Through its Project Grant program Humanities Washington furthers its mission of improving individual and community life through cultural and educational programs that nurture creativity, promote dialogue, and spark critical thinking.

Project formats that are eligible for Project Grants include:

• exhibits
• public forums and presentations
• extra-curricular school programs
• lecture and discussion programs
• cultural presentations
• websites
• radio documentaries
• short film and video projects that are part of a larger humanities program (for example, a ten minute film that is included in a museum exhibit)

Grant-funded activities must be open to the public with the exception of school programs.

Eligible Organizations
Any not-for-profit organization or public agency is eligible to apply for a grant. While applicants do not need to be incorporated or have tax-exempt status, they must be organized for nonprofit purposes. The applicant organization need not be located in Washington State, but funded activities must clearly serve a Washington State audience. In addition:

• Organizations may receive one Project Grant in a calendar year. Departments within a university are considered to be separate organizations.
• Organizations that have previously received Project Grant funding must complete an open grant before submitting a new application.
• If an organization is denied Project Grant funding they may not resubmit an application for the same project in the next Humanities Washington grant round unless invited to do so by Humanities Washington.
• As of 2008, an organization cannot receive funding for more than three consecutive years. If an organization is funded in three consecutive years, they will only be eligible for funding again after a two-year hiatus.

Award Amounts
Project Grants are awarded twice a year through a competitive grant process. Projects serving a town, city, county or region of the state may request a maximum of $7,500 for their project. Projects that serve a statewide audience may request a maximum of $10,000. In recent years, Humanities Washington has awarded Project Grants ranging from $1,500 to $10,000.

Permittable Project Costs
Humanities Washington funds may be requested to cover the following expenses:

• salaries and consultant fees
• project-related travel and per diem expenses (domestic travel only)
• printing and publicity costs
• telephone
• equipment and facilities rental
• office supplies

Expenses for which Humanities Washington cannot pay include:

• programs not open to the public (with the exception of school programs)
• food, beverages and entertainment for the audience
• lobbying and fundraising activities
• publications
• construction, preservation or renovation projects
• presentations by former Inquiring Mind speakers
• purchase of permanent equipment
• feature-length documentary films
• research and development of humanities resource materials not already associated with a public humanities program
• management and cataloguing of museum or archival holdings
• museum, historical society or library acquisitions
• international travel
• academic or professional conferences
• travel to professional meetings
• fellowships, scholarships or prizes
• regular course offerings
• “how to” workshops and training programs
• expenses incurred before the grant was awarded

NEH Matching Funds Requirement
Applicants must at least match the amount granted by Humanities Washington for a project. Put another way, Humanities Washington funds may pay for no more than 50 percent of the total project budget/cost. The types of funding that may be applied to the applicant’s matching requirement include:

• cash contributions (corporate, foundation, government and individual gifts or grants dedicated specifically to this project)
• applicant’s own cash (usually from the general operating budget)
• earned income (please note that Humanities Washington gives priority to programs which provide free and low-cost programs)
• in-kind contributions, including volunteer time
• donated equipment
• donated services

The following expenses may not be used toward the matching requirement:

• food costs such as audience refreshments and receptions (meals as a necessary expense of staff or project consultants on travel status are an allowable expense)
• entertainment or costs related to entertainment
• media sponsorship
• any contributions that cannot be assigned a fair market value for comparable services
• cost of grant-writing by staff or consultants
• other NEH or humanities council grants

For examples of previous projects funded by Humanities Washington visit our 2009 Project Grant Awards or our Previous Project Grant Awards pages.

2010 Project Grant Application Timeline and Deadlines
Humanities Washington will conduct two grant rounds in 2010:

Grant Writing Consultation
We highly recommend consulting the Project Grant Application Tips before starting work on your grant application. Humanities Washington staff is available to consult with applicants on draft proposals by telephone or in person by appointment prior to any application deadline (a minimum of four weeks before the deadline is advised). Humanities Washington staff is the liaison to the Grant Review Committee and can provide general guidance on structuring your proposal and preparing your budget. Humanities Washington staff will contact all applicants who submit an intent-to-apply letter to discuss the proposed project. Calls and emails are returned to applicants in the order they are received in our office. Please begin your grant-writing process with plenty of time to address questions that may arise.

How to Apply for a Project Grant
Visit the Project Grant Application Process page to determine if your project is eligible for funding, then access the online application form using the link at the bottom of the Project Grant Application Process page.