Vermont Humanities

Rapid Response Grants

Helping humanities happen throughout Vermont.
Group on tour in snowy Burlington
Grants

Established in 2020, Vermont Humanities’ Rapid Response Grants are quick turn-around small grants for humanities-focused community projects. We award Rapid Response Grants of up to $1,000.

Fundable projects include:

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

Our Rapid Response Grant awards in 2021 included the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s: Music for Days Like This: Artists of Color, a unique combination of classical and jazz music, visual art and poetry by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) artists.

VIEW RECENT RAPID RESPONSE GRANT AWARDS

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra's Music for Days Like This logo over a sunset and mountains

How to Apply

Rapid Response Grant applications are reviewed monthly. If you submit your application by the first of the month, you will be notified of the award decision by the 15th of the same month.

To apply for a rapid response grant, complete our online application form. We welcome you to view the questions on the application ahead of time. We welcome you to contact us if you have any questions either through our grant inquiry form, by emailing rfranzoni@vermonthumanities.org or by calling (802) 262-1355.

Apply for a rapid response grant

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?
  • Who is the intended audience and how will the project benefit them?
  • Has the organization created a plan to include diversity, equity, and inclusion principles?
  • 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 90 days after the project ends.
Vermont Humanities*** December 18, 2020

Poet Sarah Audsley in a black dress in front of a large gray rock.

Poet Sarah Audsley joined us at the Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park for Words in the Woods.

Group of students walking on a boardwalk into the woods

Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.

Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin with students in front of a schoolbus

We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”

Group on tour in snowy Burlington

We supported Historic New England’s “More than a Market” project that explored the experiences of new Americans through food markets.

Woman raising her hand during a public event

Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.