CT Humanities: Capacity Building Grant Program

Overview

About CT Humanities

Founded in 1974, Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, programs, and collaboration with other organizations. CTH is supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.

CTH has earned public trust through its responsible stewardship of federal, state, and private funds, its peer-review grant-making process, its online educational resources, and its work to support, stabilize, and strengthen the organizations and communities it serves.

CTH values and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in our workplace, on our board, with our partners, and through our funding.

Our Mission

To cultivate, invest in, and advocate for the cultural sector in Connecticut through funding, programs, and collaboration.

Our Vision

A connected, sustainable cultural community in Connecticut that benefits and reflects all people.

Capacity Building Grants

Capacity Grants help Connecticut organizations that bring humanities to the public think strategically, better understand their audiences, assets, and operations, and plan for the future. They support a wide range of consultant-led projects.

Capacity Grants can fund consultant-led projects, which may include:

* Board assessments and training
* Strategic planning
* Marketing assessments and planning
* Audience assessments
* Financial assessments and planning
* Development (fundraising) assessments and planning
* Collections assessments and planning
* Interpretive assessments and planning
* Technology assessments and planning

Eligibility

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Application Details

CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS | PAGE 1
C G
APACITY RANTS
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
GUIDELINES
1.1 FUNDING PRIORITIES ................................................................................ 2
1.2 WHO CAN APPLY ........................................................................................ 2
1.3 ELIGIBLE EXPENSES ................................................................................... 2
1.4 MATCHING REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................... 3
1.5 FUNDING LIMITS AND PROJECT DURATION ............................................. 3
1.6 FUNDING EXCLUSIONS .............................................................................. 4
1.7 REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS ......................................................................... 4
1.8 APPLICATION DEADLINE SCHEDULE ......................................................... 4
1.9 HOW TO APPLY ........................................................................................... 5
1.10 POST-SUBMISSION INFORMATION ........................................................... 5
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CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS | PAGE 2
GUIDELINES
Connecticut Humanities Fund (CTHF) Capacity Grants support Connecticut organizations that bring the
humanities to the public. Grants are awarded to help organizations better understand their audiences, assets,
and operations. Funded projects may include:
• Board assessments and training
• Strategic planning
• Marketing assessments and planning
• Audience assessments
• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) assessments, planning, and training
• Financial assessments and planning
• Development (fundraising) assessments and planning
• Collections assessments and planning
• Interpretive assessments and planning
• Technology assessments and planning
Organizations may have only one (1) Capacity Grant open at a time. Applicants may only apply for one (1)
Capacity Grant at any application deadline.
1.1 FUNDING PRIORITIES
CT Humanities (CTH) gives priority to projects that include significant humanities scholarship and content;
explore topics and stories in an inclusive, diverse, and equitable manner; commemorate the 250th
anniversary of the formation of the United States consistent with the America 250 | CT Commission’s guiding
themes; and do one or more of the following:
• Engage individuals and communities in the exploration of contemporary issues.
• Advance creativity and demonstrate ingenuity and innovation.
• Present accessible content that provokes, challenges, educates, and inspires.
• Ensure access to the project’s content and scholarship beyond the length of the grant.
• Foster collaboration among organizations, groups, and communities.
Projects that help the public better understand and contextualize community issues or current events, relate
the past to the present, and/or are Connecticut focused are especially encouraged.
If your project involves or interprets Indigenous history or cultures, please also note CT Humanities’
Indigenous Values Statement.
1.2 WHO CAN APPLY
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An applicant organization must:
• Be incorporated in the state of Connecticut for at least one year as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
governed by a board of directors that meets regularly OR be a city or municipality in the state of
Connecticut OR be a Connecticut-based federally or State recognized tribe
• Provide significant programming and/or services to the public on a regular basis, including open hours and
special events, or function as a professional service organization that supports humanities program
providers
• Be in compliance on all terms and conditions of all previous Connecticut Humanities grants
The following are not eligible for funding:
• For-profit organizations
• Individuals
• Agencies of the state of Connecticut, including state universities, state parks and historic sites
• Organizations not in compliance with terms and conditions of previous Connecticut Humanities grants
1.3 ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
• Staff salary and wages for work directly related to the project
• Honoraria and fees for consultants and other outside professionals
• Travel expenses directly related to the project
• Photocopying of worksheets and handouts
• Purchase or licensing fees for materials that are directly related to project activities. Materials fees may
include textbooks, workbooks and/or download fees for such materials
Please note the following expense limit:
• Salary and wages for staff: not to exceed 25% of the total grant request
1.4 MATCHING REQUIREMENTS
Capacity Grants must be matched dollar for dollar.
Matching funds for a Capacity Grant may consist of any combination of:
1. In-kind contributions made to the applicant organization solely for support of the project, including:
• Donated services, including volunteer time dedicated to the project
• Donated materials and supplies
• Donated or loaned equipment
• Donated or loaned rental space not owned by the grantee
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2. Cash contributed to the project by the applicant, including:
• Fees paid directly to consultants
• Materials, supplies and equipment purchased exclusively for the project
• Rental fees for equipment and space
• Contracted services
• Cash from partners
• Salaries and wages of applicant and partner staff dedicated to this project
3. External cash contributions from donors and/or third parties specifically for the project in the form of
grants, gifts or bequests. (Note: If an admission or registration fee is required to attend a grant-funded
activity, those fees may not be counted as an external cash contribution.)
Please note that funding from the State of Connecticut cannot be used for matching purposes.
1.5 FUNDING LIMITS AND PROJECT DURATION
Awards may not exceed $9,999. All Capacity Grant project periods are twelve (12) months in duration,
beginning on the first day of the month of award date notification (see section 1.7 below). All CTH grant
funded activities must occur and be completed within the twelve (12) month project period.
1.6 FUNDING EXCLUSIONS
• Projects advocating a particular political, philosophical, religious or ideological point of view or a particular
program of social action or change
• Projects intended primarily to create musical compositions, dance, paintings, sculpture, poetry, short
stories, novels or other artistic products
• Renovation, restoration, rehabilitation or construction of historic sites
• Conservation treatment that is not directly related to a CTH-funded exhibition
• Book printing or publication
• Curricula for classes not accessible to the general public
• Endowments
• Individual fellowships, graduate education or university-based projects that require participants to register
for academic credit
• Acquisition of artifacts, works of art or documents
• Capital improvements to applicant site and/or facilities
• Purchases of capital equipment, buildings or land
• Repayment of loans or debt service
• Costs associated with social events or fundraising activities
• Purchase of food, alcohol, refreshments or catering services, including food purchased during travel or as
a per diem
• Retroactive funding for activities undertaken before the start of the proposed grant period
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• Undocumented expenses
• Ticket or admission fee underwriting or reimbursement
• Indirect costs or overhead expenses at the applicant organization, including, but not limited to, insurance,
taxes, administrative and grant management fees, employee benefits and site operating expenses
• Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for applicant organization’s board members
• Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for elected officials or declared candidates seeking public office
• Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for active CTH board members and staff
• Costs related to individual staff member training and/or professional development
1.7 REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS
Capacity Grant applications must include:
• A CV or resume of up to 3 pages for all consultants participating in the project that demonstrates
appropriate skills to carry out the project
• A proposal or invoice, prepared by the selected consultant, that defines the scope of work the
consultant would perform and lists professional fees to be charged
• Letters of commitment from the project’s key partners and collaborators, if applicable (a template is
linked within the application)
• A project budget using the CTH Universal Budget Form (linked within the application)
• The applicant organization’s current board list
• The applicant organization’s current year operating budget and previous year operating budget
1.8 APPLICATION DEADLINE SCHEDULE
Capacity Grant applications are accepted twice a year and are due to CTH by 11:59pm on December 1, 2025
and May 1, 2026. Award notifications for applications received by the December deadline are made by the
first business day of February, and award notifications applications received by the May deadline are made by
the first business day of July.
1.9 HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted using Connecticut Humanities’ online grant portal.
Before applying, organizations must contact CTH Grants staff (grants@cthumanities.org) to discuss your
project idea. If you would like a draft review, you must save your draft in the CTH Grant Portal and email staff
at grants@cthumanities.org requesting a draft review no later than two weeks before the application deadline.
Please note the following application errors that will cause an application not to be considered by the review
committee:
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• Applications submitted without prior communication with CTH staff about this specific application
• Applications submitted from an ineligible organization (see Section 1.2)
• Applications submitted without having submitted the final report for an existing open Capacity Grant
by the application deadline
• Applications for projects unrelated to the humanities
• Incomplete applications
• Applications that do not use the required CTH Universal Budget Form (linked within the application)
• Applications with project budgets where 25% or less of the CTH funding requested is for Eligible
Expenses (see Section 1.3). Please note that grants awarded containing items on the Funding
Exclusions list will have those items and amount requested removed from their award amount (see
Section 1.6)
• Applications with project budgets containing 25% or less of the requisite matching fund requirements
(see Section 1.4). Please note that grants awarded containing insufficient matching funds will have
their award reduced accordingly
• Applications that are submitted after the application deadline or are left in draft mode but not
submitted by the application deadline
No edits may be made to an application once the grant deadline has passed. Please review your application
carefully before submitting it.
If an applicant experiences technical difficulties when submitting their application, the applicant must reach
out to CTH Grants Staff either by phone or email (grants@cthumanities.org) within 12 hours of the grant
deadline to alert CTH of the technical difficulties. Incomplete applications where the applicant organization did
not contact Grants Staff within 12 hours of the grant deadline will not be considered.
For more information on the application process, visit: https://cthumanities.org/grant-application-process/
1.10 POST-SUBMISSION INFORMATION
• For information about CTH’s grants review and awards management processes, visit:
https://cthumanities.org/grant-application-process/#grant-approved
• You can also find resources for grantees, including a checklist of tasks to complete post-award, a
Public Relations Toolkit, and information about your final report on our Resources for Grantees page:
https://cthumanities.org/resources/
• All awarded grants are subject to CT Humanities’ Intellectual Property Policy. You can learn more
about this policy and how it impacts your projects here: https://cthumanities.org/intellectual-
property-policy/
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