Grants

How to Apply for Mini and Major Grants
 

Eligibility

Nonprofit organizations and state and local governmental entities are eligible to receive Humanities Texas support. Applicants must have an active account on the System for Award Management (SAM) and have a Unique Entity ID (UEI).

Grant Formats

Mini-grants

Mini-grants fund up to $2,000 of the costs associated with public humanities programs. These small grants—which are easy to apply for and administer, and are available on a rolling basis throughout the year—are particularly appropriate for funding a speaker and/or the rental of a traveling exhibition, including those provided by Humanities Texas. Before submitting a mini-grant application for a Humanities Texas exhibition rental, please complete our online rental form.

Major grants for community projects

Major grants for community projects fund up to $20,000 of the costs for comprehensive public programs such as lectures, seminars, and conferences; book and film discussions; interpretive exhibitions and materials; town forums and civic discussions; and teacher workshops. Programs should reflect substantial participation by both humanities scholars and members of the target audience(s).

Major grants for media projects

Major grants for media projects fund up to $20,000 of the costs for film, radio, television, or interactive programming related to the humanities. Applicants may request funds for any phase of the project, including scripting, development, production, post-production, and in some cases, distribution and free public screenings. Humanities scholars should play an integral role in determining the content and approach of the project.

Application Deadlines

Mini-grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but applications must be received at least six weeks before the grant period start date (grant periods must begin the first day of the month that promotion and/or project activities begin). Decisions are made within ten business days after submission of an eligible application.

Major grant applications are accepted twice each year. The spring deadline is March 15; the fall deadline is September 15. If the deadline falls on a weekend, then the deadline extends to the following Monday. Major grant applicants must submit a Letter of Intent one month prior to submitting a final application: the spring deadline is February 15 and the fall deadline is August 15.

Grant Guidelines and Applications

Humanities Texas transitioned to an online application system. Our grants portal can be accessed here: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=htg

All applicants must submit their applications on the grants portal. If you cannot access the portal, please contact our grants team. If you do not have reliable internet, or have other accessibility needs, please email our team or call us at 512-440-1991. Please read our guidelines for more information on our grants program. Use the detailed budget template when submitting your budget on the application.

• Grant guidelines
• Major grant detailed budget template
• Mini-grant detailed budget template

Assistance in Applying

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Humanities Texas prior to submitting an application. Use the materials below as guides when preparing your application.

• Grant ranking rubric
• Major grant model detailed budget
• Mini-grant model detailed budget

How Funding Decisions Are Made

The Humanities Texas Board of Directors reviews major grant proposals; the executive director and staff, with the authorization of the Board, review mini-grants. Projects are evaluated on the basis of Humanities Texas's organizational mission and grants guidelines. Of particular importance are the quality of each project's conception and design, the strength of its humanities component, and the extent to which it will meet the particular intellectual, cultural, or professional needs and interests of its target audience(s) in Texas. Priority is given to applications from Texas-based organizations, organizations based in underserved counties, and organizations that have not received funding in the past five years. Refer to the rubric for more information on how grant applications are scored.