Public cultural organizations of all shapes and sizes are increasing their audiences, digitizing their rich collections, and expanding opportunities for outreach and funding in ways previously not imaginable.

Digital Humanities Startup Grants

Funding Agency: National Endowment for the Humanities
Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) invites applications to the Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program. This program is designed to encourage innovations in the digital humanities. By awarding relatively small grants to support the planning stages, NEH aims to encourage the development of innovative projects that promise to benefit the humanities. Proposals should be for the planning or initial stages of digital initiatives in any area of the humanities.

Innovation is a hallmark of this grant category. All applicants must propose an innovative approach, method, tool, or idea that has not been used before in the humanities. These grants are modeled, in part, on the “high risk/high reward” paradigm often used by funding agencies in the sciences. NEH is requesting proposals for projects that take some risks in the pursuit of innovation and excellence. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants should result in plans, prototypes, or proofs of concept for long-term digital humanities projects prior to implementation.

Deadline: February 23, 2011
Grant Amount:
Level I Grants: $5,000 - $25,000 
Level II Grants: $25,001 - $50,000

 

Digital Humanities Challenge Grants

Funding Agency: National Endowment for the Humanities
Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/challenge.html

NEH challenge grants are capacity-building grants, intended to help institutions and organizations secure long-term improvements in and support for their humanities programs and resources. Grants may be used to establish or enhance endowments or spend-down funds (that is, funds that are invested, with both the income and the principal being expended over a defined period of years) that generate expendable earnings to support ongoing program activities. Funds may also be used for one-time capital expenditures (such as construction and renovation, purchase of equipment, and acquisitions) that bring long-term benefits to the institution and to the humanities more broadly.

Deadline: May 4, 2011
Grant Amount: $30,000 - $500,000 (maximum amount $1,000,000 but requestors seeking over $500,000 should speak with an NEH program officer.

America’s Media Makers: Development Grants

Funding Agency: National Endowment for the Humanities
Website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/AmMediaMakers_development.html

Grants for America’s Media Makers support media projects that explore significant events, figures, or developments in the humanities in creative and new ways. America’s Media Makers projects promote active exploration and engagement for broad public audiences in history, literature, archaeology, art history, comparative religion, philosophy, and other fields of the humanities. NEH supports the development of humanities content and interactivity that excites, informs, and stirs thoughtful reflection. To that end, NEH urges applicants to consider more than one format for presenting humanities ideas to the public. Grants for America’s Media Makers should encourage audiences to engage with the humanities, promote dialogue and discussion, and foster learning among people of all ages. NEH offers two categories of grants for media projects, Development Grants and Production Grants.

Deadline: January 12, 2011
Grant Amount: $40,000 - $75,000 

American Heritage Preservation Grants

Funding Agency: Institute for Museum and Library Services
Website: http://www.imls.gov/collections/grants/boa.htm 

Bank of America is partnering with the Institute for Museum and Library Services to provide grants to small museums, libraries, and archives. The grants will raise awareness and fund preservation of treasures held in small museums, libraries and archives.

Grants will help to preserve specific items, including works of art, artifacts and historical documents that are in need of conservation. Applicants will build on completed conservation assessments of their collections to ensure that the grants are used in accordance with best practices in the field, and underscore the importance of assessment planning.


Innovation Generation Grants

Funding Organization: Motorola
Website: http://www.motorola.com/content.jsp?globalObjectId=8153

Innovation Generation funding is designed to inspire students to learn about science and generate interest in science-related careers. The Motorola Foundation's Innovation Generation program equips students with the skills essential to both their lives today and their future success. By making the complex concepts behind math and science real and relevant, students look at their world differently through strengthened problem-solving skills. The Motorola Foundation accomplishes this through grant-making, engaging employee volunteers, building networks among STEM leaders and conducting research.

The Motorola Foundation has provided $7.5 million in Innovation Generation grants to U.S. science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs through its signature grants program in 2010. Innovation Generation funding is designed to inspire students to learn about science and generate interest in science-related careers, especially for girls and underrepresented groups.

Now in its fourth year, the program builds on President Barack Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign and federal initiatives like the Race to the Top Fund by incorporating funding, employee volunteers and intra-grantee collaboration to help boost American students’ engagement in STEM.

The expanded Innovation Generation grants program features three distinct funding areas:

  • Innovation Generation Grants  –  Support targeted, innovative STEM education programs for U.S. pre-school through 12th grade students and teachers, with grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000
  • Innovation Generation Collaborative Grants  –  Support medium- to large-scale STEM education collaborations between two or more non-profit organizations, schools and/or school districts, with joint requests ranging from $150,000 to $500,000
  • Innovation Generation University Grants  –  Support hands-on, innovative competitions, seminars and design competitions for undergraduate- and graduate-level students at select universities, with maximum grants of $50,000