General Guidelines

Begin with a review of the entire MHC Grants section on this web site. (Links to the left.)

Consult with Staff
To help determine the feasibility of a project, prospective applicants should discuss their project idea with a member of MHC staff. The staff can often suggest scholars, programming ideas, collaboration possibilities, approaches to publicity, and alternative funding strategies. Staff members are willing answer questions throughout the grant-writing process and, in the case of Major and Infrastructure Grants, they will also review drafts of your application and provide suggestions for improvement.

Be sponsored by a nonprofit organization, such as a museum, library, school, college, historical society, church or community service group. Out-of-state organizations with projects of special interest to Maine people are usually required to have a Maine sponsor.

Have an interpretive focus, by drawing topics and themes directly from one or more disciplines of the humanities, and doing something to help the audience put the topic into context.

For example: a performance of multicultural music is an arts project. It becomes a humanities project if something is done to help the audience understand the history or the cultural significance of the music. This could be accomplished through narration between program items, or a pre-concert lecture by a humanities scholar. The goal is to give the audience a chance to understand the art and its context.

Involve a humanities consultant/scholar in the research, planning and implementation stages (except in the case of some special grant programs). A scholar can help to frame and conceptualize a project. Indication of expertise can include a college-level teaching position, an advanced degree, a record of scholarship, publishing, speaking, or professional experience, or an acknowledged reputation for special knowledge. MHC program staff can help you identify a humanities scholar with whom to work. Small Planning Grants (up to $500) are available to offset the costs of bringing experts and project participants together to help conceptualize and plan larger humanities projects. MHC staff can advise applicants in locating scholars/consultants and defining their roles.

Include a public program, or planning for a public program, designed to engage either the general public or specifically targeted audiences, such as professional, ethnic or community groups. Describe plans to use the materials or findings generated by the project after it ends through a library, historical society or other resource.

Provide balanced viewpoints consistent with MHC’s educational, non-partisan mission. All projects must evidence a spirit of inquiry, a balance between critical and celebratory perspectives, and provide a range of viewpoints and informed opinions. This is especially true when projects treat highly charged issues.

Provide at least a one-to-one match. The grant award must be matched by either cash or in-kind support, or a combination of both, which may come from a third-party or directly from the applicant. In other words, 50% of the total project costs must come from sources other than an MHC award. In-kind contributions may include time and materials, office space and equipment, travel, donated services and other non-cash donations. It is important to MHC to show that grant funds leverage additional resources, so please include ALL match, even when it is more than 50%. (Infrastructure grants require a 1:1 cash match.)

Present a clear publicity plan to reach the desired audience. From press releases to community television and radio public service announcements and listservs all provide inexpensive ways to help spread the word. MHC staff members can often assist you in identifying publicity opportunities.

Project formats might include: