Humanities for All is a grant program that supports locally-initiated public humanities projects. This program responds to the needs and interests of Californians, encourages greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and/or underserved audiences. It aims to promote understanding and empathy among all our state’s peoples in order to cultivate a thriving democracy.
*Starting May 1, 2024, we’re making some updates to the Quick Grants program! Read more about them here.
| Application Opens | Application Notification | Grant Period |
| Starting May 1, 2024, Applications may be submitted at any time. |
You will receive a notification within 8-10 weeks. (This means applications should be submitted at least 10–12 weeks in advance of your program start date.) |
Twelve months from award date |
Join our next Humanities for All Quick Grants informational session!
Quick Grants
Quick Grants (between $1,000 and $5,000) are awarded on a rolling basis to small-scale public humanities programs and projects which take place within one year from the award date. Projects should be grounded in the humanities, show potential to provide impactful humanities learning experiences for participants and audiences, and demonstrate capacity for successful implementation. Starting May 1, 2024, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, subject to availability of funding.
Appropriate formats include virtual and in-person community dialogues, reading and film discussion groups, oral history workshops, non-fiction workshops, speaker series, and many more activities based in humanities disciplines. We accept applications from California-based nonprofit organizations with annual operating budgets of $500,000 or under. Note: A cash or in-kind match of the award is NOT required.
See a list of recently supported Quick Grants
Accepted on a rolling basis (starting May 1, 2024), subject to availability of funding.
For more information, contact Program Officer Lucena Lau Valle at lvalle@calhum.org. *Current grantees, please use the Grant Portal button at top of the page.
- Online Application *live on May 1, 2024
- Quick Grant Guidelines
- Sample Application Contents
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Selected FAQs
Humanities for all Quick Grants, or Quick Grants, support impactful public humanities programming that draws on the ideas and approaches of the humanities to foster greater understanding among people, invite thoughtful reflection, and consideration of topics important to Californians. Quick Grants provide support for short-term public humanities projects that are accessible to members of the general public and foster access, understanding, and engagement with the ideas and approaches of the humanities.
Applicants may request between $1,000 and $5,000 for program-related expenses ranging from project-related programmatic and administrative staff salaries, supplies and equipment, venue rental fees, evaluation, and travel among several other eligible expenses. For the full list, please take a look at the FAQs.
Starting May 1, 2024, applications are now accepted on a rolling basis, and must be submitted at least 10-12 weeks before program start date, and no more than 9 months before program start date. Applicants can expect a review period of 8-10 weeks.
Quick Grants are now available to organizations with total annual operating budgets under $500,000. Organizations with operating budgets above $500,000 should consider applying to our Humanities For All Project Grants. Applications will be accepted from nonprofit organizations with federal tax-exempt status and nonfederal public agencies. Applicant organizations/fiscal sponsors must be California-based, and proposed Quick Grant programming should serve California-based audiences.
Quick Grants are designed to support programming that brings the ideas and approaches of the humanities to the broader public. Eligible projects should include program moderation or facilitation, and can employ a variety of methods from in-person, digital, to hybrid formats. Proposed projects should clearly articulate how the proposed program will draw on the humanities through methods or subject matter. Click here to view a list of past supported projects.
Quick Grant collage image credits: Hi Desert Queer & Trans Oral History Project, Joshua Tree, courtesy of T. Hammidi; Speaker at Black Joy: Poetry With Young Black Men event in Oakland, courtesy of Chapter 510; An anti-Columbus protest at the San Ysidro-Tijuana border, October 10, 1992. Photo by UCSD student Gene Chavira, an editor of the campus Chicana/o newspaper Voz Fronteriza. Submitted by Adolfo Guzman for Memorias en Movimiento: The Forgotten Revolutionaries of the 1990s San Diego Chicana/o Student Movement; dancers from Invertigo Dance Company, courtesy of the SOL project, Culver City.
