ME Humanities: Major Grants

The Maine Humanities Council offers Major Grants to support nonprofit organizations in Maine that engage the community through rich humanities programs. With funding between $1,001 and $7,500, these grants aim to foster deeper understanding and connections among diverse audiences. Projects may include exhibits, films, and discussions, emphasizing broad public outreach and community involvement. Emphasis is placed on proposals that demonstrate strong humanities content and clear project goals.

NOTE: Applicants are strongly encouraged to connect with a member of the Maine Humanities Grants Team before applying.
Background
Supporting humanities programs that engage Maine communities
The MHC Grants program distributes funding to Maine nonprofits and communities to support projects that encourage a deeper understanding of ourselves and one another, build lasting connections, and reach diverse, multigenerational, and rural audiences.
Our grants support humanities programs and projects—things like exhibits, films, conferences, initiatives—that have broad public outreach. We are excited to support programs and projects with rich, well-developed humanities content, strong participation from a scholar or topic expert, and robust support from partners in the community.
What are the humanities?
The main goal of the humanities is to develop awareness and understanding of people’s lived experience, and to put it into words. Any aspect of human culture — literature, art, music, history, laws, ethics, philosophy – becomes humanities content when participants in the program or project are invited to deepen their understanding of the work and its context through interpretation, analysis, or discussion.
Humanities programs and projects can take many forms: exhibitions, conferences, film/video productions, podcasts/radio shows, discussions, performances framed by interpretation. What they have in common is a commitment to involving people in thinking, reflecting, and talking about important aspects of what it can be like to be alive.
One of the hallmarks of the humanities is the ethic of nonjudgmental discussion. All projects must evidence a spirit of inquiry, a balance between critical and celebratory perspectives, and provide a range of viewpoints and informed opinions, consistent with MHC’s non-partisan mission. This is especially true when projects treat highly charged issues. Please note that MHC does not fund projects that promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view or discriminate against persons or groups.
The Maine Humanities Council Major Grant program distributes funding to nonprofit organizations in Maine for larger humanities programs and projects—things like exhibits, films, conferences, initiatives—that have broad public outreach.
$1,001 to $7,500 for humanities programs and projects undertaken by non-profit organizations and communities across Maine.
Organizations serving and/or led by members of communities traditionally under-resourced in the humanities are encouraged to apply. We evaluate proposals on their strength and clarity in the following areas: humanities content, project goals and impact, project design, outreach and engagement, and budget.
Priorities
Intended to support rich humanities programs with broad public outreach that support and involve their communities in Maine.Organizations serving and/or led by members of communities traditionally underresourced in the humanities are encouraged to apply. These groups include people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people who live in rural areas, people with disabilities, people who identify as immigrants or refugees, and people whose first (or only) language is not English. (Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.)Maine Humanities Council aims to maximize the impact of available funding
Project Criteria
MHC is looking for projects that:
Engage Maine audiences through and with the humanities.Have guidance from someone with deep expertise in the project topic.Involve the community in every step of the project’s process.Offer a creative approach to public engagement, using a variety of strategies and involving community partners.Have clear, well-defined goals and plans for getting feedback from participants on how well the goals were met.

Eligibility

Organizations with 501c3 status, government organizations (such as a federally recognized Indian tribal governments or organizations or state/local/city governments), churches, or education organizations (such as schools or school districts, or public or private institutions of higher education) are eligible to apply without fiscal sponsorship.If your organization is NOT a 501c3, or equivalent (listed above) you will need a FISCAL SPONSOR for your project. The National Council of Nonprofits has a helpful resource sheet on fiscal sponsorship.

Ineligibility

The following are ineligible: individuals without a fiscal sponsor; for-profit organizations; political or advocacy organizations.Funds cannot be used to cover general operating expenses.Funds cannot be used for projects that promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view or discriminate against persons or groups.Beginning in 2025, if you or your organization receives a MHC Major grant, you are not eligible to apply again in either the same or the following calendar year. For example, an organization awarded a project grant (at any point) in 2025 would not be eligible to apply for ANY MHC grants until January 2027.