Grants at a Glance
HumanitiesDC grant funding supports individuals, groups and organizations who use the humanities to explore the people, cultures, histories, and connections that make DC a vibrant place to be. All grant opportunities are currently closed. Cycle I applications open on December 11, 2023, and are due February 20, 2024. Cycle II applications open on March 4, 2024, and are due May 1, 2024. Please sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of this page to ensure you receive the latest updates on the available grant opportunities.
2024 Grant Opportunities

Capacity Building
Support towards capacity building efforts for humanities-based non-profit organizations to help strengthen their abilities to advance their missions.
Amount: $25,000
Due Date: May 1, 2024

Community Culture &
Heritage Projects
An opportunity for DC residents and groups to capture and share the culture and narratives of their own communities through public humanities projects.
Amount: $10,000
Due Date: February 20, 2024

DC Oral History Collaborative
Funding, training and support for organizations and individuals interested in conducting oral history projects; also open to Collaborative grantees to extend their projects.
Amount: $8,000
Due Date: February 20, 2024

DC Oral History
Beyond the Archive
Funding and resources for organizations and individuals interested in using existing oral history collections to produce public humanities projects.
Amount: $12,000
Due Date: February 20, 2024

Visions – Projects + Events
Support to non-profit organizations towards creating or sustaining innovative interpretations of humanities scholarship for the public.
Amount: $25,000
Due Date: February 20, 2024

Youth in the Humanities
Support towards youth-powered programming for ages 11-19 that uses the humanities as tools to explore critical questions about the world around them.
Amount: $25,000
Due Date: May 1, 2024
These grant opportunities are supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
GRANT PROGRAM | PROGRAM DESCRIPTION | AWARD AMOUNT & ELIGIBILITY |
CYCLE I OPENS: DECEMBER 11, 2023 DUE: FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | ||
COMMUNITY CULTURE AND HERITAGE PROJECTS | Supports the public preservation of local culture, collective memories of longtime Washingtonians, and capturing unfolding stories of newer residents | $10,000 Open to Individuals, Community Groups, & Nonprofits |
DC ORAL HISTORY COLLABORATIVE + EXTENSIONS | Funding supports oral history projects with training from DCOHC; also open to recent DCOHC grantees to extend their projects | $8,000 Open to Individuals, Community Groups, & Nonprofit Organizations |
DC ORAL HISTORY BEYOND THE ARCHIVES | Funding for public humanities projects that utilize existing oral history collections | $12,000 Open to Individuals, Community Groups, & Nonprofit Organizations |
VISIONS – PROJECTS + EVENTS | Funding supports public interpretations of humanities scholarship such as feature documentaries, festivals, or archives | $25,000 Open to Nonprofit Organizations (Fiscal Sponsors Permitted) |
CYCLE II OPENS: MARCH 4, 2024 DUE: MAY 1, 2024 | ||
CAPACITY BUILDING | Supports capacity building efforts to strengthen organizations’ abilities to advance their missions | $25,000 Open to Humanities-focused nonprofits with annual budgets of less than $2 million |
YOUTH IN THE HUMANITIES | Funding for general operations of youth-powered nonprofits whose programming is rooted in the humanities | $25,000 Open to Humanities-focused nonprofits who work primarily with youth, ages 11-19 |
Who We Are Funding
Organization or Individual Name | Amount Awarded | Type of Grant | Wards | Project Name | Project Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 Grantees | |||||
826DC, Inc. | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | All | Capacity Building for 826DC’s After school Writing Lab in Columbia Heights | 826DC is dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 in the District of Columbia as they develop their creative and expository writing skills, while also helping local teachers inspire their students to write. |
Alliance for New Music-Theatre | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 7;Ward 8 | Student Discovery Through DC Black Cemeteries Genealogy Project | Alliance for New Music-Theatre nurtures fosters the development of professional and young artists and their collaborations across cultures and musical languages and engages audiences in the creative process to promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the power of music-theatre. |
Amy K Bormet | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | Washington Women in Jazz Archives | Washington Women in Jazz Festival (WWJF) founder/director Amy Bormet uncovers stories spanning thirteen years of this remarkable DIY festival. |
Andrea Wise | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 7;Ward 8 | Still Here: Black Churches’ Legacy and Witness to change in Wards 7 & 8. | This project seeks to identify historically black churches in Wards 7 and 8 that have navigated change through decades in the District amidst resident demographic changes and the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. |
Anna K Nelson | $4,970.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 2;Ward 6;Ward 8 | And… Scene! An Oral History of Improv in D.C. | This oral history project will explore the lived and shared experiences of D.C.-based improvisational theater students, instructors, and performers from a variety of cultural, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds. |
April White | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Beyond the Archives Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 3;Ward 4 | The DC Freeway Revolt | This podcast series draws the voices of activists and stakeholders in the DC Freeway Revolt out of the archives and encourages modern-day listeners to reflect on the ways in which community organizing, federal advocacy and urban planning have shaped Washington DC. |
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | Ward 6 | Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Film | Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will produce and present a video documenting the history, influences on, and impact of this arts-based community center, showcasing notable alumni and current students whose lives have been influenced by their CHAW experiences. |
Care and Progress (CAP) Community Development, Inc. | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 7;Ward 8 | Life in the Barry Farm Community During the 1940s and 1950s. | This project aims to gather information about residents of the historic Barry Farm community during the 1940s and 1950s – a time period prior to the desegregation of public schools, and prior to the community’s change to low income housing. |
Cathedral Choral Society | $13,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 3;Ward 4 | The Capital’s First Chorus: Oral Histories of Members of the Cathedral Choral Society | CCS hopes to explore the legacy and impact of its 80+ year history on individual singers, smaller musical communities or friend groups, and Washington National Cathedral as a whole. |
Michael Feldman (sponsored by the Center for Nonprofit Advancement) | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 3;Ward 6;Ward 7 | Washington’s Builders and Defenders | The project will feature a public discussion held at DC’s MLK Library addressing two parallel turning points in America’s troubled journey to a more perfect democracy: the deadlocked election of 1800 and the January 6 insurrection. |
Claude L Elliott | $7,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | All | Creating Space and Opportunities: DC Black Owned/Managed Art Galleries and Spaces | Claude will add five additional oral histories that more fully document the vitality and impact of Black owned/managed galleries and art spaces on the artistic development and careers of DC Black artists. |
Cleveland & Woodley Park Village | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 3 | Cleveland & Woodley Park Villagers’ Stories | This oral history aims to better understand the impact of the Village on the lives of our members and specifically how the Village has impacted their feeling welcome in and a part of their community as they celebrate their 10th anniversary. |
Communication First | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | See Us, Hear Us: HB’s Story | The project will engage the local community to produce a 3-5 minute film telling the story of H.B., a Black, second-generation immigrant, DCPS student whose speech cannot be understood easily by others, and who dreams of becoming a deejay. |
Cooper Joslin | $5,500.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | All | DC Trans Guide | Through this project, I want to illuminate the trans experience through the life stories of trans people in the D.C. area, creating a repository of stories from real trans people in their own voices to bring to light the realities of living as a trans person, and show that a trans life is a life worth living. |
Corazon Folklorico DC, Inc. | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 3;Ward 4;Ward 5 | Funding and Upgrading Corazón Folklórico DC’s Organizational and Communications Expansion | Corazón promotes and celebrates the cultural diversity of Mexico through Ballet Folklórico, building a community of passionate dancers throughout the DMV. Corazón seeks to create a space where anyone can participate in the joy and art of Ballet Folklórico. |
CulturalDC | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 8 | Torrents: New Links to Black Futures | This multi-day festival gathers Black creative professionals, scholars, and collectors to examine critical questions about the development of Black cross-diasporic futures through visual arts, technology, music, film, and performance. |
DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | All | New DC Collaborative Website | The DC Collaborative, in partnership with our members, advances equitable access to learning opportunities in the arts and humanities for all. |
DC SCORES | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | DC SCORES Citywide Poetry Slams | DC SCORES’ annual Poetry Slams give poet-athletes a platform to share their art with their peers and communities. Students engage in arts-based enrichment and poetry instruction led by coaches from school communities and local teaching artists. |
DowntownDC BID (sponsored by DowntownDC Foundation) | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 2;Ward 6 | Summer on the Square: Past, Present and Future | During the event, attendees will experience live music, a physical art installation, children’s activities, and learn historical information about McPherson Square and Downtown DC. |
East of the River Boys and Girls Steelband | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | The Steel Go-Go Project | The Steel Go-Go Project brings the worlds of Go-Go and Steelpan together connecting Washingtonians of varying backgrounds. This collaboration, with the East of the River Boys & Girls Steelband, will create 3 original songs and a performance. |
Elizabeth Ann Bruce | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | Creativists in Dialogue: The Theatre in Community Project | Creativists in Dialogue: A Podcast Embracing the Creative Life will present interviews with 20 DC residents who’ve created theatre in community settings, 1970-present. We’ll explore how they created theatre & encouraged creativity within individuals. |
Eric Eikenberry | $7,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | All | District of Cats: The History of Back Alley Bicycle Racing | This project attempts to answer the question: since their introduction in the 1990s, how have “alleycats”— unsanctioned scavenger hunts-turned-races sprung by daring local bike couriers onto DC streets—adapted to the social and economic shifts in DC? |
Esther Productions Inc | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | African Americans & Children’s Literature: A historical examination of DC writers | African Americans & Children’s Literature conference takes place November 17 and 18 and will include photo exhibit, archival book display, and panel of experts to examine the canon of African American literature. |
Friends of Peirce Mill Inc | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | William Beckett Project | This project will explore the remarkable life of William Beckett, once enslaved on Joshua Peirce’s Linnaean Hill estate, now part of Rock Creek Park. |
Friends of the National Arboretum | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | Words in Season | “Words in Season” will present youth poetry celebrating nature and the outdoors at four seasonal events held at the National Arboretum in northeast Washington. |
Gallaudet University | $13,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | All | The Power of Preserving the Black Deaf Experience | This project seeks to document the history of exclusion, segregation, and integration of Black Deaf students at the Kendall School, located in the northeast quadrant of DC on the Gallaudet University campus. |
Giovanni Russonello | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | Supporting the research and writing of THE FIRST MINUTE OF A NEW DAY: GIL SCOTT-HERON’S REVOLUTION | “The First Minute of a New Day: Gil Scott-Heron’s Revolution,” will be the first authoritative biography of Scott-Heron, while also telling the political and social history of DC in the 1970s and ‘80s, which truly was the “first minute of a new day” for home rule in the nation’s capital. |
Hola Cultura | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | “Artistas in the Capital,” a new podcast from Hola Cultura | Hola Cultura’s latest podcast, “Artistas in the Capital,” will feature monthly conversations with a local artist, writer or other humanities practitioner. |
Home Rule Music and Film Preservation Foundation | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | Georges Collinet – From the Motherland to the Mothership | This project is a documentary short film about Georges Collinet, also known as Maxi Voom Voom, a long time DC resident and Cameroonian-French TV broadcaster, known for hosting radio shows with international reach. |
Hope Willis | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | Kufis & Pepperoni Pizza | This project examines a a largely undocumented phenomenon of increased conversion to Islam among DMV residents between 2009 and 2014. |
Cory Lee Stowers (sponsored by Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute) | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | The Humanity Wall | This project documents the story of The Humanity Wall at Stead Park, commissioned by brothers Tony and Andy Shallal in 1992. |
IN Series | $15,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | Garber Community Conversations of the DC Shakespeare Everywhere Festival | Funding will support a series of discussions led by renowned Shakespeare scholar Dr Marjorie Garber as part of the November DC Shakespeare Festival. |
KAMA DC | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | All | KAMA DC | KAMA DC is a grassroots organization in Washington DC which provides a platform for immigrants in the DMV area to share their skills and stories. |
Kristin Adair | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Beyond the Archives Grant | All | Neighborhood Justice: Legacies of Resistance in Adams Morgan | Neighborhood Justice is a short documentary film that tells the story of an extraordinary moment in time for one DC neighborhood that led the city and the nation in activism, resistance, community self-determination and multicultural community-building. |
Latin American Youth Center | $25,000.00 | Youth in the Humanities Grant | All | LAYC Arts + Media Youth Archive Project | LAYC’s Youth Archive project goal is to bring to life 50+ years of social transformation by training youth in humanities research, cataloging, and preservation of the rich history of Latino youth in DC, helping them to see their own stories reflected in the city’s cultural landscape |
Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 6 | The Notorious RBG: Special Events at the Capital Jewish Museum | The Capital Jewish Museum’s inaugural special exhibition: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and events will bring the humanities disciplines of history and jurisprudence to life, engaging diverse DC-area audiences. |
Live It Learn It | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | Ward 1;Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | The Sound of DC | “The Sound of DC,” is a unit for 3rd grade students, teaching them to explore the sounds, instruments, and bands of go-go music as a means to learn about the genre’s history and importance to DC. |
Lynn McKinley (sponsored by Metropolitan A.M.E. Church) | $13,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7;Ward 8 | The Impact of Dr. Dorothy Harrison (PhD, Medical Anthropology) on Health in DC (1950’s – 1980’s) | This project obtains the oral history from people who worked with Dr. Dorothy Harrison, a nurse, medical anthropologist, and professor of medicine at Howard University College of Medicine. |
Mikva Challenge DC | $25,000.00 | Youth in the Humanities Grant | Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 7;Ward 8 | Mikva Challenge DC General Operating | Mikva is a nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to develop youth into informed, empowered and active citizens who will promote a just and equitable society. |
Mosaic Theater Company of DC | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | The H Street Oral History Project Festival | Mosaic Theater’s H Street Oral History Project Festival will deepen the DC community’s relationship to the historically Black neighborhood of the H Street NE corridor and amplify the voices of this under-recognized community through art, gathering, and discussion. |
Olufunmilayo Jones | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 5 | The John F. Cook School Oral History Project | This project will explore the social, political, economic, cultural, and historical dimensions of schooling as lived through narrators’ connections with the John F. Cook school. |
Pacyinz Lyfoung | $7,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | Ward 1;Ward 4 | The Cooperative at 1477: Stories of DC Longtime Residents with Special Needs | This is an extension of last year’s oral history project focusing on Black and Brown women’s leadership in preserving permanent affordable housing on Newton Street. |
Patrick Scallen | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | Ward 1;Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 7;Ward 8 | Hidden Food History: The City Garden Co-op | This project aims to recover and reconstruct the history of the City Garden Co-op, a hub for community activity and organizing that since 1979 has served as a source of affordable and healthy plant-based food for neighborhood residents. |
Perry School Community Services Center | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | Ward 2;Ward 5;Ward 6 | Celebrating M Street High School’s Living Legacy – A Poster Series | The Perry School Community Services Center is located in M Street High School, the first publicly funded high school for African Americans in the United States. This project will produce a poster series that pairs historic figures from M Street with contemporary leaders who embody similar values of excellence, achievement, and making meaningful contributions to society. |
DC Chapter of N’COBRA (sponsored by Reparation Education Project) | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | All | Black History and Reparations: An Oral History of the DC Chapter of N’COBRA | To document the oral history of NCOBRA founding members living in DC and their pivotal roll in the reparations movement. |
Ronald Smokey Stevens | $10,000.00 | Community Culture & Heritage Grant | All | Lawrence Bradford, The Man, The Myth, The Legend of DC Hand Dance……..( new title) | This project tells the story of Lawrence Bradford, the legendary dancer of Washington, DC, who carried the DC Hand Dance tradition to generations. |
Saaret Yoseph | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Beyond the Archives Grant | Ward 1;Ward 4;Ward 5 | JOURNEY(S): The Round Trip | This DCOHC extension project will expand on JOURNEY(S): Addis to DC, continuing an open dialogue and cross-cultural exchange on identity, migration, memory and the meaning of “home.” |
Samuel (Sami) Miranda | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Beyond the Archives Grant | Ward 1;Ward 3;Ward 4;Ward 5;Ward 8 | It’s Your Mug | Our project will build upon a collection of five oral histories about the 1990’s poetry sceneto produce a short documentary film about “It’s Your Mug”. |
Sari Leigh | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | Ward 7;Ward 8 | Mind, Body & Justice- Voices of Health Activism East of the Anacostia River | This extensionwill continue to learn about the experiencesof five health activists who have worked to improve and educate Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents about health from the years 2000 to 2023. |
So others ascend righteously (SOAR) | $25,000.00 | Youth in the Humanities Grant | Ward 4;Ward 7;Ward 8 | SOAR Writing for Healing Programs | So Others Ascend Righteously (SOAR) started when, in 1993 our founder Kimberly Collins saw a need in the community to elevate BIPOC Black women by providing a safe space to introduce her Writing Training Wheels™ as a tool for self-discovery and development. |
Street Sense Inc. | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | Ward 2 | Technology Capacity Expansion and Upgrade | This project will expand and upgrade the technology used by Street Sense Media including work to standardize and scale technology solutions, train staff, and establish policies to maintain the optimal information technology system. |
The Inner Loop | $25,000.00 | Capacity Building Grant | All | Mission-based Branding & Community Outreach Strategy | We are requesting funds to ensure our digital identity reflects and embodies our mission, and that The Inner Loop’s unique programming is identifiable and accessible to those who already know us, and to those who don’t yet know they need us. |
The National Hand Dance Association | $7,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | All | Hand Dance: Where Do We Go From Here? – From A Young Person’s Perspective | The area of interest for this continuing project is to continue capturing the history and evolution of hand dance from the 1950s to today and beyond. |
The Story of Our Schools | $25,000.00 | Youth in the Humanities Grant | Ward 1;Ward 5;Ward 7 | Every School Has a Story to Tell | The Story of Our Schools (SOOS) celebrates the role of schools within the history of DC by facilitating a process of self-discovery for students and communities. |
theatreWashington | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | Women in DC Theatre, a three-part free public event series | Women of DC Theatre is a multi-event humanities program that will be offered during Theatre Week in September 2023 at locations throughout the city. |
Vikram Surya Chiruvolu, LGPC, MA, BSCS | $12,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Extension Grant | Ward 1 | The Legacy of Antiracist Neighborhood Housing Organizing in Adams Morgan | Our focus for the next phase of this effort will be on the Latino community and on creators and residents of low-income, deeply-affordable housing in Adams Morgan. |
Vision House | $7,995.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | All | How the Equal Rights Center Became a Powerful Force for Civil Rights | The focus of this project is the collaborative work of the Equal Rights Center (ERC) and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (WLC) in advancing the cause of civil rights and equal opportunity in the District of Columbia. |
Visionaries of the Creative Arts | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | ISM-2 | “ISM-2” will be presented by a VOCA Ensemble consisting of five Deaf/HoH BIPOC individuals who will share their stories and experiences when exposed to societal “isms”, discriminatory practices, and oppression. |
Wanda A. Alderman | $8,000.00 | DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) Grant | All | From Native to Educator: Black Career Educators in Washington, DC | This oral history project captures lived historical experiences of Black Career Educators (BCEs) born between 1945-1964 who attended District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) before college and retired (often after 30 years) as BCEs from the DCPS. |
Well-Read Black Girl, Inc | $25,000.00 | Youth in the Humanities Grant | Ward 5;Ward 6;Ward 7 | The Camp Joy Collective Resilience Project | The organization celebrates literature and provides an intergenerational space for Black girls and women to feel empowered through storytelling. Our mission is to spark social change and encourage a deep love of reading. |
DC/DOX (sponsored by Women in Film and Video) | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | DC/DOX | DC/DOX will launch June 15-18 in marquee venues around DC, and feature a lineup of 25 exceptional feature documentaries and 3-4 thoughtfully curated shorts programs. |
Courtney Tolbert (sponsored by Words Beats & Life Inc) | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | Ward 1;Ward 2;Ward 5 | It’s Your Mug: Celebrating DC Poetry from the ’90s to now | “It’s Your Mug: Celebrating DC Poetry from the ‘90s to Now” is a four-day event named for the highly influential weekly poetry series hosted by Toni Asante Lightfoot. |
Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation | $25,000.00 | Visions – Projects & Events Grant | All | DC Youth Writer Oral History Program | The Hurston/Wright Foundation’s DC Youth Writers Oral History Program at Howard University teaches participants aged 15-18 to collect riveting oral histories to create public digital multimedia exhibit showcasing DC’s Black literary arts community. |
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