Heritage Support Grants - Project Grants

Heritage Support Grants - Project Grants

Funder: Indiana Historical Society, made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Award Amount: $5,000 to $50,000

Geographic Scope: Indiana-only; priority given to Indiana-focused history projects

Grant Period: September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027

Objective

Advance the care of and access to history in Indiana, while increasing the capacity of organizations that carry out this work.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be incorporated in the State of Indiana as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation
• Reflect history as a significant component of mission and/or propose a clearly history-focused project
• Have an annual budget of less than $300,000
• Priority given to Indiana history projects
• Friends groups: May apply if they meet all criteria above, have a representative on the project team, and any granted funds are held/managed by the Friends group. Must include letter of support from affiliate/parent organization.

Funding Priorities

• Collections Stewardship: Projects address storage, management, and care for collections and associated documentation (historic objects, structures and landscapes as part of collections care). Structures and landscapes only considered if primarily used for historical interpretation or house significant historical collections.
• Capacity Building: Projects focus on serving local communities by reaching out to new and existing audiences, building community collaborations, creating and expanding programming, and increasing access to services. Reviewers expect evidence of consultation with community representatives affected by the project.
• Sustainability: Projects focus on identifying and accessing internal and external resources needed to achieve goals for greater capacity. Meet present needs and set organization up for future success.
• Planning: Projects identify organizational objectives and assess organizational capacity.

Match Requirements

• 15% cash match required
• Matching funds must come from new fundraising (not in-kind donations like materials or professional services)
• Match cannot come from organization's general or rainy-day funds
• Match calculated in addition to total grant funding (e.g., $10,000 grant requires $1,500 match = $11,500 total project budget)
• Match is intended for project-related expenses; many organizations use for contingency funds
• Grant recipients have 16 months to secure cash match; fundraising can start up to 4 months before Summary of Proposal deadline, funds must be in hand by end of grant cycle

Board Support

• 100% board support required
• Can be financial contributions, volunteer time, or combination of both

Application Process

• Two-part process:
1. Summary of Proposal (SOP) - mandatory first step, reviewed by internal committee 2. Full Proposal - invited submission only upon SOP approval
• Applications submitted via online grant portal only; hard copy applications not accepted
• All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on deadline; late applications not accepted

Funding Exclusions

Heritage Support Grants will NOT fund:
• General operating support including rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance
• Salaries, wages and/or benefits for permanent staff
• Items for resale
• Building purchase
• Retiring organizational debt

Support Available

• Registered organizations assigned a coach from Local History Services staff for guidance throughout process
• Coaches available to answer questions, discuss grant priorities, provide fundraising resources, review applications
• Coaches not part of grant selection process; use of coach does not guarantee funding
• Free fundraising workshops available

Standards

• Applicants encouraged to consider American Association for State and Local History's Standards and Excellence Program for Historical Organizations (StEPs)
• Professional expertise required to carry out proposed project
• Projects must adhere to accepted professional standards

Contact Information

• Email: grants@indianahistory.org
• Phone: (317) 234-0170
• Address: Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202