Cultural and Community Resilience | 20240521 PN

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20240521 PN

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), through its Division of Preservation and Access, is offering the Cultural and Community Resilience grant program to help communities respond to the ongoing effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. The core aim is to strengthen cultural resilience by protecting and elevating cultural resources that might be at risk, and by supporting community-centered work that captures local heritage and lived experiences. Projects funded under this opportunity are expected to focus on efforts such as identifying important cultural resources, documenting traditions and histories, and/or collecting cultural heritage materials and community experiences in ways that help communities preserve their stories and strengthen their capacity to adapt and recover.

This opportunity is designed as a discretionary grant program within the humanities funding category (CFDA 45.149). It places a clear emphasis on community-based approaches rather than purely academic or top-down initiatives, and it encourages applicants to use inclusive methods that responsibly involve community members, especially those whose experiences and cultural resources have historically been overlooked or under-supported. NEH also states that it is prioritizing projects from disadvantaged communities located in the United States or its jurisdictions, signaling that proposals serving communities facing systemic barriers, heightened climate vulnerability, or disproportionate pandemic impacts may be especially competitive. Applicants are directed to consult the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), particularly the eligibility section, for the detailed criteria and definitions that NEH uses.

A wide range of organizations can apply. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category). This eligibility spread suggests NEH expects proposals from both cultural organizations and public entities, including local governments and tribal nations, where community heritage work often resides and where resilience planning and cultural safeguarding can intersect.

The grant has an award ceiling of $150,000, and NEH expects to make around 20 awards under this cycle. The original closing date for applications was May 21, 2024, and the opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number 20240521 PN. Overall, the program is positioned for projects that translate community memory and cultural practice into durable records or collections, strengthen stewardship of vulnerable cultural resources, and help communities maintain continuity and identity while navigating climate-related disruptions and post-pandemic realities.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cultural and Community Resilience" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.149.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for 20240521 PN

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: