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Alabama Humanities Foundation opened the application process today on $500,000 in CARES Act relief grant funding in support of Alabama nonprofits that have demonstrated a commitment to public humanities programming.

Applications are online at: https://www.alabamahumanities.org/ahf-cares/. Applications will be open for a first round through May 15. Additional applications will be taken on a rolling weekly basis until all funds are expended.

AHF plans to award grants of up to $15,000 to nonprofit organizations statewide that provide humanities programming as a significant part of their mission.

Grants are for general operating expenses, including salaries, rent, property maintenance, utilities, supplies and equipment. No matching funds are required.

To be eligible, an organization must:

• Provide public humanities programming as a significant part of its mission.
• Be a registered nonprofit organization with a federal DUNS number.
• Be physically located in Alabama and have Alabama residents as its primary audience.
• Be experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AHF crafted guidelines for the grants based on a survey it conducted to identify the greatest needs of nonprofit organizations in Alabama as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. More than 100 organizations across the state responded to that survey.

The grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronovirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act) of 2020 just passed by Congress. 

“We are so grateful for the support. These funds are critical for the museums, cultural and community centers, libraries and historic sites across Alabama that are hard hit by the pandemic,” AHF Executive Director Lynn Clark said. “Our goal is to reach statewide into areas that may receive few other cultural resources. We strongly encourage everyone to apply, even if they have not done so before now.”

About the Alabama Humanities Foundation

Alabama Humanities Foundation mission is to foster learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures. As the independent, state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the AHF supports and offers programs that will enhance the minds and enrich the lives of Alabamians.