MADISON, WI, June 21, 2021 – Wisconsin nonprofit organizations that provide cultural programming in the humanities may now apply for grants of up to $20,000 from Wisconsin Humanities. Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grants will help our state prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the pandemic through the distribution of $766,120 in federal funding provided to Wisconsin Humanities by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The deadline for the first round of grants is July 19. Award decisions will be announced by August 13. A second and final round of grants will take place this fall.
“We were so happy to distribute $548,000 in Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grants in 2020 that made a difference for 82 struggling nonprofits all across Wisconsin,” says Dena Wortzel, Executive Director of Wisconsin Humanities. “Now these WH Recovery Grants will help organizations who are re-building, re-opening, or even re-thinking their service to their communities as we offer funding for everything from day-to-day expenses to support for their educational programs to planning for the future.”
Many local arts and humanities groups have struggled to recover from closures, the inability to offer their regular programs, and the uncertainty of whether audiences are ready to return.
Recovery grants are intended for nonprofit organizations, accredited public or nonprofit institutions of higher education, state or local governmental agencies, or federally recognized Native American tribal governments who may request $2,000-20,000 for their work in the humanities.
Funds for general operating expenses, programming, strategic planning and capacity building, technical/consultant needs related to a digital transition, expansion of outdoor and virtual humanities programming and activities and equity assessments and planning related to coronavirus and the economic crisis as part of pandemic recovery are offered to organizations that have the humanities as their core mission.
Arts, civic, and other organizations whose mission is not humanities-centered may request support for their work related to the humanities but are not eligible for general operating expenses.
According to Wisconsin Humanities, the humanities are defined as “the ideas and knowledge about human history and culture that help make sense of [one’s] life.” Fields in the humanities include archaeology, cultural anthropology, ethnic studies, folklore, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, religious studies, social sciences, and the history, theory, and criticism of the arts.
For more details on eligibility and how to apply, interested organizations should go to the Wisconsin Humanities’ Recovery Grants website.
