List the working or actual title of your project.
• Project Start and End Dates. The grant period should encompass the time before and after the event for project planning, implementation and evaluation. Humanities Washington funds can only pay for expenses incurred after the grant is awarded. For example, the earliest date that grant-funded activity can begin for the spring 2010 cycle is July 1; for the fall 2010 cycle, it is November 1.
• Project Format. Describe the primary format of your project (exhibit, lecture series, community forum, website, radio documentary, etc.).
• Audience Estimate. Indicate the size of the audience you aim to serve or attract to this project/event.
• Project Event Dates and Locations. List the individual events associated with this project, where each event will take place and when it will occur. Be as specific as possible with dates and venue information.
• Project Abstract. Provide a brief description (maximum 50 words) of the project and its purpose. This information will be entered into our database and used to describe your project in publicity materials if funded.
• Project Objectives. Briefly, what are the primary results you intend to achieve with this project?


3. PROJECT NARRATIVE

The Project Narrative is a description of your project, including information on project goals, anticipated audience, organization and project staff, and evaluation of the project’s success.

When reviewing your proposal, the committee will rate it using the following criteria, and we suggest your project narrative and supporting materials address each of these points (each section is limited to 4,000 characters):

• Humanities Content. What are the humanities questions, issues, or ideas this project addresses? How are humanities disciplines or insights central to the project? Will it encourage a critical examination of ideas; provide a bridge between public issues and academic research; illuminate current social, cultural, or political concerns; and/or provide a balance of ideas, participants, and approaches?
• Project Plan. What do you intend to accomplish with the project (goals) and how (in what format, when, where, etc.)? How did you arrive at these goals and are the goals realistic and achievable? Is the plan well organized? Given the expectation that the humanities play a central role in Humanities Washington-sponsored projects, who will serve as humanities scholars/advisors for the project?
• Community Involvement/Marketing. Define the current core audience and prospective audiences for this program. Why is the project important and has the audience expressed a demand for it? How have appropriate community members been involved in project planning? Does the project involve a new or specifically targeted group? If so, is there a plan to ensure this group is reached? How will you publicize in order to draw an audience?
• Applicant Organization. How is this project consistent with the existing mission, goals, and objectives of your organization?
• Staff/Project Personnel. Provide brief bios (one or two paragraphs) for each project staff person, humanities advisor, consultant and/or other significant project participant. The bios should describe qualifications and experience directly related to the proposed project. In the case of external advisors, you should note if they have confirmed their participation in the project.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Humanities Washington strongly recommends the participation of a humanities advisor. A humanities advisor is typically a person with an academic degree in an appropriate humanities discipline or a specialist well qualified to bring his/her knowledge to bear upon the subject matter being considered. The humanities advisor should assist with the development of the project plan and the implementation and evaluation of the project. The humanities advisor may be the project director, a project staff member, or an outside consultant.

Other consultants are persons who provide specialized assistance to a project such as exhibit designers or other technical positions, or who perform specific duties within the project, such as panelists and presenters. While these persons may have qualifications similar to a humanities advisor, they are not helping to plan the project.

• Evaluation. Humanities Washington requires all grant recipients to evaluate their projects in relation to their stated project goals and this information will be required as part of the final report. For some projects, independent evaluators may be used to provide an objective assessment. Describe how you plan to evaluate the project. How will the humanities content be judged in relation to the project plan? How will the success of this project be determined (e.g., “This project will be successful if/when…”)? Identify quantitative success factors, such as audience numbers, and qualitative success factors, such as quality of audience discussion.


4. PROJECT BUDGET


• Amount Requested. List the amount requested from Humanities Washington for this project.
• Match. Applicants must at least match the amount granted by Humanities Washington with cash from other sources, third-party in-kind contributions of goods and/or services and volunteer time.
• Total Cost. Total cost of the project. This amount should equal the amount requested from Humanities Washington and your organization’s match amount unless the project includes funding from the NEH or other humanities councils.
• Project Budget. Please upload a budget in Word, Excel, or PDF format for the project, including both income and expenses. Be sure to identify which project expenses will be paid for by Humanities Washington grant funds. For project grant budget details, including sample budgets, please visit the Project Grant Budget Tips page.
• Federal Funding. Does your organization receive federal funding?
• Employees. How many employees work for your organization?
• Volunteers. How many volunteers are involved with your organization?


5. SUPPORT MATERIALS

Any letters of support or commitment must be attached electronically to the online application. (If you do not have the documents listed below in electronic form, there is a “fax to e-mail” feature in our online application tool that will enable you to make this translation.) Letters sent directly to the Humanities Washington office will not be included in application packets. Please note that support materials are not the same as sample materials. Support materials are a required part of your application, while sample materials may be submitted to accompany your proposal if desired. Letters may be submitted in Word or PDF format.

• 501(c) 3 Letter. A copy of the applicant organization’s 501(c)3 letter or a Washington Secretary of State nonprofit certificate if applicable.
• Letters of Commitment. Letters of commitment from participating advisors and/or speaker for the project (you may submit up to four).
• Letters of Support. Letters of support from co-sponsoring organizations, groups or individuals affected by the project, potential audience members, and/or program participants (you may submit up to three).
• Sample Materials. Feel free to include any sample materials that are directly pertinent to your application. Sample materials may include organizational brochures, annual reports, newsletters, audio/video files, publications, etc. The application form has space for two attachments.
• Signatures. The authorizing official* or project director^ must sign applications electronically by typing his or her name. If funded, the award packet includes a Grant Agreement Form that must be signed by the authorizing official, project director, and the organization’s fiscal officer**. The fiscal officer and project director cannot be the same person. Humanities Washington will not make payments on grants that are missing this signed agreement form.

* Authorizing Official. The representative of the applicant organization, usually the president of the board or the executive director, who has the authority to submit the grant application on behalf of that organization.

^ Project Director. The person responsible for the overall management of the project, for serving as liaison with Humanities Washington staff, and for preparing the final report.

** Fiscal Officer. The person responsible for receiving, disbursing, and accounting for all grant and local cost-sharing funds. This person, usually the board treasurer or fiscal staff person, should be experienced in standard accounting procedures. The fiscal agent cannot be the same person as the project director.