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 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) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) invite 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 projects that are particularly innovative and promise to benefit the humanities.

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.

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.

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

Each year, Motorola opens a call for applications for Innovation Generation Grants, the technology company's signature giving program. Innovation Generation Grants support programs that inspire and cultivate the next generation of inventors and innovators by making science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) accessible and relatable to students at any age. In 2009, the Motorola Foundation will provide $5 million in Innovation Generation Grants to organizations that engage U.S. Pre-K through 12 students, especially girls and underrepresented minorities, and teachers in STEM programming.