Grant Opportunities
Open Grant Program
Postmark Deadlines
February 1
May 1
October 1
The Open Grant Program is open to proposals rooted in any humanities disciplines in any format. Most open grants fall within the $3-10,000 range; grants over $10,000 are rare. Applications should address all proposal requirements. Narratives for the Open Grant Program usually range from 4-6 pages. Applicants must submit the original proposal plus 15 copies (for a total of 16 applications).
Discretionary Grants
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No deadline. Grants accepted year-round.
The Discretionary Grant Program allows VFH to make grants of up to $2,500 at any time during the year. These grants may be used to plan larger projects, or to carry out programs where only a modest amount of funding is required. Proposals are submitted in the form of a 2-3 page letter that addresses all proposal requirements, but in a brief and concise format. The proposal must include an itemized budget for the use of the funds requested, but separate application cover sheets and budget pages are not required. For Discretionary Grants, funding decisions are normally made within ten (10) days following our receipt of the letter-proposal. Applicants must submit only the original proposal.
African American History
Postmark Deadline
February 1
African American History Grant Program: Originally designed as a complement to the African American Heritage Trails initiative, the goals of this program are to increase public understanding of African American history and culture, to support research and documentation of African American historic sites, to strengthen institutions that interpret Virginia’s African American history, and to provide a solid intellectual foundation for African American heritage tourism in every region of Virginia.
Proposals for amounts up to $3,000 are submitted in the form of a 2-3 page letter that addresses all proposal requirements, but in a brief and concise format. A completed Application Cover Sheet and signed Budget page are required. Proposals will be considered only at the February 1 deadline. Applicants must submit the original proposal plus 15 copies (for a total of 16 applications).
VFH funding of projects in the field of African American history and culture is not confined to the African American History Mini Grant program. Grants for projects on African American history and culture are also made through the Open and Discretionary Grant Programs.
Virginia Indian Heritage Program Grants
Postmark Deadline
See Open and Discretionary Grants
This grant program is open to any non-profit organization engaged in research, interpretation, and preservation of Virginia Indian history and culture. Virginia’s tribes and inter-tribal organizations, museums, local historical societies, and others are encouraged to apply.
Projects may focus on the histories and cultures of individual tribes, or more broadly on the experience of Indian people and communities within the Commonwealth. We are especially interested in projects in which Native people present their own stories and their own perspectives on Virginia’s past, on Indian culture(s), or on the relationship between their communities and the issues that affect Virginia as a whole.
Proposals for Virginia Indian Heritage Program Grants may be submitted at any time through the Foundation’s Open and Discretionary Grant programs.
More on Virginia Indian Heritage Grants
