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The Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Humanities Council collaborate to provide Community Arts and Humanities grants that assist organizations in Maine as they investigate and present stories and cultural expressions of the state, its communities and its people. These grants support projects and public programs that include or combine both arts and humanities disciplines. The arts help build communities by helping them discover their cultural assets, building audiences and promoting the excellence of the creative sector. The humanities explore the nature and value of human experience through literature, history, theology, philosophy and the disciplines of social and political science.

• Deadline: Applications are accepted throughout the year and should be submitted 60 days prior to the start of the initiative.
• Maximum grant amount $1,000

The range of potential projects under the Community Arts and Humanities grants is limited only by the community’s imagination. The funding partners are particularly interested in projects that explore diverse cultures or represent rural areas of the state. Projects might include a local folk life festival, a community performance of an historical play, a school-based historical mural project or a project combining oral history and documentary photography.

An applicant may only receive one Arts and Humanities Grant per calendar year.
An applicant must wait a full calendar year after receiving a Community Arts and Humanities grant two years in a row to apply again.

Any community organization that is:

• A nonprofit organization, legally established in the State of Maine, and
• has tax exempt status 501(c)(3) from the Internal Revenue Service, or
• a unit of local, county, state or tribal government, and
• has completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission and Maine Humanities Council grants.

An applicant must demonstrate a fiscal structure that allows them to legally and responsibly utilize grant funds. An organization may serve as the sponsor for an artist or a community organization that is not a registered nonprofit, but must be responsible for the grant. All contact information should be that of the legal applicant.

All grant proposals are considered on a competitive basis using the following criteria:

• Clarity of the proposal and project design.
• Humanities and artistic quality and content of the proposed project.
• Ability to reach a broad public audience.
• Realistic funding and implementation plans.

Projects should also, wherever appropriate, present a range of viewpoints on an issue. The strongest project proposals will:

• Include at least one public program.
• Provide a reasonable amount of time for planning, publicity and program activities.
• Show evidence of cooperation between organizations or groups.
• Present a clear statement of the project, plan and budget showing how the project will be completed.
• Specify which staff person or organization is responsible for each of the various aspects of the project.
• If appropriate, indicate that the applicant has made provision for the materials or findings generated by the project to be preserved for use after the project ends through a library, historical society, local arts agency or other resource.

Preparing your documents for submission – All word documents must be saved as .doc or .rtf files and use the following naming convention: Organization_TitleOfDocument.rtf (example: MaineArtsCommission_resume.doc or MaineHumanitiesCouncil_narrative.rtf).

1. eGRANT Application You will upload all supporting documents (with exception to video, audio, or images) through eGRANT.
2. Application Budget Form and Detail (form below) providing evidence of 1:1 cash and/or in-kind match. No substitutions for the budget form are allowed.
3. Letters of Support from community partners, scholars, artists etc. as appropriate. (up to three).
4. Resume(s) of those responsible for carrying out the project (up to three).
5. Application Narrative (form below) Clear, specific responses to the questions posed on the form, addressed sequentially and numbered. Responses can not exceed three pages. The narrative is the central element of the grant request.
6. Assurance Form (form below) with original signature of an authorizing official. Please mark with name of applicant.
7. Vendor Form (form below) This is information used by the Treasury to generate a check if the grant is awarded. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. You must mail the form with your signature to our office. Faxed copies are not accepted.

Mail assurance form and vendor form to Maine Arts Commission, 193 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04333-0025

Applicants are required to apply through the Maine Arts Commission e-GRANT system. Applicants who are unable to apply through e-GRANT must contact Kathy Ann Shaw at 207/287-2750, 877/887-3878 TTY/NexTalk User ID: kathy.shaw or kathy.shaw@maine.gov to discuss an alternative prior to applying. Alternative submissions will not be accepted without prior authorization.

We can not accept late or incomplete applications.

Grant information is available in large print format by request. All Maine Arts Commission and Maine Humanities Council programs are accessible to people with disabilities. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission Maine Humanities Council must also be accessible.

Question about a Community Arts and Humanities Grant application should be directed to Kathy Ann Shaw at the Maine Arts Commission, 207/287-2750, or kathy.shaw@maine.gov.