Emergency Readiness Grants

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), with the support of the State of Louisiana, is offering grant opportunities to support cultural organizations in ongoing efforts to mitigate previous impacts from emergency events and prepare for future threats.

Natural disasters, like hurricanes, floods, and a range of other types of emergency events, pose serious threats to Louisiana’s critical cultural infrastructure. The Emergency Readiness Grant 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.

Application Timeline and Important Dates

Applications for this grant are currently closed.

You can learn more about the 2024 grant application below.

Amount and allowable expenses

Organizations may request up to $10,000 to cover allowable costs. Cost sharing is not required.

Allowable costs must clearly and directly support activities that will reduce the effects of past or future disasters. Examples include (but are not limited 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 and implementation;
• Coverage or partial coverage of insurance storm deductible;
• IT support to underwrite moving servers and other local systems vulnerable to onsite flooding to the cloud; and
• Physical repairs or improvements that reduce vulnerability.

Costs covered by this grant are not required to be a result of Hurricane Francine. If your organization did sustain damage from Hurricane Francine, there will be a space in the application to report that.

Please note: If your organization does not currently have an emergency plan in place or in development, a portion of the proposed budget must be allocated to plan development.

Allowable expenses must occur within the period of performance specified in the grant. The one-year period of performance may begin as late as 45 days from the date the award is made.

Resources

Eligibility

Humanities-based organizations operating within the sixty-four 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: 

• Requirements and supporting documentation:
  • 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.
  • Organizations must submit copies of their IRS determination letter or equivalent documentation confirming tax status (R-1056).

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

  • Organization’s record of humanities-based programming
  • Alignment with approved use of funds
  • Geographic location (organization must be in one of Louisiana’s sixty-four parishes)*
  • Organization impact and reach*

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

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 2025 Emergency Readiness Grants or if you would like to schedule some time to discuss your plans, we encourage you to contact Director of Grants Erin Voisin at [email protected].