IH: Action Grants

Overview

_NOTE: Indiana Humanities is pausing most of our grants programs. Indiana Humanities recently received notice from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) terminating congressionally approved funding that provides annual support to our organization and allows us to serve Hoosiers in all 92 counties._

_The termination of our NEH support means that we must pause most of our grants in 2025. Through a generous partnership with Indiana Landmarks, we expect to offer the fall round of our Historic Preservation Education Grant, but the rest of our grants are on hold until further notice._

Mission

Indiana Humanities is a statewide nonprofit that infuses the humanities into our daily lives. We do this by providing grants, convening discussions, uplifting humanities scholars, spotlighting humanities organizations and activities, and creating our own programs that help Hoosiers think, read and talk.

Action Grants

Action Grants provide tax-exempt organizations with funds to develop and implement responsive and meaningful humanities programming.

Action Grants support projects that help people learn new information, consider different perspectives, share ideas and understand one another better. Programs may come in a variety of formats—workshops, presentations, reading/discussion programs, exhibitions, podcasts, film documentaries and more—as long as they’re open to the public and utilize the humanities as a tool for engagement.

Eligibility

_We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's [website]().
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Application Details

ACTION GRANTS
Call for Proposals
Grant amount Up to $3,000
On a rolling basis—due the last day of each month (11:59 p.m.
Application deadline
Eastern)
Notification Within four weeks of the application deadline
Date projects may
Six weeks after the application deadline
begin
Date projects must be
Within one year of notification
completed
• This grant requires at least a 100 percent cash/in-kind
match.
• We plan to award 40 to 45 Action Grants in 2024;
Additional details depending on demand, we cannot guarantee that funds will
remain toward the end of the year.
• The National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal
agency, provides funding for the Action Grants.
Access to public humanities programs is essential to the citizens of Indiana. The humanities help
to educate and inspire Hoosiers. They stoke curiosity, promote dialogue and allow people to better
understand the diverse and complex world in which they live. They’re a vital component of
thriving communities, enhancing quality of life and promoting economic development.
To help ensure that everyone across the state shares in these benefits, Indiana Humanities offers
Action Grants to Indiana organizations, providing them with funds to develop and implement
responsive and meaningful humanities programming in their own communities. The guidelines
below present details about these grants, outlining the types of projects we support, who’s
eligible to receive them, how to apply and other important information.
What We Support
Indiana Humanities’ mission is to encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk, and we like to
support projects that do just that—projects that help people learn new information, consider
different perspectives, share ideas and understand one another better. Programs funded
through Action Grants may come in a variety of formats—workshops, presentations,
reading/discussion programs, exhibitions, podcasts, film documentaries and more—as long as
they’re open to the public and utilize the humanities as a tool for engagement.
To help illustrate and inspire, here are some projects we’ve funded that align well with the goals
of the Action Grants:
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• The Civil Rights Heritage Center in South Bend hosted a civil rights film series
that paired nationally acclaimed documentary films with panels of local individuals and
humanities scholars who spoke to each film's topic and impact in the South Bend
community.
• Historic New Harmony hosted Heritage Artisans Days, a three-day festival that
allowed elementary students to experience what life was like in New Harmony, the site of
two utopian communities in the early 1800s. Reenactors engaged with the students and
provided history lessons through hands-on activities.
• As part of its “Plant the Seed, Read!” program, Warsaw-based Kosciusko Literary
Services purchased copies of Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms for a community-
wide reading program. It brought in a scholar to discuss Hemingway and the book at a
number of public gatherings and school assemblies in towns around the region.
• The Indiana Medical History Museum in Indianapolis created an app that allows
deaf and hearing-impaired visitors to fully experience guided tours of the
museum via transcripts and ASL interpretation videos. Guests can borrow iPads with the
app loaded and follow along during the tours.
• To help local residents learn about different religions and better understand and accept
others’ beliefs, the Batesville Memorial Public Library developed and hosted “A
World of Faith and Cultures in Our Neighborhoods.” As part of the project,
religious-studies scholars from Indiana University presented talks at four libraries across
Ripley County, and each site hosted a festival featuring food, music and dress associated
with different religious groups.
• The Arab Indianapolis Foundation produced a documentary called Arab
Indianapolis: A Hidden History that tells the story of Arab Americans in the Hoosier
capital. The foundation held screening-and-discussion programs at a number of venues,
and Indianapolis’s public television station WFYI broadcast it.
• The Wayne County Historical Museum offered a series of public programs to
accompany its exhibition Gennett Records: The Birthplace of American Recorded
Music. These included development and screening of a documentary on the far-reaching
history of Richmond’s Gennett Recording Company; an afternoon at the museum featuring
author talks, historical reenactors and hands-on activities; and a murder-mystery evening
at the historic Gennett mansion.
• Roberts Settlement hosted a panel of history scholars for a discussion about
Free People of Color who came to Indiana during the early pioneer period and
established communities like Roberts Settlement in Hamilton County and other places in
the state. Topics included the Virginia and North Carolina beginnings, migration,
settlement in Indiana and the legacy and footprints left by the descendants of these early
pioneers.
We especially like these programs because they fit well with our mission of encouraging
Hoosiers to think, read and talk. A few attempted to reach audiences that are sometimes left out
of community conversations, and others used technology to make humanities programs more
available to the public. All were based in sound scholarship and at the same time were engaging
and accessible—with strong participation from the community. They serve as excellent examples
of the types of projects that Indiana Humanities likes to support with our Action Grants.
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Eligibility
To be eligible for an Action Grant, you must apply on behalf of a tax-exempt organization that’s
registered with the Internal Revenue Service; K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public
libraries, churches and government entities are also eligible. We will not award Action Grants to
individuals, nonregistered entities or for-profit entities. Fiscal sponsorship is not permitted. All
organizations receiving a grant must provide Indiana Humanities with a Unique Entity Identifier
(UEI) through the federal government’s System for Award management website, SAM.gov (see
more details on page 6). Recipients that are unable to provide a UEI will not be eligible for
funding. Also, note that we will not award an organization more than one Action Grant per
calendar year.
Requirements
Your proposal must meet the following requirements in order to be considered. Our review
committee will use these to evaluate, rate and rank your application.
Your project must:
1. Contain a strong focus on the humanities. When considering which humanities-
related projects to fund, we use guidelines provided by the National Endowment for the
Humanities. According to the NEH, the humanities include activities in the following
disciplines:
• Literature • Comparative religion
• Language • Law
• History • Ethics
• Philosophy • Theory, history and criticism of the performing and visual arts
• Archaeology • Social sciences that have humanistic content and/or utilize
humanistic methods
We’re especially interested in projects that align with our goals and help us carry out our
mission. To learn more about what we do and what’s important to us, visit our website. If
you question whether your project falls into the humanities disciplines that we support,
please contact us.
A point of clarification about the arts:
Indiana Humanities does not support arts-related projects, especially around the
creation/display of visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, etc.) or the performance of art
(drama, dance, music, etc.). If your project involves these activities, we encourage you to
seek guidance from the Indiana Arts Commission or your local arts council. In general, we
do not award grants for writing workshops or other creative literary programs unless they
include considerable opportunity for public reading and discussion. As noted above, we will
consider projects that focus on art history and criticism (e.g., a discussion program in which
a qualified and engaging scholar explores artistic themes and/or helps put works in context),
but funding for these projects is rare. Our advice: If your project includes arts components,
reach out to us for guidance before applying.
2. Include humanities scholars in planning and implementation. Humanities
scholars are those with particular training or experience qualifying them as professionals
in one or more of the academic disciplines of the humanities. Scholars may have advanced
degrees (MA or PhD) in a humanities field of study and/or regular appointments at an
institution of higher learning, or they may have developed a high level of expertise through
immersion in a particular cultural tradition.
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We recognize that this requirement raises concerns for many applicants, so if you have
questions about including a qualified scholar as part of your project, please contact us.
3. Be intended for a public audience. Although you may design and market your
program for a target audience, you must ensure that it is open to the public at large. Our
review committees assess the public nature of all proposed programs and evaluate how
factors such as timing and location will impact audience attraction. Note that we do
consider programs delivered in schools and correctional facilities to be public, and in these
cases you may offer them to select audiences (i.e., you don’t have to open them to the
broader public).
Please note: You may charge admission to an event funded with an Indiana Humanities
grant, but the admission should be nominal (we recommend no more than the cost of a
movie ticket). We will not fund a project if we feel the cost of admission will prevent it from
being a truly public event. For this reason, we typically do not support conferences or
workshops that charge significant registration fees, unless the grant goes toward an activity
(e.g., a keynote address) that is open to the public at a free or reduced rate.
4. Be presented at a site that’s accessible according to the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). If the site is not ADA accessible, you must demonstrate how you
will make reasonable accommodations. (For more information, visit this website.) When
reviewing grant applications, we also consider other ways that you make your programs
accessible (e.g., providing ASL interpretation, translations, large-print copy, etc.), so we
encourage you to give this some thought and share your ideas in your proposal.
5. Include a plan for execution. You must demonstrate that you have the capacity to
execute the project you propose. No matter how strong an idea is, we won’t fund it if we
don’t have confidence that you can successfully implement it. In your application, be sure
to provide sufficient detail as you describe your project ideas and goals. Tell us exactly
what you’re going to do and how you’ll do it. Be thoughtful and clear about your timeline.
Identify your project team members and scholars, describe their roles and show how
they’ll contribute to your project’s success.
6. Not exceed $3,000 in requested funding. You may apply for a grant of up to $3,000
(though of course you may request less). When we award a grant, we look closely at
budgets to evaluate where applicants are proposing to spend grant funds. In some cases,
we may offer only partial funding (and we’re doing so increasingly as our grants become
more competitive).
7. Demonstrate at least a one-to-one match in cash or in-kind contributions
from your organization or other sources (e.g., if you request $2,500, you must show
at least $2,500 of matching support). Matching funds must come from nonfederal sources
and ideally will demonstrate a level of community support for the project. We report to the
National Endowment for the Humanities data on how much private investment our grants
leverage, so we encourage you to be thoughtful about calculating your match and to
provide an accurate valuation of what you and your donors/collaborators will bring to the
table. You’ll find more information about the match in the “Budget” section in Appendix A
below.
8. Begin at least six weeks after the application deadline. While you may engage in
planning your project during the time that Indiana Humanities is considering funding, the
public programming should not take place until six weeks after the application deadline.
For example, if you submit an application in March (with a March 31 deadline), your
program should not take place before mid-May. In this case, we would review the proposal
in mid-to-late-April and notify you of our decision by the end of the month. The mid-May
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timeline would allow you the opportunity to prepare and submit the grant paperwork and
to acknowledge Indiana Humanities’ role in supporting the program (which is important
to us). We encourage you to submit applications well in advance of your program start
date; if you do not receive funding but have allowed enough time, you may revise your
application based on the feedback we give you and resubmit it for reconsideration. If you
have questions about the timing of your application, please contact us.
9. Be completed within a year of the award date. If awarded a grant, you must
complete project activities within one year of receiving notification (with a final report due
90 days after close). If you’ll need longer than a year to complete your project, please let us
know before you submit your application; we may allow more time for compelling reasons.
Restrictions
Indiana Humanities will not award grants for any of the following purposes:
• General operating expenses (i.e., our grants must support the development and
implementation of specific public humanities programs)
• Activities that promote a particular political, religious or ideological point of view
• Advocacy of a particular program of social or political action
• Support of specific public policies or legislation
• Lobbying
• Fundraising
• Endowment contributions
• Regranting of funds
• Purchase of land or facilities, construction or renovation
• Property or major equipment purchases (in other words, funds should not be used
exclusively for equipment purchases; we may consider funding equipment, however, if it’s
a portion of the grant request and will support the overall goal of providing public
humanities programming)
• Archival acquisitions
• Programming that falls outside of the humanities, including the creation or performance of
art (see further explanation in the Requirements section above)
• Social services
• Prizes, awards or scholarships
• Publication of books
• Foreign travel
• Alcoholic beverages
• Entertainment (unless it’s a key educational component of the program—for example,
musicians for a program on Indiana’s jazz heritage)
Application, Review and Notification
You must submit your proposal using Indiana Humanities’ grants portal. You’ll find on our
website instructions for applying. Please note that first-time applicants will have to create an
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account in the portal. More information about applying (including a list of narrative
questions) is included in Appendix A below.
We accept applications for Action Grants on a rolling basis and review them every calendar
month. Upon the start of a new month, we’ll gather and evaluate all the applications we received
over the course of the previous month. (So, for example, if you apply between January 1 and
January 31, we’ll review your application in February.) Our review committee will assess each
proposal based on the extent to which the project aligns to the guidelines presented in this
document. In particular, committee members will evaluate the richness of the humanities
content and clear contributions of humanities scholars; the feasibility of the methods and the
organization’s capacity to execute the project; the strength of the idea and the statement of need;
and the clarity and reasonableness of the budget. The committee will also consider other factors
such as the diversity of the applicant organization and its audience, the project’s alignment to
Indiana Humanities’ mission and community support. To help you better understand the
factors that go into our assessment, we have attached the Action Grant scoring
rubric in Appendix C.
We’ll notify you about the status of your proposal by the close of the review month. We’ll contact
the project director, who will be responsible for informing other project team members.
We’ll award an organization only one Action Grant per calendar year. If you apply for a grant
and don’t receive it, you may rework your proposal (we encourage you to consult with our grants
staff on ways that you might improve it) and submit it again.
Administration
If we award you a grant, we’ll email the project director information about administering it.
Among other things, you’ll need to:
• Electronically sign a copy of the agreement in the grants portal. This is a standard
agreement and is nonnegotiable. We reserve the right to cancel the agreement if you
make significant changes to your project scope, purpose, activities, personnel, budget or
timeline without obtaining our permission.
• Provide us with your organization’s Unique Entity Identification (UEI), obtained through
the federal System for Award Management website, SAM.gov. Indiana Humanities’ grants
are funded through the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal
agency, and as a “subrecipient” of federal funds you must follow federal regulations,
including registering for and providing us with a UEI. We’ll ask for the UEI on the
application, and if you already have one, please provide it. If you don’t have one, you may
leave the field blank (it’s not required), but know that if you receive a grant, you’ll need to
register for a UEI and include it on the agreement. Obtaining a UEI can take several
months, so if you’re applying for a grant and don’t have one, we strongly encourage you to
begin the process right away. We won’t be able to pay grant funds until you provide us with
your UEI. For instructions on getting a UEI, visit SAM.gov and/or watch this video.
• Submit to Indiana Humanities a listing of grant-funded events/activities.
• Comply with state and federal nondiscriminatory statutes.
• Report significant changes in the project to Indiana Humanities prior to their execution.
• Acknowledge Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as
stipulated in the grant agreement.
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• Submit a final report (including documentation of final expenditures and cost share) at the
conclusion of the project.
• Retain auditable records of grant funds and local donations of cash and in-kind
contributions and services (for three years).
Indiana Humanities will pay the full award up0n receipt of a payment request.
Application Support
We’re available to support you as you prepare your application, and we encourage you to reach
out if you have concerns about whether your idea would be eligible for funding. (If you have
doubts, we prefer that you seek advice before you take the time to complete the application.)
We’re also eager to provide assistance as you prepare your budget, identify your humanities
scholars and develop your responses. For help, please contact:
George Hanlin, Director of Grants
Indiana Humanities
1500 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
ghanlin@indianahumanities.org
317.616.9784
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The Indiana Newspaper in Education Foundation Award
While the goal of the Action Grant is to support public programming covering a
broad range of humanities topics (as defined above), Indiana Humanities will set
aside funds to award at least one grant each year that is dedicated specifically to a
media literacy project. Support for this initiative is generously provided by the
Indiana Newspaper in Education Foundation.
Examples of Media Literacy Projects
According to the Center for Media Literacy, “Media literacy is a 21st century
approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate,
create and participate with messages in a variety of forms—from print to video to
the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in
society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for
citizens of a democracy.”
The following are some examples of media literacy projects that the Indiana
Newspaper in Education Foundation is interested in funding—though we will
consider other ideas as well.
• Development of materials for students to assist them in accessing, analyzing
and evaluating specific news stories in newspapers and comparing them to
other media sources.
• Teacher workshops, public lectures and town-hall-type discussions on fake
news in newspapers and other media (the perpetuation of which, according
to David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance,
“undermines society’s knowledge base and public discourse for a healthy
democracy”).
• Development of lesson plans to distinguish fact vs. opinion in newspapers
(digital or print) and follow-through in the classroom. These plans may
include elements of comparing and contrasting between various media
sources.
• Projects to help students understand the role of newspapers as the
“watchdog of government” and the importance of being an informed citizen
in a democratic society.
• Plans for introducing students to digital newspapers and how to include
them in research projects.
• Teacher workshops on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as it
applies to freedom of the press.
• Projects for using print or digital newspapers in the classroom. These
should include the study of current events and how they affect students’
daily lives.
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Requirements and Restrictions
In general, the requirements and restrictions for this grant are the same as
outlined above, with the following clarifications:
• Grants must be made to a tax-exempt Indiana organization. Individuals or
newspapers must apply through a school, district, public library or other
nonprofit entity supporting the project.
• The target audience must be students or teachers (K–12 or
college/university), though components of the program may also benefit the
public at large.
• All proposals must include an element (student materials, lesson plans,
teacher guides, etc.) that can be shared with others (via websites or other
means); the goal is to help teachers, librarians, news outlets and others
replicate and promote the work.
• While we require grant recipients to involve a humanities scholar in project
planning and implementation (as outlined in the Requirements section
above), we offer some flexibility for the Indiana Newspaper in Education
Foundation award. The key is to demonstrate that the project will include
qualified experts—whether teachers, librarians, professors, journalists or
others—who are capable of educating students about the concepts behind
media literacy. All applicants should clearly demonstrate that their project
includes the right mix of personnel to successfully plan, implement and
evaluate the work.
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Appendix A—Additional Information about Applying
A well-prepared application influences the grant-review process. To achieve a superior rating,
proposals should meet the published criteria, clearly describe the end product and include a
workable plan, have a consistent and accurate budget with itemized expenses and demonstrate
community need for the proposed programming. The following outlines the sections and
questions you’ll find on the online application form.
Call for Proposals
The purpose of this section is to remind you of the importance of reviewing the Action Grant call
for proposals.
• Verification. Before proceeding with the rest of the application, verify that you have
downloaded and read the call for proposals.
Project Title and Directors
This section provides us with the basic information we need about your project. We’ll ask you to
provide the following.
• Project Title. This is the name you’ve given your project. We encourage you to make it
brief, self-explanatory and appealing.
• Sponsoring Organization Official. This is the person who is legally empowered to sign the
application on behalf of the organization—usually the president, executive director or
board chair. College and university applicants should obtain the approval of their
administrative officials (office of research, sponsored programs, etc.).
• Project Director Name. The project director is the person who will serve as the
administrative contact for the grant. We’ll send grant-related correspondence to the
project director, so the person you list should be aware of the application and be prepared
to serve.
• Project Director Title. This is the project director’s title at the organization that’s applying.
If the project director isn’t an employee at the organization, list “volunteer” or a similar
title.
• Project Director Phone Number.
• Project Director Email Address. The email address should be the address at which the
project director wishes to receive communications.
• Project Director Resume. Attach the resume as directed.
Accessibility
We want to be sure that your programs are accessible to the public, so we ask you to answer the
following.
• ADA Compliance. Will all of your grant-supported programs be presented at sites that are
accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
• ADA Accommodations. If your programming space isn’t ADA accessible, what reasonable
accommodations will you make?
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• Additional Accessibility Efforts. In what other ways do you plan to make your grant-
supported programs accessible (e.g., providing ASL interpretation, translations, large-
print copy, onsite childcare, etc.)?
• Program Cost. Will you charge admission to your grant-supported programs, and if so,
how much do you expect tickets will cost?
Federal Reporting Information
Because Indiana Humanities’ grant funds come from the National Endowment for the
Humanities, a federal agency, we must adhere to federal guidelines and collect the following
information.
• Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN). Also referred to as the Federal Tax
Identification Number (TIN), this is a unique nine-digit number that the Internal Revenue
Service assigns to organizations.
• Unique Entity ID. This is an identification number required of all organizations receiving
federal funds. If your organization doesn’t have one at the time of application, you may
leave this field blank, but know that you’ll need to register for and provide us with a
Unique Entity ID if you receive a grant. (See more information in the Administration
section on page 6.)
• Federal Funding. We ask if your organization receives more than $750,000 in federal
funds annually. If so, we have to follow certain federal reporting requirements.
E-Payment Information
Indiana Humanities prefers to make grant payments electronically because it’s faster, more
secure and less costly for us. This section asks you to provide contact information for the person
at the organization who can assist with e-payment setup. (Note that we can accommodate paper
checks if desired, and this information is optional.)
• E-Payment Contact Name.
• E-Payment Contact Email Address.
Project Basics—What, Who, Where, When
These questions ask you to provide detailed information about your project’s purpose, audience,
location and timeline.
• Project Description. Describe your project in detail. What public programming will it
produce? (For example, if it’s an exhibition, what’s it about? If it’s an event, what will take
place?) Provide a thoroughly detailed description to help reviewers understand how the
project will unfold.
• Audience. Describe the audience(s) you intend to reach. Who are they and why are they
interested in participating? How many people do you expect will participate? If your
project will engage diverse and/or underserved audiences, which we strongly encourage,
please explain that here.
• Location. Describe where the programming will take place or how it will be distributed. If
the programming occurs in multiple locations, please list each of them.
• Timeline. Provide a timeline for your project. Share details regarding all stages of the
project, including planning, implementing and evaluating/reporting. Be especially clear
about when the programming will take place.
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Humanities Connections
These questions help us understand how your programming ties to the humanities and aligns
with Indiana Humanities’ mission.
• Humanities Content. Describe how the humanities are an integral part of your project.
This may include how humanities disciplines, research, texts and/or methods are at the
heart of your activity.
• Humanities Scholars. Who are your humanities scholars? How are they involved in the
planning and implementation of your project?
• Scholar Resumes. Attach resumes or CVs for the scholars involved in this project. Note
that if you have multiple documents, you’ll need to upload them together in one file.
Additional Personnel and Partnerships
These questions help us identify the range of expertise and level of support involved in the
project.
• Project Team Members. In addition to the humanities scholars, list other project team
members and describe their roles.
• Partner Organizations. List any partner organizations that are collaborating on this
project and describe their roles. If there are none, you may skip this question.
• Personnel Resumes. If you feel it will be helpful, attach resumes or CVs for additional
personnel involved in the project. Note that these are optional and not required. If you
have multiple documents, you’ll need to upload them together in one file.
Goals and Evaluation
These questions ask you to consider the goals for this project and the ways you’ll determine
success.
• Project Goals. Outline the goals of your project. What do you want to accomplish? How
does this project help you achieve your organization’s mission?
• Project Evaluation. Describe your evaluation plan. How will you know whether you’ve
successfully accomplished your goals?
Letters of Support and Additional Materials
This section allows you to provide additional information that will help us evaluate your
proposal.
• Letters of Support. Attach two or three letters of support from cosponsors, experts and/or
interested community groups. These letters should vouch for the value of your program
and its potential impact on the community. They should come from people who are well
positioned to make the case and not too closely tied to your organization. (A letter of
recommendation from a past participant or a potential beneficiary of the program is more
effective than a letter from your board chair, a staff member or one of the team members
designing or delivering the program.) If you’re partnering with an organization to deliver a
program, it’s also helpful to include a letter demonstrating that group’s commitment and
support. Note that you’ll need to upload the letters together in one file.
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• Additional Materials. Attach any additional materials that you feel will be helpful as we
consider your grant proposal. Note that these materials are optional and not required. If
you have multiple documents, you’ll need to upload them together in one file.
Budget
Here you’ll provide a line-item budget for the project, using the budget format in
Appendix B as a guide. We’ve included on our Action Grant web page a template you can
download and complete; you may also create a spreadsheet (e.g., Microsoft Excel) as long as it
has the same columns and categories.
Please note the following:
• The column titled “Grant Funds” should reflect how you’ll use the funds that you’re
requesting from Indiana Humanities. Total this column and enter the amount on the
application line that says, “Total Grant Request.”
• The column titled “Cost Share—Cash” should reflect cash for project expenses that comes
from your organization or your donors and collaborators. You may count in this column
the time that paid staff will spend on the project. Total this column and enter the amount
on the application line that says, “Total Cash Cost Share.”
• The column titled “Cost Share—In-Kind” should reflect the dollar value of support given to
the project instead of money. Examples include volunteer time, use of donated meeting
space or donated supplies. Compute the in-kind value according to the actual pay scale of
persons engaged in comparable work, the actual rental value for the room or the actual
purchase value of the supplies. Total this column and enter the amount on the application
line that says, “Total In-Kind Cost Share.”
• Add together the total grant request, total cash cost share and total in-kind cost share. This
will be your total project cost. Enter this amount on the application line that says, “Total
Project Cost.”
• Once you’ve finalized your budget form, attach it to the application.
Additional budget notes:
• Your match (cash and in-kind) must be at least equal to your requested grant funds.
• You cannot use federal dollars for cost-share purposes.
• Line items for alcoholic beverages, whether from Indiana Humanities grant funds or cost-
share funds, are prohibited. These items should not appear anywhere in your budget.
• You cannot use grant funds for entertainment, unless it’s an essential part of the
programming (see further explanation in the Restrictions section on pages 5–6 above).
• You should keep reimbursement for airfare, hotel and per diem at reasonable rates; you
should reimburse mileage at no more than the current IRS standard rate. Note that grant
funds cannot be used for international travel.
• You may apply up to 10 percent of grant funds toward indirect costs, unless your
organization is allowed a higher rate through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement
(NICRA) with the federal government. If your organization has a NICRA, you must submit
a current copy along with your application when requesting grant funds for indirect costs.
Attach the NICRA documentation in the Letters of Support and Additional Materials
section of the application.
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• You should be specific and clear about how you’re spending grant dollars and meeting
your match. If any budget items need an explanation, you should provide it in the Notes
column. Remember that clarity of budget is one factor on which we evaluate your proposal.
Authorizations
You’ll finalize the grant application in this section.
• Sharing Permission. To help grow organizations’ capacity, Indiana Humanities
occasionally shares examples of well-written grant proposals. This question asks if you’re
willing to let us share your proposal with others.
• Electronic Signature. Once you’re ready to submit the application, enter your name on this
line. Your electronic signature will certify that the application is complete and accurate.
• Date of Signature. Enter the date you signed the application.
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Appendix B—Sample Budget
Use the following sample budget as a guide for laying out and itemizing your own budget. You may create your budget in either a Word document or spreadsheet as long you
use the same columns and categories as in the sample.
Category Grant Funds Cost Share—Cash Cost Share—In-Kind Notes
Administration Jane Smith, program director Two volunteers
(list all persons, titles, hours, 30 hrs. @ $27/hr. = $810 20 hrs. total @ $15/hr. = $300
and rates of pay) John Jones, executive director
10 hrs. @ $35/hr. = $350
Program Personnel Susan Wilson, speaker = $500 Sarah Jackson, remaining Speaking fee discount offered by Sarah Jackson (nationally
(list all non-administrative honorarium honorarium = $1,420 Sarah Jackson = $2,500 recognized author) will serve as
persons and stipends or Jim Brown, speaker = $500 keynote speaker and offer a 50
rates of pay) honorarium percent discount on her $5,000
speaking fee (grant and cash
Sarah Jackson, speaker = $1,080
funds will cover the $2,500 fee
honorarium
with the rest counted as in-kind).
Travel and Per Diem Wilson mileage from
(list mileage, airfare, Indianapolis, 320 miles RT x
lodging, per diem, etc.) $.655/mile = $210
Brown mileage from Chicago, 84
miles RT x $.655/mile = $55
Jackson flight from Boston =
$354
Jackson hotel (one night) =
$128
Jackson car rental = $73
Jackson per diem, two days @
$50/day = $100
Supplies Supplies for program (paper,
(list expenses for any envelopes, name tags) = $77
supplies)
Printing and Postage Printing for flyers and brochures Discount for printing of flyers Printing company is giving us a
(list expenses for any = $375 and brochures = $200 discount, so we’re counting that
printing and postage) Mailing of brochures = $159 as in-kind.
Space Rental Public library meeting room for Library is offering space free of
(list expenses related to three days, $75/day = $225 charge, counted as in-kind.
office and meeting space)
Other AV rental for three events, $100
(list all items not included per event = $300
above)
TOTALS $3,000 $3,491 $3,225

Appendix C—Action Grant Scoring Rubric
Our grant review committee uses the following scoring rubric to evaluate proposals.
Applicant Name: Date:
Does this proposal meet the minimum guidelines (tax-exempt applicant, humanities topic/humanistic methods, public programming elements)? ☐ Y or ☐ N
If “yes,” use the rubric below to evaluate the proposal and assign a score.
Core Components
Points
Component Unacceptable Acceptable Good Exemplary
Awarded
Humanities The project’s connections to The project includes humanities The project clearly focuses on The humanities content focuses on
Focus humanities topics and/or its use of elements and/or humanistic humanities topics and/or includes a topic that’s underrepresented or
humanistic methods are weak. The methods but they’re fairly humanistic methods. It features not often studied. The project may
25 Points
public programming components commonplace. The project does solid public-programming apply unique approaches. The
are minimal. The scholars/experts include scholars/experts, though components. The scholars and scholars/experts are extremely
listed are not legitimate or are their role may be incidental or not their roles are clearly identified, qualified and fully involved. This
out of 25
questionable at best. well defined. This is an adequate and the scholars will likely project is likely to engage the
0–5 points public humanities project, but it contribute to the project’s success. participants in meaningful and
doesn’t necessarily inspire. 13–19 points lasting humanities activities.
6–12 points 20–25 points
Capacity The organization’s ability to carry Given the proposal and what we The organization has developed a This is an organization that we can
out this project is questionable. know of this organization/team, solid proposal that inspires depend on to do great work. It has
20 Points
The team does not appear it’s likely it could adequately carry confidence. It has put significant a reputation for excellence. It has
qualified, the timeline is not well out this project. The team appears thought into the planning of the prepared a concise and inspiring
thought out/presented, the qualified, and the timeline seems project and presents a clearly proposal with clearly outlined
research/planning seems weak, sound. Based on our defined timeline that’s achievable. goals and a well-defined approach
and/or the organization does not understanding of the project and The organization has a clear to achieving the goals. The
have a strong track record. It does the target audience, we feel the audience in mind for its program timeline is explicitly spelled out out of 20
not appear that the organization organization is positioned to and a method for reaching it. This and on target. The organization
has the capacity to draw an achieve its goals in terms of organization has a reputation for leaves no doubt that it will reach
audience. The proposal is poorly attendance. delivering. its audience.
developed. 6–10 points 11–15 points 16–20 points
0–5 points
Case The proposal does not make a Based on the proposal, we can see The proposal makes a compelling The proposal makes clear that this
Statement/Need compelling case as to why this that this project has merit. The case as to why the project is a project Indiana Humanities
project is important to the proposal sheds some light on the important and clearly defines the must fund. The writer
25 Points
community, nor does it convey value the project brings to the impact it will have on the demonstrates how the project is
enthusiasm and make us want to community and how participants community. The proposal conveys creative, innovative, and dynamic
fund the project. The person will benefit. While the enthusiasm a strong sense of enthusiasm and and how it will provide essential
writing the proposal does not factor might not be the highest, we excitement. We know that if we and impactful humanities
out of 25
“sell” the project, and if we don’t can tell that the project team will fund this work, the team will carry programming to the community.
fund it, it’s hard to see that there be engaged and committed to it out with a sense of purpose and The proposal leaves no doubt as to
will be much negative impact. creating impact. will create meaningful the value of the project.
0–5 points 6–12 points engagement. 20–25 points
13–19 points

Budget The budget does not include The budget is adequate. While it The budget is well prepared. It This is a model budget. It presents
details to help reviewers might not offer the most detail, offers sufficient detail to help us a thorough accounting of how the
10 Points
understand how the organization the organization has put some understand how funds will be grant dollars will be invested, and
will spend grant dollars and meet thought into it, and we get a sense spent. The organization has been it’s clear that the person preparing
its match. It doesn’t seem of how grant dollars will be spent thorough with calculating cash it has spent time getting quotes,
reasonable, it proposes to spend and how the organization will and in-kind cost share, and we feel estimates, etc. The cash and in-
funds on prohibited activities, meet its match. The figures seem the budget does a good job of kind cost-share calculations are out of 10
and/or the numbers don’t add up. reasonable compared to what we accurately reflecting the costs detailed and reasonable. The
It raises questions about the understand about the project. involved with the project. budget’s detail inspires confidence
ability to execute. 3–5 points 6–8 points in the project.
0–2 points 9–10 points
Additional Factors
Factor Considerations Points
Awarded
Reaches Indiana Humanities wants to be sure that we reach diverse organizations, communities and audiences, and we recognize that we have not always
Underserved done so. Award up to five points if you feel that the programming proposed in this proposal would reach underserved groups (consider factors such
Audiences as race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual/gender identity, socioeconomic status, rural/suburban/urban status, geographic outreach, etc.).
out of 5
5 Points
Builds Capacity Indiana Humanities also wants to help organizations build their capacity so that they’re better prepared to serve their communities. If you feel that
the opportunity to collaborate with us on a grant-funded project will help the applicant to develop the skills of its team members; improve
5 Points
organizational strength; and grow its ability to develop, implement and evaluate meaningful humanities programming for the public, award up to
five points. As part of your scoring, consider whether the organization is led by and serves members of underrepresented communities (e.g., BIPOC- out of 5
led organizations), whether it’s at a disadvantage because it has not benefited from previous investment, and similar factors.
Aligns to Indiana Indiana Humanities’ mission is to connect people, open minds and enrich lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to
Humanities’ think, read and talk. If the proposed project supports our mission and helps us achieve it, award up to five points.
Goals
out of 5
5 Points
Demonstrates We want to ensure that our grant recipients are well regarded in their communities and that our grant-funded projects will have an impact, so we ask
Community applicants to submit one or two letters of support from other groups in their area. These should ideally come from outside organizations, not from
Support people closely affiliated with the applicant, and should show that the applicant is a good partner, has a good track record, and is proposing a project
that will be of value to the community. Based on the letters of support provided—and other information presented in the proposal—award up to five out of 5
5 Points points.
Add together the points you assigned for each of the core components and factors listed above and enter the total to the right.
This is your final score. out of 100
Comments: