Mini-Grants

Mini-Grants

Mini-grants fund up to $2,500 of the costs associated with public humanities programs. These small grants are easy to apply for and administer and are available on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Eligible Organizations

Eligible organizations include, but are not limited to, museums, libraries, cultural centers, historical associations, city governments, county judge offices, community colleges, and school districts. Applicants must have an active, publicly searchable System for Award Management Unique Entity ID (SAM UEI). Visit www.SAM.gov to check your registration status. Refer to our applicant help document for assistance with the SAM UEI.

Eligible Programming

Mini-grants support public programs in the humanities. Humanities content, themes, and topics include, but are not limited to, the following: history, literature, heritage, art history, philosophy, social sciences, and contemporary society and culture.

Eligible programs can take many different formats, such as book discussions, conferences, lectures and panel discussions, exhibitions, festivals, film screenings, living history, media productions, oral history, workshops, and educational digital and web media.

If you are interested in applying for a grant to cover the cost of renting a Humanities Texas traveling exhibition, follow the link to learn more about our new exhibition grants.

All funded programs are firmly grounded in the humanities and are directed to the general public, both adults and young people, outside of the regular school or college classroom. Programs targeting special audiences such as K–12 teachers, ethnic and community groups, or professional groups are also welcome.

Eligible Costs

Mini-grants can cover many categories of program expenditures, including personnel, consultants, honorarium, travel, promotion, program evaluation, and other related program costs.

Apply

Humanities Texas has transitioned to an online application system. All applicants must submit their applications via the grants portal. If you cannot access the portal, please contact our grants team. If you do not have reliable internet service or have other accessibility needs, please email our team or call us at 512.440.1991. Please read the grant guidelines document for more information on our grants program.

• Grant guidelines
• Mini-grant detailed budget template
• Mini-grant model detailed budget
• Mini-grant application transcript
• Grant ranking rubric

Application Deadlines

Mini-grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but applications must be received at least six weeks before the grant period start date. The grant period must begin the first day of the month that promotion and/or project activities begin. Decisions are made within ten business days after submission of an eligible application.

Application Best Practices

To ensure your application is competitive, grants staff recommend the following considerations when crafting your proposal:

• Ensure your program has a single activity with clear outcomes.
• Include planning and promotion in your proposal.
• Verify you are selecting an eligible grant period (must begin on the first of the month, at least six weeks from the date you apply).

How Funding Decisions Are Made

The Humanities Texas executive director and staff, with the authorization of the Board of Directors, review mini-grants. Projects are evaluated based on Humanities Texas's organizational mission and grants guidelines. Of particular importance are the quality of each project's conception and design, the strength of its humanities component, and the extent to which it will meet the intellectual, cultural, or professional needs and interests of its target audience(s) in Texas. Priority is given to applications from Texas-based organizations, organizations located in underserved counties, and organizations that have not received funding in the past ten years. Refer to the grant ranking rubric for more information on how grant applications are scored.