CARES Act Grants (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security)

CARES Act Grants

Funder: Humanities Tennessee (re-granting from National Endowment for the Humanities)

Geographic Scope: Tennessee (all nine Congressional districts)

Purpose: Emergency relief funding for nonprofit organizations affected by COVID-19 pandemic

What They Funded:

• Support for organizations providing public humanities programming in communities throughout Tennessee
• Operating expenses, payroll, and organizational sustainability
• Organizations providing public programs examining ideas, stories, history, arts, and culture
• No match requirement

Award Details:

• Total distributed: $550,000 across two rounds
• First round: 64 grants awarded to organizations from Johnson City to Memphis
• Average award: $5,000
• Applicants had annual operating budgets ranging from $5,000 to $39 million
• Second round: $230,000+ in additional funding available

Funding Source:

• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
• Part of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
• Federal economic stabilization plan appropriated by U.S. Congress

Contact Information:

• Sandy Obodzinski, Development & Communications Director
• C: 615.948.9184
• E: sandy@humtn.org
• Humanities Tennessee
• 615 Main St, Ste. B19
• Nashville, TN 37206
• 615-770-0006
• info@humtn.org

Application Process (Historical)

1. Round 1: Applications were accepted in spring 2020
2. Round 2: Applications accepted through June 15, 2020
3. Two-Round Structure:
   • Round 1: 64 grants awarded of 78 applicants
   • Round 2: Additional $230,000+ available
4. Award Notification: By end of month following application deadline

Eligibility (Historical):

• Nonprofit organizations providing public humanities programming
• Located in Tennessee
• No match requirement

Note: This was a one-time emergency funding program specific to COVID-19 relief (2020). Not currently available.