As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which became law on March 27, 2020, the National Endowment for the Humanities received $75 million to protect at-risk humanities positions and projects at museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, colleges and universities, and other cultural nonprofits that have been financially impacted by the coronavirus. Of that total, $30 million was distributed to Maryland Humanities and our 55 sister state and territorial councils for emergency grantmaking to the public humanities community.
The goal of this new fund—our $515,000 CARES Act Emergency Relief Grants Fund—is to help sustain Maryland’s infrastructure to ensure that organizations can continue to provide opportunities for public humanities programming and civic learning in Maryland’s diverse communities during this unprecedented time. Grants will support nonprofit general operating expenses. Eligible nonprofit organizations include: museums, historic sites, preservation and historical societies, and community and cultural organizations with a significant humanities focus.
We accepted applications to the Fund from May 1 through May 11, which were then screened for eligibility. Ultimately 119 applications were reviewed by members of our Grants Committee with a focus on both need and geographic location in an effort to disperse funds to all regions of the state. One hundred awards of $5,150 each were approved, and all applicants were notified on May 29.
*GRANT RECIPIENTS: Click here to access your Final Report in the grants portal.*
CARES Act Emergency Relief Grants Fund Recipients
- Allegany County
Allegany Museum
Evergreen Heritage Center Foundation
Frostburg Museum Association, Inc. - Anne Arundel County
Banneker Douglass Museum Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Chesapeake Children’s Museum
Galesville Community Center
Severn Crossroads Foundation (Baldwin Hall) - Baltimore City
Afro Charities
Bach in Baltimore/Bach Concert Series, Inc.
Baltimore Architecture Foundation
Beloved Community Services Corp
B’nai Israel Congregation
CHARM/Writers In Schools
CityLit Project
DewMore Baltimore
DreamWorks CDC, Inc.
Friends of President Street Station
Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (Fusion Partnerships, Fiscal Sponsor)
Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum | MSU Foundation
Mid-Atlantic Regional Moving Image Archive
MTM Foundation, Inc.
Muse 360 Arts
New Lens
The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture
Poe Baltimore
Raymond Banks ‘A Way With Words’ Foundation
The Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fell’s Point
Star-Spangled Banner Flag House Association, Inc. - Baltimore County
Baltimore County Historical Society, Inc./Historical Society of Baltimore County
Fire Museum of Maryland, Inc.
Friends of Jerusalem Mill
Maryland Lynching Memorial Project
Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
Preservation Alliance of Baltimore County
SeaAffinity, Inc.
Todd’s Inheritance Historic Site
Writing Hearts, Inc. - Calvert County
Bayside History Museum
Calvert County Historical Society
Southern Maryland Community Resources, Inc. - Caroline County
Caroline County Council of Arts
Federalsburg Historical Society, Inc. - Carroll County
Union Mills Homestead Foundation, Inc.
- Cecil County
Port Deposit Heritage Corporation
- Charles County
Farm Heritage Conservancy
Life Journeys Writers Club
Maryland Veterans Museum at Patriot Park
Neighborhood Creative Arts Center
Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco - Dorchester County
Cambridge Community Radio, Inc.
Cambridge Main Street
Richardson Maritime Museum, Inc. - Frederick County
African-American Resources Cultural Heritage Society (AARCH)
Brunswick Potomac Foundation, Inc.
Catoctin Furnace Historical Society
Frederick County Landmarks Foundation
The Global Z Recording Project - Garrett County
Garrett County Historical Society
Garrett Lakes Arts Festival - Harford County
The Friends of the Concord Point Lighthouse
Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, Inc.
The Historical Society of Harford County, Inc.
Hosanna Community House, Inc./Hosanna School Museum
Steppingstone Museum Association, Inc.
Susquehanna Museum of Havre de Grace, Inc. - Howard County
Howard County Historical Society
- Kent County
Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc.
G.A.R. Post #25, Inc./Sumner Hall - Montgomery County
Ally Theatre Company
Docs In Progress
Heritage Tourism Alliance of Montgomery County
Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association/Association of Vietnamese Americans
Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation Ltd. - Prince George's County
Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, Inc.
Educare Resource Center, Inc.
Global Health and Education Projects, Inc.
James Agee Film Project
Laurel Historical Society
National Capital Radio and Television Museum
People for Change Coalition
Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center
Sound Theory Urban Development Youth Outreach
The 13th Man - Queen Anne's County
Queen Anne’s County Arts Council
- Somerset County
Crisfield and Smith Island Cultural Alliance Inc.
Crisfield Heritage Foundation - Talbot County
Character Counts Mid Shore, Inc.
Chesapeake Film Festival
Oxford Community Center, Inc.
Oxford Museum - Washington County
Doleman Black Heritage Museum, Inc.
Hagerstown Aviation Museum, Inc.
Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, Inc.
Sharpsburg Historical Society, Inc.
Washington County Historical Society - Wicomico County
Tri Community Mediation
- Worcester County
Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum, Inc.
Friends of the Julia A. Purnell Museum
Rackliffe House Trust, Inc.
- Grant Guidelines
General Information
- No matching funds are required.
- Grants will be available to non-profit organizations located in Maryland that provide humanities programming as a significant part of their mission and that are facing financial hardship due to COVID-19.
- Grants are available for general operating expenses only. These include expenses such as salaries, rent, utilities, supplies, and equipment. Organizations seeking humanities programming support should apply for Maryland Humanities’ Mini or Major grants.
Process
- Application Opens: May 1, 2020
- Application Deadline: May 11, 2020, 11:59 p.m. or upon receipt of 125 applications, whichever occurs first
- Award Date: May 30, 2020
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for a Maryland Humanities CARES Act Grant, an organization must:
- Offer humanities programming to Marylanders as a significant part of its mission. The humanities include disciplines such as history, literature, film studies, art criticism, and philosophy.
- Be physically located in Maryland and have Maryland residents as its primary audience.
- Have a maximum total annual budget of $300,000.
- Be experiencing or expect to experience financial hardship due to the effects of COVID-19. (Examples include, but are not limited to, staffing cutbacks or reduction in work hours, suspension of programming or activities, or loss of revenue)
- Obtain and retain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. (D&B), which uniquely identifies business entities. A DUNS number may be obtained from D&B by telephone at 866.705.5711 or by clicking here to register online or to look up your organization’s number. You need not have your DUNS number at the time of application.
Those not eligible for funding include:
- Individuals
- For-profit organizations
- Organizations with annual operating budgets of more than $300,000
- Organizations solely focused on the arts
- Political or Advocacy Organizations
- Government agencies and libraries
- Universities, colleges, and academic departments
- K-12 institutions
Restrictions
Activities not supported by this grant include:
- Promotion of a particular political religious, or ideological point of view
- Advocacy of a particular program of social or political action
- Support of specific public policies or legislation
- Lobbying
- Purchase of land or facilities, construction, or renovation
Funding Priorities
- General operating support for humanities, heritage, and cultural organizations that have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
- Support organizations throughout all regions of the state.
Other Emergency Funding Resources for Cultural Organizations
You may also be interested in learning about other emergency funding programs offered in response to COVID-19. Here’s a partial list of opportunities for which your organization may be eligible: