West Virginia Humanities Council
Grant GuidelinesWe shall not cease from exploration and the end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. -- T.S. Eliot
The Humanities
The humanities engage us in the most basic questions of human existence - who we are, what we believe, what we value. Through the humanities we discover patterns of meaning that illuminate our individual lives and reveal the webs of connections that bind people and cultures together.
The humanities represent ways of thinking about meaning through the academic disciplines of archaeology, art studies, ethics, history, jurisprudence, modern and classical languages, literature, philosophy, comparative religion, and those aspects of the social sciences concerned with historical and philosophical analyses of issues. The humanities provide us with the tools - critical thinking, reflection, discussion, and dialogue - for exploring what it means to be human.
The Council
The West Virginia Humanities Council provides community-based lifelong learning opportunities to enrich the lives of all West Virginians. The Humanities Council grants program is designed to offer financial support for public humanities programming developed and implemented by nonprofit organizations throughout the state.
The Council is committed to supporting projects that stimulate meaningful dialogue, attract diverse audiences, and encourage discovery of the humanities in interesting and exciting ways.
In hundreds of programs made possible by the Humanities Council each year, citizens and scholars explore the heritage of our state and gain new perspectives on the human condition - past, present, and future.
This guide provides a detailed description of the West Virginia Humanities Council's grant program. It includes funding criteria and information on grant categories and deadlines. There are also directions on how to apply for a grant - from writing a rough draft to submitting the final application.
Review this guide before you phone the Council for help with your proposal. If you have questions or are uncertain whether your proposed project is a "humanities" program, please call us at (304) 346-8500.
Eligibility Requirements
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•Be rooted in one or more of the humanities disciplines (history, literature, linguistics, art history, law and ethics, philosophy, foreign languages, religion, and archaeology)
•Have skilled humanities scholars directly and substantially involved in the project
•Be open to the public
•Be sponsored by a nonprofit organization
•Be balanced in terms of their audience makeup and content
•Have reasonable budget requests, reflecting the actual costs of the project
•Have a comprehensive plan for publicity and dissemination of information
•Comply with federal nondiscrimination statutes
What We Fund
Allowable expenses for all projects include the following:Scholar honoraria, project-related salaries and consultant fees, project-related travel and per diems, printing and publicity costs, office supplies and materials, postage, telephone, and equipment rental.
What We Do Not Fund
•Projects not centrally concerned with the humanities
•Creative and performing arts (Projects focusing on the interpretation of the creative arts may be considered for funding.)
•Programs not open to the public
•Fund-raising events
•Expenses incurred or paid out before a grant is made
•Projects with high admission fees (Reasonable admission fees may be charged to help cover direct project costs.)
•Purchase of capital equipment, land, building renovation, or permanent staffing
•Receptions, food, or entertainment
•Academic courses for credit
•"How to" workshops
Grant Applications Must Include:
1. The Project Narrative: This part of your application should be typewritten (or computer generated) on numbered sheets and should explain, in detail, the project outlined on the cover sheet. The narrative for a minigrant is limited to three pages. All other grant narratives are limited to six pages.
The Project Narrative Must Include the Following Sections:
(b) A list of scholars involved in the project. Include a short bio for each (employment, academic degrees, publications, etc.), address, phone number, and a description of their role in this project (planner, consultant, lecturer, moderator, discussion leader) and some of the major issues/topics they will address;
(c) Explanation of what you want to accomplish and why you are doing the project;
(d) Insofar as possible, a complete schedule of activities;
(e) Clear statement about the humanities content of the project;
(f) Outline of promotional plans and the intended audience;
(g) Plan for evaluation of the project (the Council will provide audience evaluation forms, but we would like to know what additional evaluation you will do);
(h) List of other sources of funding you are working on or have secured.2. The Budget Form and Narrative: Requests for honoraria cannot exceed $150 per presentation and $750 for a main or keynote speaker. Travel guidelines include a maximum of $.445 per mile, $100 per night lodging, and $50 per day for meals. Total cost share amounts (cash and in-kind) must at least equal the amount of funds requested from the Council (not necessarily in the same categories). For major grants (more than $1,500), cash cost share must total at least 25% of the funds requested from the Council. Please be sure to explain how you arrived at your cost share amounts, including in-kind. (For instance, room rental at $100, salary of site coordinator for one month at $1,500 calculated at his/her regular salary rate of $18,000, etc.)
Please Note:
The budget form and narrative section does not apply to Fellowship applications.3. The Cover Sheet: As you prepare your application, you should fill out the cover sheet last. Please complete all parts as indicated. The "CEO" of the sponsoring organization must sign the application as must the project director and the fiscal officer. The project director may not serve as fiscal officer. The project description should include the disciplines or topics of the humanities that the project addresses and a description of your intended audience (students, adult public, college group, etc.). The summary budget on the cover sheet should repeat the totals from the budget form. The project schedule box should contain dates, times, and locations of specific activities associated with your project.
Grant Deadlines
Minigrants...
Have a budget of $1,500 or less. Most proposals in this category are for smaller projects (for individual research, see Fellowships), single events, small museum exhibits and brochures, consultation needs, and planning for more complex projects.
Applicants should allow six weeks between the deadline and the start of the project. Requests from schools for grants under $500 will be referred to the West Virginia Education Alliance.
Application Deadlines:
February 1, April 1, June 1, August 1, October 1, and December 1
Number of Copies: 6Major Grants...
Have a budget over $1,500. Maximum award: $20,000.
Applicants should allow ten weeks between the deadline and the start of the project.
Application Deadlines:
February 1 and September 1
Number of Copies: 24Media Grants...
Have a budget over $1,500 and support the planning, scripting, and production of projects intended to produce electronic or film materials, or a newspaper series.
Maximum award: $20,000
Application Deadline:
September 1
Number of Copies: 24Fellowships...
Fellowships of $2,500 support individual research within a humanities discipline. This program provides opportunities for advanced study to improve scholarship, teaching, or interpretation of the humanities.
Application Deadline: February 1
Number of Copies: 12Publication Grants...
Have a budget over $1,500. This category is only available to nonprofit presses and recognized academic presses and support only the production phase of a completed manuscript.
Maximum award: $20,000
Application Deadline:
September 1
Number of Copies: 24Teacher Institutes Grants...
This category is available to college and university professors to develop and implement summer seminars on humanities topics suited to the teaching needs of elementary or secondary teachers.
Maximum award: $20,000
Application Deadline:
September 1
How To Apply
Contact the Council at (304) 346-8500 or use this site for application instructions and forms for each grant category.
Call or email the Council grants administrator for technical assistance or to submit a draft proposal before the final application deadline.
