When Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, they included $135M in supplemental funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities to assist humanities organizations and cultural institutions affected by the pandemic.
Humanities councils will be receiving over $51 million to distribute in their states.
The Mississippi Humanities Council will be launching two different ARP grant programs to assist our state’s humanities organizations.
ARP Museum Relief Grants will offer up to $20,000 in operational funds to humanities-based museums that have suffered significant economic losses due to COVID. The deadline to apply is June 16.
In an effort to help other humanities organizations recover from COVID, the MHC is also launching ARP Humanities Recovery Grants. Recovery can be defined in multiple ways, including: developing new public humanities programs to reengage with audiences; transition to outdoor, digital, and virtual programs; and capacity-building training and strategic planning related to coronavirus and the economic crisis. Eligible organizations may apply for up to $15,000. Up to half of the request may be for operational expenses. Deadlines for ARP Humanities Recovery Grants will be July 16 and August 16.
These grants are open to nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, state and local governmental agencies, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. Any applications from college or university entities must be focused on public-facing humanities programming beyond their campus community. Public libraries are not eligible to apply since the ARP has set aside funds for public libraries, which will be distributed by the Mississippi Library Commission. Arts-focused organizations should contact the Mississippi Arts Commission for information about its ARP grant program.
“Just as we did last year with CARES Act funds, the Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to be able to distribute these federal relief funds to help support our state’s cultural sector,” said MHC executive director Dr. Stuart Rockoff. “Our goal is to use these ARP funds to help a wide array of humanities-based cultural organizations recover from the challenges brought on by the pandemic and help them thrive in the future.”
More information about these grants, including grant guidelines and applications, can be found on the MHC website.
The MHC is hosting a virtual grant workshop May 27 and June 2. The workshop is free but registration is required.
