Sustaining Humanities through the American Rescue Plan
General Operating Support Grants
and
Humanities Project Support Grants
Humanities Tennessee announced grants from the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP), made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on March 11, 2021. This program distributed more than $940,000 in grants to organizations across the state of Tennessee.
SHARP grants supported jobs in the humanities, kept humanities organizations open, and assisted the field in its response to and recovery from the needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants may focus on humanities projects or leveraging operational support stemming the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic. They may also help organizations plan for the future and begin the long process of response and recovery to the pandemic.
SHARP grants are designed to support Tennessee-based organizations doing work in the public humanities. Humanities Tennessee offers two different awards through this program:
- General Operating Support (GOS) grants are available for nonprofit organizations with a primary mission of public humanities education.
- Humanities Project Support (HPS) grants are available to nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is not public humanities (e.g., arts, sciences, or community/social services organizations) to undertake a public humanities project.
In order to apply, you must request a grant application (below) through our website. We will provide eligible applicants access to the application portal. This grant program is now closed.
SHARP Calendar
- NOW — Request access to the application (below)
- September 30, 2021 — Application access is available to eligible participants
- November 30, 2021 — Final Deadline
- December 31, 2021 — Award Notification
- January 1, 2022-November 30, 2022—-Project Period
- February 28, 2023—Final Reports Due
Applicants may request between $5,000 and $20,000 for either General Operating or Humanities Project support . Final award amounts will be determined during review of the entire applicant pool. Priority will be given to applicants with annual budgets under $1,000,000.
While there is no matching requirement for this award, the final report provides space for cost-sharing details of HPS grants. Operating support costs incurred since March 15, 2021 are eligible to be covered. Details of the use of SHARP grant funds include:
Tennessee-based nonprofits serving Tennesseans are eligible for either a SHARP GOS or HPS grant, such as: museums, libraries, historical societies, public television and radio corporations, arts organizations, churches and religious organizations, neighborhood and community groups, social service organizations.
Additionally, the applicant must:
The SHARP Grant program seeks to benefit Tennesseans experiencing pandemic-related hardship through the organizations that serve them, in particular those disproportionately affected by issues arising from the public health crisis, including under-resourced, rural and BIPOC communities.
Proposals are reviewed by an outside panel according to the following criteria, and grants are made by the Humanities Tennessee Board based on the panel’s recommendations:
Please review additional SHARP materials for more information:
SHARP Operating Support Grant Examples
SHARP Humanities Sample Project_Program Activities
Please join us for a virtual webinar via Zoom, “Applying for a SHARP Grant,” coming in October and November. Registration available here beginning September 30, 2021.
Virtual Office Hours
Humanities Tennessee will be hosting a series of virtual Zoom meetings about the SHARP Grant program. We will give an overview of the application process in the first twenty minutes followed by time for Q&A. These sessions will run for one hour each, or as long as questions remain. You will need to register for each session separately . Attendance at the sessions is not required for applicants but intended as help sessions and to answer questions.
- Session 1: Monday, November 1, 2021 at 1:00 PM CST // 2:00 PM EST
- Session 2: Monday, November 8, 2021 at 1:00 PM CST // 2:00 PM EST
- Session 3: Monday, November 15, 2021 at 1:00 PM CST // 2:00 PM EST
- Session 4: Monday, November 22, 2021 at 1:00 PM CST // 2:00 PM EST