Grants Program
Supporting projects that encourage a deeper understanding of ourselves and others, foster wisdom in an age of information, and provide context in a time of change.
A program at The Telling Room funded by the MHC. ©Winky Lewis
Funded primarily by the State of Maine, the MHC Grants Program assists Maine’s nonprofit organizations in developing public projects that incorporate one or more humanities disciplines. We are particularly interested in supporting projects that:
- Stimulate meaningful community dialogue,
- Attract diverse public audiences,
- Are participatory and engaging,
- Invite discovery of the humanities in interesting and exciting ways,
- Incorporate the guidance of humanities professionals,
- Are free, and
- Are collaborative.
Projects in rural areas and those that reach intergenerational audiences are also of particular interest.
In 1965, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act created the NEA and the NEH as separate, independent agencies. From the founding legislation: “…it is necessary and appropriate for the Federal Government to help create and sustain…a climate encouraging freedom of thought, imagination, and inquiry…”
In 2016, the NEH’s budget represented just 0.003% of federal spending.
Number of state and jurisdictional humanities councils
Number of communities served by council programs nationwide
Number of organizations partnering with councils nationwide
