Rapid Response Grants

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Our Rapid Response Grants are quick turn-around small grants for humanities-focused community projects. We award Rapid Response Grants of up to $1,000. We do not use federal funding for Rapid Response Grants.

Fundable projects include:

Small projects that will be completed within six months after the award is made
New “pop-up” opportunities that offer humanities experiences and require a quick response.

See a list of recent Rapid Response Grant awards.

America 250 Rapid Response Grants

We’re delighted to announce that funding is now available for 501(c)(3) public charities, government entities, schools, and/or institutions of higher education to apply for a Rapid Response grant for programs in commemoration of America’s 250th year.

These grants of up to $1,000 are available on a rolling basis for community events happening between April 1 and July 31 or whenever funding runs out, whichever comes first.

How to apply

We review applications the first week of every month, and award notifications will be given by the following week. In order for your application to be considered, be sure to submit your application before the first day of the month.

Apply online using Submittable

Important!

To discourage fraud, the contact information you submit with your grant application MUST match the domain name address published on the organization’s website (or the fiscal agent’s website) in order for your application to be considered. If this presents a problem, please contact us at community@vermonthumanities.org before submitting your application.

Questions?

Please note: Due to drastic budget cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities, we no longer have the staffing capacity to hold one-on-one meetings with potential applicants.

About the review process

While reviewing grant proposals, a small committee consisting of Vermont Humanities staff and community reviewers will consider:

Are the humanities central to the project?
Does the project align with our Mission, Vision, and Values?
Who is the intended audience and how will the project benefit them?
Has the organization created a plan to include the whole community in the project?
Is the project ADA accessible?
How will the project evaluate its success?
Does the organization have the capacity to implement the proposed project successfully?

If awarded, we ask grantees to commit to:

Returning the signed Grant Agreement.
Providing us with event information for any activities open to the public.
Submitting a Final Report within 30 days after the project ends.

About Submittable

Vermont Humanities now uses the online Submittable platform to manage grant applications for a number of our programs, including Project Grants and Vermont Reads. Please note that you will be prompted to create a Submittable account in order to apply for a Vermont Humanities grant.

Learn more about using Submittable.

You can browse our Submittable homepage to view our available grant opportunities.

Vermont Humanities*** December 18, 2020