Press Releases

JULY 7, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ERIC LUPFER AT ELUPFER@HUMANITIESTEXAS.ORG OR 512.440.1991

Humanities Texas Awards $1.1 Million in Relief Grants
 

AUSTIN, TX: Humanities Texas is pleased to announce over $1.1 million in Relief Grants for 198 Texas cultural and educational nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relief  Grant recipients include museums, libraries, preservation organizations and heritage and cultural centers, among many others. These organizations administer humanities programs that have significant impact  within their  communities  and  demonstrated immediate need as a result of the pandemic. 

"This is a time of widespread hurt for the many cultural organizations in our state that provide beauty, insight and inspiration in both good times and bad," said Chase Untermeyer of Houston, chair of the Humanities Texas board of directors. "Their need is much larger than the funds we had to disburse, but we are glad to help at least some in greatest difficulty."

Relief Grant recipients are located in 96 towns and cities across the state. Small and rural organizations were strongly encouraged to apply. Of the recipients, half have annual budgets of less than $300,000. Nearly a third of the grants will go to organizations in communities of 20,000 people or fewer.

The objective of the Relief Grants is to help Texas cultural and educational organizations remain vital to their communities in this difficult time. Grants can cover both operating and programming expenses, enabling recipients to pay overhead costs, retain staff, shift in-person programming to online and make resources available to those who depend on them for education and connection.

"We are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide critical support to so many organizations across the state," said Humanities Texas Executive Director Eric Lupfer. "We will continue to seek ways to assist Texas cultural and educational institutions in surviving this crisis."

Funding for these grants is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law on March 27, 2020.  

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A complete list of Humanities Texas Relief Grants is available online.

Humanities Texas, based in Austin, Texas, is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to advance education through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, support libraries and museums and create opportunities for lifelong learning for all Texans.