Ohio Humanities: Spark Grants

Overview

_NOTE: Due to funding cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ohio Humanities' grants are currently paused. Spark Grant applications are currently postponed until further notice._

Our Mission

Ohio Humanities is a nonprofit organization that shares stories to spark conversations and inspire ideas. We host programs and award grants that support storytellers statewide, from museums to journalists to documentary filmmakers.

Our Purpose

The humanities tell the stories of our shared human experience, strengthen communities, and help bridge divides. Ohio Humanities seeks to connect Ohioans in ways that help them better understand each other and more thoughtfully engage with the world around them.

Our Vision

We envision an Ohio where people's unique stories are heard, the past is linked to the present, and a better future is realized together.

Grants

Since 1972, Ohio Humanities’ grant program has sparked critical public humanities work throughout our state. By funding engaging programs that center the humanities, Ohio Humanities helps inspire conversations about our state’s shared histories and cultures. Our goal is to support projects that make the humanities central to creating and sustaining vibrant communities.

We invite applications for project grants from non-profit and governmental organizations across the state. If you’re thinking of applying for an Ohio Humanities grant, check out the information below to see if we might be a good fit:

What are the humanities?

We fund projects that center the humanities. But what are the “humanities?" For us, the humanities tell the stories of our shared human experience, strengthen communities, and help bridge divides. This includes the study of history, literature, languages, philosophy, archaeology, ethics, jurisprudence, comparative religion, world cultures, folklore, and aspects of the social sciences that use historical or philosophical approaches. We also consider art history, theory, and criticism as humanities subjects, but not the creation, display, or performance of art.

What do we fund?

Ohio Humanities grants support the research, preparation, production, and presentation of public programs. The most competitive grant proposals focus on the “public” in “public humanities.” We fund projects that make the humanities widely and easily accessible to the general public, and they should offer ample opportunity for community members to engage in conversations about the humanities.

What are our funding priorities?

We prioritize funding projects that have the potential to invite all Ohioans to participate in thoughtful consideration of and engaging conversations about the humanities. The most successful applications identify how the project will foster a sense of place in attendees, encouraging robust civic engagement through humanities-driven programs. Programs will ideally create sustainable outcomes that can circulate in communities beyond the grant period. We especially invite applications that produce accessible, engaging, and challenging media, particularly documentary film and audio projects.

Spark Grants

Spark grants provide non-profit organizations with funds to develop and produce programs that spark conversations about issues that are relevant to Ohioans today. These projects can be limited in scope, both in terms of subject matter and intended audience, but they should be designed to appeal to as broad of a public audience as possible.

Programs funded by Spark grants should focus humanities content in ways that will inspire lasting conversations around social, economic, and historical issues challenging Ohio communities, and they should encourage a sense of place and civic engagement in Ohio citizens. These grants can also be used to build capacity for larger projects that will have a wider impact.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Successful applications for project grants meet four major criteria:
* Applicants must be an eligible non-profit organization.
* You must apply on behalf of a nonprofit organization—such as a public library, museum, historical society, or community organization— located in the state of Ohio.
* All applicants and grantees working with Ohio Humanities must now have a UEI number issued by the federal government through the Sam.gov system.
* All applicants are required to include their UEI on the application.
* In addition to being a state-recognized non-profit, organizations must meet this other major criteria:
* The organization is not solely a fiscal agent sponsor for the project.
* The sponsoring organization for an Ohio Humanities grant must be making a substantive contribution to the project.
* The public humanities must be central to the proposed project.
* They are focused on the humanities.
* We fund projects that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human.
* Programs should encourage participants to thoughtfully consider how a humanities discipline can create and sustain vibrant communities.
* They are designed for the benefit of the public.
* Projects must be open to the public.
* Although you can target a specific audience in your promotional materials, everyone in the community should have an equal opportunity to attend.
* We do consider programs held in prisons and schools to be public, so there is no requirement to open them to a broader audience.
* Although you may charge an admission fee to sponsored events, we prefer that organizations offer a free or reduced admission fee for those who need it.
* They employ a balanced viewpoint.
* Public programs should encourage open conversations among speakers and audience members.
* Public humanities professionals should be deeply involved in the project.
* Public humanities professionals are integral to every project that we fund.
* We consider a “humanities professional” to be a person with humanities expertise.
* This might be someone with an advanced humanities degree—like an MA, MLS, or PhD—or it could be a local historian, educator, or culture bearer.
* Regardless of educational background, these individuals should ensure accuracy in the project, provide relevant context, and contribute to the interpretative work of the project from a humanities perspective.
* The application must follow Ohio Humanities budget guidelines.
* We fund the labor necessary for public programs, as well as the research, preparation, production, and presentation for these events.
* There are two particularly important considerations to know upfront:
* Ohio Humanities requires a $1-to-$1 cost share from sponsoring organizations.
* That means that each dollar from Ohio Humanities must be matched with either cash or an in-kind contribution.
* No more than 20% of an Ohio Humanities grant can be used on equipment.

Ineligibility

* The organization does not currently have an open grant with Ohio Humanities.
* Large organizations with semi-autonomous departments or locations—like universities, public library systems, or park systems—may receive a waiver for this limitation.
* Our funded projects cannot discriminate against persons or groups, and they cannot promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view.
* In other words, projects should strive to provide fair consideration and expression to alternative viewpoints.