Call for Proposals: In Common Grants Program (US)

Deadline: 31-Aug-21

The Indianapolis Foundation is seeking applications for its In common Grants Program to engage Hoosiers, inform them and inspire them to stoke curiosity, promote dialogue and allow people to better understand the diverse and complex world in which they live.

In particular, they believe that the humanities can serve as a tool to spark in-depth conversation, insight and consideration of others’ points of view on the persistent social, economic, cultural and racial issues that divide their communities.

With this in mind, they are offering INcommon Grants to Indiana organizations, so that they can develop and implement public programs that use the humanities to look at the longer histories driving contemporary debates around immigration, gentrification, incarceration, policing, institutional racism, the legacies of segregation in housing and education, and more.

They welcome diverse projects from across Indiana, addressing different themes and using a variety of public humanities formats. INcommon Grants can be used to support new or ongoing public humanities programs that align to the key themes outlined below.

Such projects may include reading series and civic reflection discussions; public lectures or panels; film screenings and discussions; or the creation of exhibits, web projects, walking tours or documentary films.

They will give high priority to projects that include community discussion and conversation at the heart of their proposed activities. Successful proposals will include input from humanities scholars, including as advisers or facilitators.

Key Questions

What are the historical roots that help explain why some people and communities, especially people and communities of color, are marginalized socially, culturally and economically?
What insights do great writers and poets give us into the experience of being marginalized because of race and/or ethnicity in different times and places in American history?
What role have activists, civic leaders, educators and community members played in pushing for change as well as helping Americans find common ground?
How can humanities texts (poems, essays, novels, films and more) as well as humanities methods (shared reading, conversation, scholar talks and community history projects) create space for meaningful discussion about the legacies of race and ethnicity in the United States?
How are the humanities, especially with their appreciation of complexity and nuance, uniquely suited to help communities consider conflicting points of view and work toward discovering shared values?

Funding Information

Amount: Up to $5000

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for an INcommon Grant, you must apply on behalf of an Indiana-based tax-exempt organization.
Schools, public libraries, churches, community organizations and government entities are eligible; 501(c)3 status is not required.
They will not award INcommon Grants to individuals or for-profit entities.
Also, note that they will not give an organization more than one INcommon Grant per calendar year.

Requirements

Your project must:

Contain a strong focus on the humanities: When considering which humanities-related projects to fund, they use guidelines provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. According to the NEH, the humanities include activities in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Comparative religion
- Language
- Law
- History
- Ethics
- Philosophy
- Theory, history and criticism of the performing and visual arts
- Archaeology
- Social sciences that have humanistic content and/or humanistic method
Include humanities scholars in planning and implementation: Humanities scholars are those with particular training or experience qualifying them as professionals in one or more of the academic disciplines of the humanities. Scholars may have advanced degrees (MA or PhD) in a humanities field of study and/or regular appointments at an institution of higher learning, or they may have developed a high level of expertise through immersion in a particular cultural tradition. Mists or authors are not humanities scholars unless they also fulfill these criteria. They recognize that this requirement raises concerns for many applicants so if you have questions about including a qualified scholar as part of your project.
Be intended for a public audience: Although you may design and market your program for a target audience, you must ensure that it is open to the public at large Our review committees assess the public nature of all proposed programs and evaluate how factors such as timing and location will impact audience attraction. Note that they do consider programs delivered in schools and prisons to be public, and in these cases you may offer them to select audiences (i.e., you don’t have to open them to the broader public).
Be presented at a site that is accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If the site is not ADA accessible, you must demonstrate how you will make reasonable accommodations.
Include a plan for execution: You must demonstrate that you have the capacity to execute the project you propose. No matter how strong an idea is, they won’t fund it if they don’t have confidence that you can successfully implement it. In your application, be sure to provide sufficient detail as you describe your project ideas and goals. Tell us exactly what you’re going to do and how you’ll do it. Be thoughtful and clear about your timeline. Identify your project team members and scholars, describe their roles and show how they’ll contribute to your project’s success.
Not exceed $5,000 in requested funding: You may apply for a grant of up to $5,000 (though of course you may also ask for less). When they award a grant, they look closely at budgets to evaluate where applicants are proposing to spend grant funds. In some cases, they may offer only partial funding (and they are doing so increasingly as their grants become more competitive).
Demonstrate at least a 50 percent match in cash or in-kind contributions from your organization or other sources (e.g., if you request $5,000, you must show at least $2,500 of matching support). Matching funds must come from nonfederal sources and ideally will demonstrate a level of community support for the project.
Begin after the project start date (May 1, 2021, for round 1 and Nov. 1, 2021, for round 2). While you may begin planning your project in advance, the public programming should not take place before the start date that they list. In other words, they don’t fund your program if part or all of it has already occurred before they make their decision and notify you.
Be completed within a year of the award date: If awarded a grant, you must complete project activities within one year of receiving notification (with a final report due 90 days after close).