CARES Act Humanities Relief Grants
Humanities Washington is honored to provide rapid-response funding to humanities organizations facing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus. Funding for this grant is provided by the CARES Act and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Humanities Washington is committed to equitable grantmaking and considers geographic diversity and the importance of reaching underrepresented communities in its funding decisions.
Grant Summary
- Grants of between $2,500 to $5,000 will be made to Washington State nonprofit cultural organizations that provide humanities programming, and that are facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus.
- Grants are for general operating expenses or specific projects. No match is required.
- Applications will be reviewed weekly by a grant review panel, between the dates of April 15 – May 31. Applicants will receive a decision or request for additional information within 10 business days of submission.
- As required by federal guidelines, make sure your organization has a DUNS number. While not required to apply, funds cannot be allocated without this registration.
Eligibility
Eligible organizations include 501(c)(3) organizations registered in Washington State, including those affiliated with tribal organizations, that are experiencing hardship due to the impact of the coronavirus. Hardship includes, but is not limited to:
- Risk of permanent closure
- Loss of significant revenue
- Loss of paid staff
- Loss of venue or workspace
Not Eligible:
- Individuals
- Organizations without paid staff
- Organizations focused solely on the arts
- Political or advocacy organizations
- Government agencies
- Universities, colleges, and academic departments
- Entities with significant public funding, including libraries
En Español:
Directrices para el Subsidio de Alivio Humanitario CARES Act
Para enviar sus materiales en español, por favor responda a las siguientes preguntas y envíe el documento por correo electrónico a grants@humanities.org: Cuestionario de Aplicación
- Funding Priorities
Grants are intended to support non-profit humanities and cultural organizations that are facing financial hardship resulting from the coronavirus.
Organizations located outside of King County and organizations with annual operating budgets less than $500,000 are encouraged to apply. These types of organizations will receive priority in funding, but all Washington State non-profit organizations are welcome to apply.
Qualifying non-profit organizations must have programming that significantly focuses on the humanities and/or culture. The humanities encompass the study and interpretation of a society’s past, present, and future, and include (but are not limited to) fields such as history, literature, philosophy, study of culture, and language. Programs that fall outside the humanities are not eligible, such as the creation or performance of art, dance, or music, or science or environmental research programs.
Organizations serving and led by members of communities traditionally under-resourced in the humanities are encouraged to apply. These groups include:
- People of color
- People who identify as LGBTQ+
- People who live in rural areas
- People with disabilities
- People who identify as immigrants or refugees
- People whose first (or only) language is not English
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
- Apply
You will apply through a simple application that will take about 30 minutes to complete.
The first round of funding will be distributed beginning April 15 – May 31; apply at any time within that time frame.
1. Apply
As required by federal guidelines, make sure your organization has a DUNS number. While not required to apply, funds cannot be dispersed without this registration.
2. Decisions & Notification
Applications will be evaluated based on demonstrated need rather than a polished application.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel weekly and we will notify you within 10 business days about the status of your application.
Applications that are not initially funded will remain under consideration for the duration of the grant period. Humanities Washington staff will inform applicants of the decision to either approve or hold your application for further consideration. There will be no need to reapply during the time. We regret that feedback cannot be given on draft applications or grant decisions.
- Contact Us
Please contact grants@humanities.org with any questions.
You can also call our office at 206-682-1770 and press “0.” We will respond to your voicemail within 1 business day while we are working remotely. We welcome your feedback about how to make our grant processes as accessible as possible.