Grant Guidelines
Please read the following guidelines carefully before contacting RICH staff.
Fundable Activities
RICH grants support various phases of public humanities projects (from research and development to production) and many kinds of public humanities projects (from live discussion and presentation programs to broadcast media programs). As a rule, programs should be geared to a broad and diverse general audience.
Some Project Examples
• Humanities research and content development for live public programs as well as media programs (e.g., audio, video, and visual media) (maximum $5000) and technical assistance for development of humanities resources and archives.
• Production of live public programs as well as media programs including (but not limited to) talks and lectures, historical dramatizations, panel discussions, book or film discussions, workshops, exhibits, and documentary films and radio programs.
Fees and Public Access
All projects should connect the public with the humanities at no cost and be accessible.
Humanities Scholars Requirement
Projects undertaken by non-profit organizations must centrally involve humanities scholars in order to help ensure adequate representation of knowledge from one or more humanities disciplines in the project. Please refer to RICH's FAQs for definition of a humanities scholar as well as ideas for how to work with humanities scholars.
Multiple Perspectives Requirement
Projects must allow for differing points of view.
Publicity Budget Requirement
At least 15% of the amount requested from the Council must be allocated to publicity.
Cost-Share Requirement
The Council requires cost sharing of non-profit applicants. Individual applicants are exempt from this requirement. Cost sharing consists of the cash and inkind contributions made to the project by the applicant and third-parties, such as donated services, space, staff time, and goods. The total cost sharing must at least equal the total funds requested from the Council. Please note, any funds of federal origin cannot contribute to your match, but must be noted in your budget.
Logo Use and Acknowledgment Requirement
In the event of an award, grantees must prominently acknowledge Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Therefore, project-related publicity should be scheduled to take place at least eight weeks after submission of the grant application. The Council may disallow print and design costs for materials that omit acknowledgment or fail to use the Council logo.
Project Evaluation Requirement
For public events, the Council provides an audience survey template to grantees to help project director's evaluate their project's public impact. RICH requires project directors to administer the RICH Audience Survey at public events and to compile results in writing as part of the required final report. In exceptional cases, the Council may require other methods of independent evaluation based on the nature of the project (for example, in pilot projects that have potential for replication). In such cases, the Council will offer funds over and above the requested amount to support the cost of evaluation and may also assist project directors in finding an evaluator. Evaluations help the Council and our grantees learn how effective projects are in communicating humanities content, identify strengths, and cite areas in need of improvement.
Indirect Costs
"Indirect costs" are costs which are incurred by an organization in the execution of its activities but which cannot be readily identified with a particular activity. Indirect costs include general overhead costs, such as bank, payroll processing and audit fees; liability insurance; office equipment purchase or maintenance not directly related to the project; and salaries and benefits of executive or administrative personnel who are not directly engaged in the project. Organizations may request an indirect cost rate up to 15% of the total request to RICH.
Permanent Staffing
Major grant applicants may apply for up to $2000 to cover expenses related to direct staffing (including salaries and benefits) devoted to the execution of a funded project.
Honoraria Restriction and Personnel
RICH funds may be used to provide each project scholar with an honoraria up to $300, based on each scholar's level of involvement in the program. (Examples where an honoraria is appropriate include, but are not limited to: production of essays, lectures, or exhibit text; talk-backs and other one-off programs; workshops; program evaluation or consultation.)
In instances where the relationship between the scholar and institution is better represented by a contracted service agreement, RICH allows for requests up to $2000. In such cases, a letter of commitment from each scholar detailing his or her role in and commitment to the project is required, accompanied by a CV or resume. (Examples where scholars may be hired for contracted services include: long-term research projects; conducting oral histories; and scholar-in-residence agreements.)
With either case, the sponsoring organization may choose to further compensate the scholar using non-RICH funds.
Funding Colleges and Universities
Funding requests from institutions of higher education for on-campus programming intended exclusively for the campus community will not be accepted by RICH.
Funding requests from institutions of higher education for projects that are intended to serve the broader Rhode Island public are eligible to apply. These requests should exhibit strong community partnership or collaboration, well-defined publicity plan, and stated audience goals from outside campus.
Multi-Year Granting Policy
Funding decisions are made on an annual basis for all major program grants.
Hiatus
An applicant may apply for and receive up to four years of consecutive major grant funding for the same program. Following the fourth year of funding, an applicant must sit-out for two years before reapplying for the same program. This policy has been enacted to encourage diversity and to foster innovation in programming.
Bilingual Programming Policy
RICH accepts proposals for projects not conducted in English.
Unfundable Activities
Unfundable activities include the following: academic fees or other degree-related expenses; academic research; fellowships or scholarships; courses; foreign, non-economy, or extensive domestic travel; book publication; fundraising or for profit activities; restoration work; art creation or performances in the arts; construction work; equipment purchases; archival acquisitions; direct social action, such as counseling, legal, medical services, or economic development activities; political action; and food or beverages. Other restrictions may apply.
NEH Restrictions
RICH is responsible for ensuring that grantees are aware of the legal mandates that apply whenever federal funds are disbursed. For more information, ask to review the RICH Regrant Agreement, which is derived from NEH's General Terms and Conditions for Awards.
Other Restrictions
Review the "Budget Tip Sheet" or consult with staff for up-to-date information regarding funding limitations (e.g., scholar honoraria, project-related temporary staff, equipment, materials, supplies, evaluation, per diem, and mileage).
Loss of Eligibility to Apply
Failure to close an overdue grant will result in loss of eligibility to apply until satisfactorily remedied.
Resubmission of a Refused Application
The Council neither invites nor disallows resubmission of a previously refused application. However, consultation with staff is strongly advised prior to resubmission.
Printer-friendly version