Opportunity Grants

Wisconsin Humanities grants are for nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education; state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments that have a Wisconsin-based EIN/Tax ID Number. Some examples are historical societies, libraries, colleges, schools, civic organizations, and museums. We do not fund individuals or for-profit organizations. An ad hoc group or for-profit organization must have a programmatic partner and fiscal sponsor.

Wisconsin Humanities does not fund:

• Projects that don’t engage the humanities
• Direct social services or mental health services
• Projects primarily for college or university campus audiences
• Book production projects
• Strictly archival projects
• Building construction or renovation
• Projects whose main purpose is advocacy
• Projects with ineligible expenses—review these in the Grant Instructions PDF
• Projects with activity timelines of more than 2 years (with limited exception)

Advocacy is defined by the NEH as: Promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view; Advocacy of a particular program of social or political action; or Support of specific public policies or legislation.

Wisconsin Humanities does not fund:

• Capital expenditures
• Expenses related to fundraising
• Expenses related to an archival project
• Museum acquisitions
• Re-granting of WH funds
• Book productions

As defined by Wisconsin Humanities, capital expenditures are funds used to purchase equipment or materials that will have a significant working life after the end of the grant project period. For example, a camera for filming a documentary or a laptop computer for editing and organizing digital materials. Rental of these types of items may be considered for funding if doing so makes economic sense. If you have questions about the eligibility of a particular item, you are encouraged to consult with WH staff before submitting your proposal.

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.

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.

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. 

Sample Opportunity Budget PDF  

Sample Opportunity Budget Description PDF

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.