Project Grants
Project Grants are competitive awards for innovative, community-based projects and partnerships that connect Arizonans to humanities scholarship through public programming.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit (501c3) organizations; local, tribal, and state governments; and academic institutions.
Applicants may request up to $5,000, which must be matched by in-kind contributions. An additional amount up to $5,000 may be requested if matched by third-party cash contributions, which must be in place at the time of application to AHC.
Applicants must submit an Intent to Apply before submitting a Project Grant application.
Project Grant Guidelines
Project Grants are competitive awards that support innovative, community-based projects and partnerships that expose Arizonans to humanities scholarship in the following areas:
- Cultural heritage development
- Cultural literacy
- Civil discourse on timely social and cultural issues
AHC welcomes proposals from a wide range of nonprofit (501c3) organizations, and encourages projects that are innovative in their approach toward the humanities and public programming. We especially encourage projects that:
- Promote critical thinking and community conversation
- Promote public interaction with humanities scholarship
- Employ innovative, accessible public programming formats, including but not limited to:
- Interactive lectures and discussions
- Exhibits
- Publications
- Public broadcasts, online or radio
- Film
- Audio and visual products
Applicants must submit an Intent to Apply before submitting a Project Grant application.
1. Eligibility
Eligible applicants include private nonprofit (501c3) organizations; local, tribal, and state governments; institutions of the federal government; academic institutions; and unincorporated organizations or groups that are constituted for nonprofit purposes. Out-of-state applicants are eligible only if their project’s resulting programming takes place in Arizona.
2. Project Grant Criteria
Decisions regarding the eligibility and competitiveness of your project are based on the following criteria:
- Project Goal and Content
The project goal must be to make humanities scholarship accessible to the general public through public programming in Arizona. At least one humanities scholar must be included in the project planning, content development, and implementation. - Project Format
Projects will result in at least one public program in Arizona that must be advertised as being free, or of nominal cost, open and accessible to a general public audience in Arizona. Projects that result in audio/visual products including, but not limited to, film, video, Web sites, and radio documentaries must include plans for publicly accessible programming that present humanities content to the general public in Arizona.
3. Award Information
Applicants may request up to $5,000, which must be matched by in-kind contributions.
An additional amount up to $5,000 may be requested if matched by third-party cash contributions, which must be in place at the time of application to AHC.
Eligible expenditures include honoraria for staff, scholars, and consultants; travel and per diem; printing and publicity; equipment and facilities; and program and documentation supplies.
Ineligible expenditures or activities include projects not accessible to the public; honoraria related to creative or performing arts; museum or library acquisitions; operating costs; permanent equipment; institutional development or academic credit; scholarships and fellowships; food, beverages, or entertainment; fund-raising activities; partisan objectives, advocacy, or lobbying; grants to individuals; and expenses incurred before a grant is awarded or outside of the grant period.
4. How to Apply
All applicants must submit an Intent to Apply Form before the posted Intent to Apply deadline. AHC will acknowledge receipt of your Intent with information regarding your project’s eligibility and competitiveness, and details about submitting a full Project Grant proposal. Projects should begin at least two months after the published Project Grant Application Guideline.
5. Special Guidelines
Teachers’ Institutes and In-service Programs
AHC encourages proposals that promote collaboration and interdisciplinary dialogue between teachers and humanities scholars. Proposals for Teacher Institutes or In-service programs must follow the guidelines and instructions that apply to AHC Project Grants. Eligible expenditures may also include travel stipends or tuition wavers for teachers participating in the program, which must be indicated in the Project Grant Application’s Budget Form. In addition, proposals must:
- Focus on delivering humanities content rather than pedagogy, and must include humanities scholar(s) in the planning, content development, and implementation of the program.
- Include the development of curriculum materials or other resources that can be used directly in the classroom, and provide an explanation of how curriculum materials will be made available to teachers and in what format.
- Clearly state how the program content adheres, or can be applied to, the Arizona Department of Education academic K-12 standards.
6. Certifications/Federal Requirements
If awarded, the applicant certifies that it will comply with the following nondiscrimination statutes and their implementing regulations:
Certification Regarding Nondiscrimination Statutes:
1) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), which provides that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant received federal financial assistance;
2) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance; ß
3) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance; and
4) Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, except that actions which reasonably take age into account as a factor necessary for the normal operation or achievement of any statutory objective of the project or activity shall not violate this statute.
Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion (45 CFR 1169):
1) The applicant, by submission of this proposal, certifies that it is not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency;
2) Where the applicant is unable to certify to any of the statements in the certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal.
NEH Code of Ethics for Projects Related to Native Americans: Grantees have the responsibility of ensuring that researchers and scholars working on projects related to American Indians, Aleut, Eskimo or Native Hawaiian peoples adhere to the NEH Code of Ethics, which conforms to the principles of Public Law 95-561 (the Indian Religious Freedom Act), Public Law 96-515 (the National Historic Preservation Act amendments of 1980), and other relevant public laws governing relations with native peoples of North America. For a copy of the code, please contact AHC.
ADA Compliance: NEH and the state humanities councils are working to ensure that their spaces, programs, and other activities are accessible to all members of the public. In compliance with the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, recipients of AHC grants need to ensure that disabled persons are not subjected to discrimination in the form of architectural, transportation and communication barriers. AHC also suggests that grant recipients include language in their publicity and on registration forms asking if any accommodation is needed because of disability, and that large-print versions of handouts and/or tapes of programs be made available when feasible.
