Opportunity Grants
AMOUNT
Up to $4,000
FOR
Nonprofit
Organizations
based in WI
DEADLINES
- July 1st at 5:00 pm
(Decision by August 9th) - November 1st at 5:00 pm
(Decision by December 6th) - March 1st at 5:00 pm
(Decision by April 9th)
Opportunity Grants open the door for smaller organizations that are building healthier communities one public program at a time.
When you receive a WH grant, you become part of a vibrant statewide network of communities like yours, working together to address critical issues. Opportunity Grants support cultural sharing and learning, and your telling of crucial, underheard stories and histories. We support initiatives that foster understanding and civic engagement.
Nonprofits in underserved and rural communities are especially encouraged to apply. Tell us more about you!
“When Rubber Hit The Road: The Loss and Legacy of Uniroyal,” a documentary film funded in 2023
Funding Priorities for Opportunity Grants
Wisconsin Humanities is committed to funding organizations that have been historically underserved statewide and recognizes that every community has stories to share, traditions to explore, and challenges to tackle. All nonprofits in Wisconsin are eligible to apply and we encourage organizations who meet any of the following points below to apply.
- Led by or primarily serving Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC); members of religious minorities; women and girls, LGBTQI+ persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality; and individuals who belong to multiple such communities.
- With annual expenditures of less than $500,000 in the last completed fiscal year.
“Whose Land? Race, Settlement and Dispossession in Rural and Urban Wisconsin” with Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, funded in 2021
Step 1: Determine Eligibility
If you are a first-time applicant, it is extremely important that you first confirm whether your project is eligible for funding from Wisconsin Humanities. Schedule a 20-30 minute consultation with our Grants Director: meghan.dudle@wisconsinhumanities.org
As of January 15th, 2024, WH can award organizations a maximum of two grants in a 24-month period. After being awarded this maximum, the organization must take a one-year break before applying again.
Applicants from organizations such as city departments, academic departments at institutions of higher education, and departments/branches of organizations with multiple locations are considered separate organizations. Please consult with WH staff if you have questions.
Requirements
Wisconsin Humanities grants are for nonprofit organizations. Some examples are historical societies, libraries, colleges, schools, civic organizations, or an ad hoc group with a nonprofit serving as programmatic partner and fiscal sponsor.
Wisconsin Humanities does not fund:
- For-profit organizations or Individuals
- Organizations based out-of-state or without a Wisconsin EIN
- Projects that don’t engage the humanities
- Book production projects
- Strictly archival projects
- Building construction or renovation
- Projects whose main purpose is advocacy
As of April 4, 2022 the federal government requires a 12-character UEI (Unique Entity Identification) for all Wisconsin Humanities grant recipients.
Organizations that have an active or inactive registration in the federal government's "System for Award Management" already have been assigned a UEI (SAM) and that ID is viewable on the organization's registration record at https://sam.gov/content/home.
All other applicants will need to go to https://sam.gov/content/home to request a UEI (SAM). For more information on how to get a UEI (SAM) please see this quick guide.
To get a UEI on SAM.gov you must provide your entity’s legal business name and physical address. A post office box may not be used as your physical address. The system may also ask for your organization’s date and state of incorporation for validation. Some organizations (entities) may be asked to provide additional business documents to establish their identity.
All grants require matching funds or in-kind effort from applicants equal to or greater than the amount requested from Wisconsin Humanities. They include any known sources of grants or gifts, any cash or in-kind contributions, and any sources of revenue, such as admission fees. Examples of in-kind match include the dollar value of facilities, services, talents, and time contributed to the project.
Funds cannot be awarded retroactively. To be eligible for a Wisconsin Humanities grant, all expenses and all of the required matching expenditures must occur after the award date of the grant.
A strong public humanities project involves a variety of people with humanities knowledge and experience relevant to the proposed project. The following are examples of people who could serve successfully as “project personnel" designing, consulting and/or implementing projects that receive WH grants.
- A community or tribal elder: someone recognized by their community as a keeper of cultural knowledge, historical or place-based knowledge or practices
- A person with a humanities degree (BA, MA, PhD)
- A culture bearer: someone with special expertise in the lifeways, traditions and worldviews of a culture
- A person with special insight and expertise from their lived experience
- A practitioner in a humanities field (for example-storyteller, poet, local historian)
- An individual who has worked on public humanities projects for a museum, library or cultural institution
We encourage project personnel to bring experience working with a public audience and a demonstrated ability to encourage empathy, multiple points of view, and shared understanding between people.
Step 2: Application Process
Opportunity Grant Applicants may choose to submit a written application or schedule an appointment by Zoom (see below to learn more).
The best way to prepare for either type of application is to download the Opportunity Grant Application Instructions. Please pay attention to all requirements and application sections.
Written applications must be submitted through our online portal. We recommend writing your project description first offline. Then you can copy-and-paste it into the online application. You may also want to download and fill out the forms so you are ready to upload them into the online application.
Request A Video Appointment
If you are a new grant writer, have a staff of five or less without a grant writer on staff, and would prefer to submit the application information during an online appointment, reach out to meghan.dudle@wisconsinhumanities.org at least four weeks ahead of the application deadline to arrange a time to talk. During this Zoom session, you will be invited to share your finalized thoughts on the project you are proposing and provide detailed responses to each section of the application. Please note that a limited number of appointments are available based on our own small staff capacity. Conversations will be recorded and transcribed, and you will have the chance to approve the final document. A few required forms still need to be filled out and uploaded.
Draft Review
You can request a review of your draft application from our Grant Program staff. Contact us at least three weeks before the grant deadline to ensure a thorough review of your draft BEFORE you hit ‘submit'. Contact meghan.dudle@wisconsinhumanities.org
This sample PDF is for your information, but should not be used to formally apply. To apply, you must use the online application form.
Our opportunity grants are reviewed by members of our board and three community reviewers using the criteria listed below. Our grant program staff are not involved in funding decisions.
We understand that not every project will address every criteria and that’s ok. But we want applicants to know what reviewers are looking for.
- Reflects the interests or needs of the community (cultural, geographic, or other) being served.
- Promotes the formation and strengthening of connections within communities, between community organizations, and/or the larger community.
- Brings people together to explore and share ideas where both commonalities and differences are reflected upon with empathy.
- Fosters observation, inquiry, analysis, and/or reflection.
- Firmly grounded in the public humanities and engages the skills and knowledge of humanities personnel and community members in ways that provide insight and meaning, and that respect local knowledge and ways of knowing.
- Promotes Wisconsinites’ understanding of the character and conditions – past, present, and future – of the places in which we dwell, and the ways in which we live.
- Helps organizations advance their mission by strengthening or extending their capacity.
- The organization is led by and primarily engages underserved populations in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Humanities funds digital humanities projects such as short videos, full-length film documentaries, websites, video games, podcasts, and other audio projects. Digital projects may also be part of a larger project such as an exhibit, or the cumulative effort of a larger humanities-based program. A digital humanities project should not be strictly archival. Instead, it must engage the public and be publicly accessible.
If the project you seek funds for is primarily to develop a website, digital game, film, or podcast you should answer the digital humanities questions on the application. These specific questions are detailed in the Opportunity Grant Application Instructions. Please read them before applying.
Step 3: Required Forms
You will be prompted to upload forms in the online application. All forms can be downloaded while you are working online or in advance on our Forms & Resources Page. Whether writing or utilizing our video application, the forms will need to be uploaded to the grant portal.
We require you use our Budget Form to itemize your expenses. You will also be able to describe your budget request in the budget description section in the online application.
The IRS W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number form should match the Fiscal Sponsor Organization that has a Wisconsin EIN.
Both the Project Director and the Fiscal Agent must sign this form. The signed form certifies the participation of project personnel identified in the Project Personnel Forms.
Step 4: Submission
1. CREATE AN ACCOUNT FOR OUR ONLINE PORTAL
All applications must be submitted electronically through our online portal. If you need assistance with creating an account, see this guide.
To start, you will create an organization identity for the Fiscal Sponsor Organization. This is the organization to whom the check will be written if you are awarded a grant. The Fiscal Sponsor Organization must have a UEI and be based in Wisconsin.
If your organization is NOT able to receive funds on its own behalf, create an account using your Fiscal Sponsor’s information.
2. FILL IN THE APPLICATION
To apply, select the Opportunity Grant round you want to apply to, then respond to all prompts and upload all forms. If you don’t see the round you are looking for, it is not yet ‘open’ in the system. Come back three months before the deadline. If you need to collaborate with other team members the “collaborate” button in the upper right hand corner of the page will allow you to share the application.
3. SEEK REVIEW
If you want to have your draft reviewed, you need to do it before you click 'submit' on your application. Contact meghan.dudle@wisconsinhumanities.org to set up a review at least three weeks before the deadline.
4. SUBMIT
When your application is ready click 'submit.' You need to do this before the deadline, 5 pm on the date the application is due.
READY TO APPLY?
GO TO ONLINE APPLICATION ➞
Opportunity Grants
Q & A Sessions
Join us for an hour-long virtual Q & A session and overview of the Opportunity Grants! Register below by clicking on the date that works for you and bring your application questions.
DATES: COMING SOON
