Deadline: 28-Sep-21
The Ohio History Connection is currently accepting applications for the Ohio History Fund Grant Program to support the preservation and sharing of Ohio’s heritage by funding local, regional, and statewide projects, programs, and events related to the broad sweep of the state’s history and pre-history.
The History Fund is made possible by the voluntary contributions of individual Ohioans, who donate a portion of their Ohio income tax refund, donate directly to the Ohio History Connection, and purchase and Ohio History “mastodon’ license plates. The number and size of grants will vary according to the amount donated.
Core Values
The History Fund seeks projects that will help the Ohio History Connection realize its core values and achieve the following:
- Be Objective and Fair: Grants will support projects that enrich the understanding of the context in which people, places, things, or events functioned historically.
- Strengthen Ohio History: Projects must include illumination, conservation, or perpetuation of Ohio’s history, including historical persons, places, things, or events.
- Demonstrate Community Support: Community support is demonstrated through cash and in-kind support for the project. All History Fund grants must be matched.
- Public Benefit: Applications must explain how History Fund projects will benefit their communities, including advanced understanding/appreciation for Ohio’s history and community or economic development.
- Demonstrate a Measureable Impact: History Fund projects will have an effect on their organizations or communities that can be measured and, thus, demonstrated. Demonstration of effect can be measured qualitatively, quantitatively, and visually.
- Foster Sustainability: History Fund grants will support projects that recipients can sustain after the grant ends or that advance an organization’s sustainability.
- Meet Applicable Professional Standards: It is expected that that the applicant organization will have or will obtain the requisite professional expertise to carry out the proposed project. Projects will adhere to or help the organization to meet accepted professional standards.
Funding Information
- Organizational Development: The Minimum and Maximum funding is $1,000 – $4,000 and the project Length is 1 year.
- Programs & Collections: The Minimum and Maximum funding is $2,000 – $20,000 and the project Length is 2 year.
- Bricks & Mortar: The Minimum and Maximum funding is $2,000 – $20,000 and the project Length is up to 2 year.
Funding Activities
History Fund grants will support projects in three categories:
- Organizational Development: Organizational Development grants focus on building capacity: providing the training and materials to help historical societies and like organizations help themselves.
- Programs & Collections: Programs & Collections encompasses a variety of projects that further the study, recordation, interpretation, publication and dissemination of historical information, engagement of communities in history, or conservation of historical collections and archives.
- Bricks & Mortar: Bricks and mortar projects can involve the following:
- Rehabilitation, restoration, protection, or acquisition of historic properties and archaeological sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places or designated by local ordinance.
- Building work related to the preservation of historical or archival collections regardless of the building’s historic status.
- New construction dedicated to the preservation of historical or archival collections.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ohio-based, nonprofit organizations in good standing
- Public entities in Ohio, such as units of local government, public libraries, and educational institutions
- Organizations operating Ohio History Connection sites under “site management agreements” are eligible to apply under their own names. Functions and fiscal responsibilities assigned to the Ohio History Connection under site management agreements are not eligible for grants from the History Fund. An applicant in this category must attach its up-to-date site management agreement as a part of the grant application.
- Ineligible applicants include for-profit businesses and entities, private individuals, and the Ohio History Connection.
- Ineligible applicants may serve as paid contractors to grant awardees but are not eligible to apply for History Fund grants directly.
- Ohio History Connection staff shall not serve as paid contractors for a History Fund projects. Ohio History Connection staff shall not endorse projects.
- Examples of eligible applicants include, but are not limited to local historical societies, public libraries, genealogical societies, university archives and special collections, historic preservation groups, archeological societies, county records management offices, and incorporated “friends” groups.
For more information, visit https://www.ohiohistory.org/preserve/local-history-services/history-fund/history-fund-guidelines
