About CT Humanities

Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.

CTH has earned public trust through its responsible stewardship of federal, state, and private funds, its peer-review grant-making process, its online educational resources, and its work to support, stabilize, and strengthen the organizations and communities it serves.

CTH values and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in our workplace, on our board, with our partners, and through our funding.

CT Humanities is committed to workplace diversity and in our hiring practices seeks candidates who represent the diversity of the state, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, cultural background, and socioeconomic stratum.

Quick Grants 

Quick Grants support a wide range of community-oriented, public programs that help us understand and appreciate human history, culture, values, and beliefs. Quick Grants may fund implementation of small exhibitions, discussion-based public programs, local history tours, and community reading projects. All Quick Grant proposals must demonstrate significant humanities scholarship and content and must be:

• Open to the general public
• Free or low-cost to attend
• Clearly interpretive and based in the humanities

Quick Grants fund several project types, including exhibitions, walking tours, panel discussions, digital learning tools, and community reading projects.

Program Formats

• Exhibitions and Tours: These projects explore humanities themes through interpretive exhibitions or local tours. Project formats may include museum-style interpretive exhibits, online exhibitions and walking or driving tours.
• Community Events: Programs that get people talking—the audience experiences a film, performance, panel presentation or lecture and explores the deeper meaning of its themes and issues. Whatever the format, the program should feature opportunities for the audience to ask questions and actively engage with the presenters and topic being discussed.
• Community Reads Projects: Book-centered programs that go beyond traditional book clubs. They connect your community through a common reading experience with discussion and further learning about topics in the book. These programs may inspire action in your community or simply focus on deeper reflection on literature and learning.

Strengthening Nonprofits

Nonprofits need certain capacities to be able to meet their missions, including strong leadership, financial management, technology, fund development and communications. Providing funding to help organizations invest in these vital building blocks creates a strong operational infrastructure that builds efficiencies, improves program delivery and increases overall impact.

Building capacity in the nonprofit sector is more important than ever, as we continue to see need rise in our communities.

• 95% of nonprofits in Connecticut report that demand for services has increased in the last five years
• 40% of nonprofits state that demand has increased by more than 15%
• 73% of nonprofit executives feel they do not have the resources they need to develop their own leadership

Our approach focuses on:

• Funding key capacity building and organizational development initiatives that lead to stronger, more adaptable organizations.
• Empowering nonprofits to seek assistance that they deem to be the right fit and culturally-competent for the organization
• Prioritizing organizations who are addressing disparities within our communities
• Rejecting “readiness” myths which often further inequities in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector

Efforts we support include:

• Training and professional development opportunities to help staff or board build skills
• One-on-one coaching support with an expert in the field or professional consultant
• Organizational development projects including strategic planning, financial management systems, evaluation, fundraising, programming or communications.
• Work that increases the inclusive representation of BIPOC individuals in leadership positions on boards and nonprofit staff

The Connecticut Society for Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP-CT) is chapter of a national non-profit professional association of individuals involved or interested in environmental law, science, business and policy.  The applications will be judged based on the environmental benefits of each project, in comparison to others. “Environmental benefits” can vary widely and successful applications have ranged from property clean-ups to environmental education.

Mission

• encourage and promote the leadership, achievement, and professional and personal development of women in the environmental professions
• provide an informal setting for women in the environmental professions:
• to meet, share technical information and work experiences
• discuss unique issues affecting women environmental professionals nationally and
• to develop working relationships between those in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors
• educate members on new developments and current trends in the environmental field
• strengthen the skills of the members by addressing environmental issues, business relationships, leadership roles, mentoring and other substantive topics
• encourage and promote public service in the environmental field

About CT Humanities

Founded in 1974, Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.

CTH has earned public trust through its responsible stewardship of federal, state, and private funds, its peer-review grant-making process, its online educational resources, and its work to support, stabilize, and strengthen the organizations and communities it serves.

CTH values and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in our workplace, on our board, with our partners, and through our funding.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships support public humanities events, programs, and opportunities that help institutions serving the people of Connecticut explore and promote the enduring value of public humanities in our lives and civil society. CT Humanities (CTH) sponsorships are intended to fund activities that align with CTH’s mission and strategic goals and objectives, with the intent of providing visibility and access to strategic audiences that are not currently being served by CTH through its normal grantmaking and other initiatives.

Funding

CTH will provide funding up to $2,000 for an organization’s event in return for marketing visibility and exposure. Requests for higher sponsorship support may be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by CTH Staff prior to applying.

About CT Humanities

Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.

CTH has earned public trust through its responsible stewardship of federal, state, and private funds, its peer-review grant-making process, its online educational resources, and its work to support, stabilize, and strengthen the organizations and communities it serves.

CTH values and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in our workplace, on our board, with our partners, and through our funding.

CT Humanities is committed to workplace diversity and in our hiring practices seeks candidates who represent the diversity of the state, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, cultural background, and socioeconomic stratum.

Capacity Building Grants

Connecticut Humanities Fund (CTHF) Capacity Building Grants support Connecticut organizations that bring the humanities to the public. Grants are awarded to help organizations better understand their audiences, assets, and operations. Funded projects may include:

• Board assessments and training
• Strategic planning
• Marketing assessments and planning
• Audience assessments
• Financial assessments and planning
• Development (fundraising) assessments and planning
• Collections assessments and planning
• Interpretive assessments and planning
• Technology assessments and planning

About CT Humanities

Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources.

CTH has earned public trust through its responsible stewardship of federal, state, and private funds, its peer-review grant-making process, its online educational resources, and its work to support, stabilize, and strengthen the organizations and communities it serves.

CTH values and promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in our workplace, on our board, with our partners, and through our funding.

CT Humanities is committed to workplace diversity and in our hiring practices seeks candidates who represent the diversity of the state, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, cultural background, and socioeconomic stratum.

Public Presentation Planning Grants

Connecticut Humanities Fund (CTHF) Public Presentation Grants support projects that help us understand and appreciate human history, culture, values, and beliefs. They allow us to analyze our complex society and to make thoughtful, reasoned decisions based on inquiry, evaluation, and empathy.

The Public Presentation grant lines support projects from planning through implementation and the flexible funding range allows organizations to develop projects of all sizes. There are separate application forms and requirements for Planning Grants and Implementation Grants.

Planning Grants may be awarded to develop exhibitions, public programs, and interpretive digital media projects.

All Planning Grant proposals must demonstrate significant humanities scholarship and content and articulate clearly defined goals that will be achieved during the project.

NOTE: Before applying, organizations must contact the Director of Conservation ConneCTion via email to discuss your project idea. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are available to review draft applications received at least two weeks before the grant deadline. 

Collections Assessment Grant Program

The Collections Assessment Grant Program (CAG) provides small and mid-sized museums with a free assessment of their museum or archive collections. Successful grant applicants will receive a half-day site visit from a museum curator or archivist who will examines collections on exhibit, in storage, and policies and procedures related to collection care and management and provide a written report.

Every assessment report will include a prioritized list of recommendations for improving the care and management of collections. These recommendations are intended to help institutions decide where to invest limited resources, alert board members to collections care concerns, provide documentation that can support development of a long-range collection/preservation plan, and be used to fundraise for collection projects.

The Collection Assessment Grant Program (CAG) is funded by CT Humanities through a partnership with the Connecticut Heritage Foundation, based at the Connecticut State Library, and managed by Conservation ConneCTion.

Moving Image Fund Grants

The goal of LEF New England is to fund the work of independent documentary film and video artists in the region, and to broaden recognition and support for their work, both locally and nationally. It also supports programs that highlight the rich history and ongoing legacy of innovation within New England’s independent film community.

LEF New England launched the Moving Image Fund (MIF) in 2002 to support new film and video work. The Moving Image Fund provides funding across all phases of production, supporting films from the early risk-taking stage, through a film’s completion. In this way, MIF offers a continuum of support for selected projects, while also identifying new talent. Through MIF, LEF New England champions work that is provocative, heartfelt, and challenging in style and substance. Since its inception, LEF’s Moving Image Fund has supported over 300 independent filmmaker projects with approximately $4 million in funding. The overarching goal of LEF New England’s philanthropic investment is to help build a sustainable and strong community of support for artists and their work.Pre-Production FundingLEF invests in documentary film and video projects that demonstrate excellence in technique, originality of vision and voice, and creativity in form. The strongest proposals will be those that clearly articulate the ways in which the proposed project aligns with the program’s funding criteria.Funding Criteria: 

• Quality of cinematic form and technique
• Originality of filmmaker’s voice, vision, and point of view
• Resonance and power of the film’s core idea or story
• Feasibility of production

A maximum of (4) to (6) grants of $5,000 will be awarded to projects in the pre-production phase of development at one June deadline each year.Appropriate Use of Funds: Pre-production funds may be used for research, travel, location scouting, script or storyboard development, experimentation with shooting picture and sound, distribution planning, fundraising, creating a trailer, and schedule and budget development.

Housing Policy and Advocacy

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is pleased to announce a competitive grant opportunity focused on supporting policy and advocacy activities (such as administrative advocacy, state legislative advocacy and municipal advocacy) aimed at creating pathways to more accessible, affordable, stable and higher quality housing for residents of color, low-income residents, and/or residents experiencing unique housing barriers (such as returning citizens). Proposals may be focused on advocacy at the state level and/or the Greater Hartford region. 

Grants will fund activities to take place for up to one year, with a potential focus on the Winter/Spring 2023 legislative session. Grants may support advocacy around a variety of housing issues facing residents of color and low-income residents including, but not limited to, housing segregation, housing choice, housing quality, housing stability, reentry housing and pathways to more inclusive housing development. These efforts may include administrative lobbying, state- or municipal-level legislative and/or grassroots lobbying, as defined by Connecticut law. These efforts may also include resident and/or policymaker education through the creation of materials, forums, videos, etc. The Foundation does not support or oppose candidates for public office or make expenditures related to election ballots.

All proposals will be asked to describe to what extent activities are led/informed by resident voice, as well as the research basis for the proposed policy recommendations. Priority will be given to proposals that promote the leadership and voice of Hartford residents and residents who are persons of color. 

Award

The Hartford Foundation is open to requests for support of up to $25,000 that may include, but are not limited to: temporary staffing or stipends for volunteers, contracting for professional services, materials, marketing, or costs for virtual or in-person convenings (as long as they are in compliance with all federal and state public health regulations).