SC Humanities: Mini Grants

Overview

_Note: As of April 2025, Mini Grants are suspended until further notice, due to loss of federal funding._

South Carolina Humanities

South Carolina Humanities' mission is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians.

Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. SC Humanities presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.

Humanities disciplines include history, literature, folklore, philosophy, comparative religion, archaeology, African American studies, Southern studies, linguistics, ethics, jurisprudence, political science, anthropology, international studies, art theory and criticism and Women’s Studies.

Our programs and activities take place in town halls, small and large museums, libraries, schools, colleges and universities—any place that people come together to share, to learn and to have enlightening conversations about our world and our place in it.

Mini Grants

Mini Grants are to support public humanities programs of modest cost. Awards are $5,000 or less. Mini Grants are reviewed monthly with deadlines on the first business day of the month.

Eligibility

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

* Any nonprofit organization or institution may apply for SC Humanities grants for projects and programs of interest to South Carolinians.
* The humanities must be central, not tangential, to the project.
* Funds awarded by SC Humanities are federal in origin and are subject to the federal criteria that governs administrative requirements, allowable costs, and audit requirements.

Ineligibility

* We do NOT fund:
* SC Humanities does not award grants to individuals. Your application must have a nonprofit sponsoring organization. 
* Creative or performing arts performances. We do fund the theory and criticism of the arts. Your program should be designed to generate dialogue between humanities scholars and the audience and not for the presentation of the art form itself. 
* Programs that advocate for a particular ideology, political, social, or religious viewpoint. 
* Programs intended for only college students or college faculty. Your program must engage non-academic participants.
* Programs that carry a high ticket or registration fee. 
* Courses, scholarships, awards, fellowships or individual research. However, teachers are allowed to apply for programs that earn Continuing Education credits. 
* Publications, scholarly, writing or editing projects.  
* Capital projects. These include the purchase of land, buildings, restorations, constructions, or museum / library acquisitions. Charges may be made to a grant project for equipment purchases (such as modest expenditures related to SC Humanities funded exhibits) if the applicant can demonstrate that the purchase amount of permanent equipment is less expensive than rental charges.
* Food, alcoholic beverages or entertainment for audiences. 
* Expenses incurred or paid for before the SC Humanities grant is awarded or the beginning of the grant period.