Grants

Emergency Planning Grants

Antioch Baptist Church, a historic structure on Whitney Plantation damaged during Hurricane Ida, under renovation. Courtesy of Whitney Plantation.

Applications for Emergency Planning Grants are now closed.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, with the support of the State of Louisiana, is offering grant opportunities to support the creation, updating, and implementation of written emergency plans.

Natural disasters, like hurricanes and floods, and a range of other types of emergency events pose serious threats to Louisiana’s critical cultural infrastructure. In recent years, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, has taken an active role in helping humanities-based cultural organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from such disasters.

Emergency Planning Grants will help organizations better prepare for and respond to potential threats, reducing vulnerability and putting in place clear and current strategies for mitigating the effects of future emergencies.

[An emergency plan] gave me and my institution the structure we needed to respond quickly, speeding up our ability to communicate our needs to the board and our community, as well as to our peer institutions and colleagues in the field.
Benjamin Hickey, Hilliard Art Museum

Application Timeline and Important Dates

Applications are now closed.

Successful applicants will be well-positioned to access the Louisiana Culture Care Fund grant opportunity, which will offer general operating support to humanities-based nonprofits, opening in late spring of 2023.

Grantees will be required to attend a virtual emergency planning kickoff workshop currently scheduled for May 2023.

Amount and Allowable Expenses

A grant of $5,000 will be awarded to successful applicants.

Cost sharing is not required for this grant.

Allowable costs must clearly and directly support emergency planning activities. Grantees may use these funds to:

  • Hire consultants to develop, update or guide grantee staff in developing written emergency plans
  • Underwrite staff time to create, update, and implement written emergency plans
  • Support staff training, such as workshops or other professional development opportunities, directly related to emergency planning

Funds cannot be used for the purchase of equipment. Indirect costs (overhead) are unallowable.

All expenses must occur within the period of performance. The period of performance begins 45 days from the date the award is made and ends exactly one year after that date. Expenses incurred outside of the period of performance are not eligible. Receipts and invoices will be required in the final report.

 

Resources

  • Access a PDF copy of the request for proposals (RFP) here.
  • Preview the application here.
  • View a sample budget here. The required LEH budget form can be downloaded in the application portal, once available.
  • View a sample budget narrative here.
  • View a checklist of completed application components here.
  • Reviewer evaluation criteria are available here.
  • FAQs
  • Review a sample award agreement here.

Please visit the LEH website here to learn more about disaster preparedness for cultural organizations.

 

Eligibility

Humanities-based organizations operating within the 64 parishes of Louisiana are eligible to apply. Organizations must be nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status; public-facing organizations operating within accredited institutions of higher learning; state and local government agencies; or state and federally recognized Native American tribal governments in Louisiana. Organizations reaching underserved populations are particularly encouraged to apply.

Criteria and Supporting Documentation

All Emergency Planning Grant applications will be subject to the same review process based on the following criteria:

  • Organization’s record of humanities-based programming (see below for humanities definition)
  • Alignment with approved use of funds
  • Geographic location (organization must be in one of Louisiana’s sixty-four parishes)*
  • Organization size*
  • Estimated annual audience*
  • Town or parish population density*

*LEH aims to reach all areas of the state and support organizations of all sizes, with a particular focus on reaching underserved communities.

The following documentation is required from all successful applicants:

  • All applicants must submit their federal tax identification/EIN number.
  • All applicants must submit their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). For further information on this component, please visit gov UEI.
  • Nonprofits must submit copies of their form 990.
  • Nonprofits must submit copies of their IRS determination letter.
Humanities Focus

The term “humanities” includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism, and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.

 

If you have questions about 2023 Emergency Planning Grants or if you would like to set up a virtual meeting to discuss your plans, we encourage you to contact Director of Grants Erin Voisin at [email protected]