The WHC grant program is competitive. The Board reviews proposals and makes funding decisions. Reasonable and appropriate proposals are for public programs that explore any topic from the perspective of one or more of the humanities disciplines. All applicants must use the standard grant applications, guidelines, and deadlines for both mini and major grants.
Staff are happy to talk to you! Call with questions or ideas. It is always a good idea to send a draft well in advance of the deadline!
Mini Grants: Priority for funding will be given to…
…proposals that meet the guidelines for elibible projects.
…proposals from organizations with annual budgets of less than $1 million.
…projects that promise to reach participants who have limited access to cultural programs.
…projects built on collaboration among two or more organizations or institutions.
Major Grants: Priority will be given to projects that…
…proposals that meet the guidelines for elibible projects.
…reach participants who have limited access to cultural programs.
…are built on collaboration among two or more organizations or institutions.
…use the humanities in innovative ways.
…seek to have a long term impact on participants and/or communities.
…promise participants an experience with the humanities that has depth and the potential to be transformative for individuals or communities.
The WHC’s current funding interests are listed below and apply for both mini and major grant rounds. Use the standard mini- and major grant applications and deadlines for all grants proposals.
- Wisconsin: Making it Home What do we love about the Wisconsin landscape? How has the shape of our lands and waters influenced the ways we live and build communities here? And how, conversely, has our presence changed the landscape over time? Wisconsin: Making it Home invites citizens to explore the state’s environmental history, celebrate Wisconsin’s rich conservation heritage, and talk with one another about present and future relationships between the people and places that make up our state.
Wisconsin has been home to some of the nation’s leading thinkers about conservation and the natural world, from John Muir to Aldo Leopold to Gaylord Nelson. The state continues to be a center of agricultural innovation, creative thinking about rural and urban land use, and home to millions of citizens who know that the state’s natural resources are fundamental to their quality of life.
The WHC is interested in funding public humanities programs that consider this history and explore these issues. Click here to read about some that have been funded.
Special grant funds
The following special funds are available, thanks to generous donor partnership pools. Partnership pools match WHC funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities with funds from private organizations to support public humanities projects that address specific topics, or that take place in specific regions in Wisconsin. Use the standard mini- and major grant applications and deadlines for all grants proposals.
- Historic preservation grants
Special grant funds are available for public humanities programs that educate the public about historic preservation. Preference is given to significant preservation projects in small towns and rural communities with populations under 30,000.
The WHC considers proposals for museum exhibitions, exhibition catalogues, explanatory brochures for use on a historic site, lecture series, preservation workshops, and other projects that enhance the appreciation of the need for historic preservation and/or increase public awareness of the importance of particular historic buildings or decorative works in Wisconsin. (Please note: the WHC does not fund the preservation of historic bricks and mortar or decorative arts. Inquiries about grants for such purposes should be addressed directly to the Jeffris Family Foundation.)
This grant pool is supported by a donation from The Jeffris Family Foundation, which the WHC matches with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.