open Grants Opportunities
COMMUNITY CULTURE & HERITAGE GRANT
Amount: $10,000
Applications Open: December 8, 2025
Application Due: February 18, 2026 at 5:59 pm
RFP | Application Questions | Grant Program Workshop
Supports public preservation of local culture, collective memories, and unfolding stories of DC residents. Eligibility: Individuals, community groups, schools/institutions, organizations & local businesses
VISIONS – PROJECTS + EVENTS GRANT
Amount: $25,000
Applications Open: December 8, 2025
Application Due: February 18, 2026 at 5:59 pm
RFP | Application Questions | Grant Program Workshop
Supports nonprofit organizations to create public interpretations of humanities scholarship. Eligibility: Humanities Practitioners, Schools/institutions, non-profit organizations
DC ORAL HISTORY COLLABORATIVE – ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWING GRANT
Amount: $8,000
Applications Open: December 8, 2025
Application Due: February 18, 2026 at 5:59 pm
RFP | Application Questions | Grant Program Workshop
Supports collection, transcription, and archiving of new oral histories; additional funds available for translation. Eligibility: Individuals, community groups, schools/institutions, organizations & local businesses
RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS
Frequently Asked Questions and Tips
Upcoming Info Sessions and Workshops
Recorded 2025 Grants Info Sessions
Scroll to the bottom for additional applicant support materials.
Upcoming opportunities
DC Oral History Collaborative –
Beyond the Archives Grant
Amount: $12,000
Applications Open: March 2026
Available to individuals and organizations to utilize oral history collections in public projects.
DC Oral History Collaborative – Continuing Oral History Projects Grant
Amount: $8,000
Applications Open: March 2026
Available to prior DC Oral History Collaborative grantees to continue adding interviews to an existing collection.
General Operating Support Grant
Amount: $25,000
Applications Open: March 2026
Supports the general operations of humanities-focused nonprofits with budgets of under $2 million
Cycle 2 grants will open in March 2026.
These grant opportunities are supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
APPLICANT SUPPORT
INFO SESSIONS – for prospective applicants who may have a project in mind, but aren’t sure which grant program is the right fit
HumanitiesDC’s Community Grants Information Sessions provide an overview of all of our upcoming grant opportunities and general information about our application process and eligibility requirements. These sessions are best for potential applicants who aren’t sure which grant program to apply for and would like information about all our offerings.
Sign up to attend a virtual or in-person workshop. Info sessions provide a broad overview of each grant program and our overall grant process; workshops go deeper into the application questions and grant requirements.
View previously recorded info sessions and workshops
GRANT PROGRAM WORKSHOPS – best for those applicants who have reviewed the grant opportunities and are interested in a particular grant program
These are in-depth sessions delving into a specific grant program’s funding scope, eligibility requirements, application questions, and review criteria. All sessions are available on our grants youtube playlist.
- Community Culture & Heritage – Monday, January 12, 2026 at 12pm
- Oral History Interviewing – Wednesday January 14, 2026 at 12pm
- Visions – Projects + Events – Friday, January 16, 2026 at 12pm
VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS – for applicants with specific questions to work out one-on-one with a member of the community grants staff
DRAFT REVIEW – for applicants at the final stages of their application process, looking for feedback on a final draft
Applicants can request that their draft application be reviewed by one of our Community Grants Managers. To request a draft review, complete the application in our grants portal and click “SAVE.” Send an email to grants@humanitiesdc.org with your request for draft review, including any specific questions you wish us to focus on. Staff can provide feedback about the eligibility of your project and the clarity and completeness of your responses. Note that funding decisions are not made by staff. (Learn more about our grant review process.) Please request feedback on your draft application no later than February 10, 2026.
SAMPLE APPLICATION RESPONSES – review exemplary application responses that received high scores from reviewers
Community Culture & Heritage Grant exemplary application responses
Visions – Projects + Events Grant exemplary application responses
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