Louisiana Culture Care Fund
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), with the support of the state of Louisiana, is offering grants to cover general operating expenses for humanities-based organizations operating within the 64 parishes of Louisiana.
Organizations must be humanities-based* nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status; public-facing organizations operating within accredited institutions of higher learning; state and local government agencies; or state or federally recognized Native American tribal governments in Louisiana.
Application Timeline and Important Dates
Applications for 2026 Louisiana Culture Care Fund grants are now closed.
Amount and Allowable Expenses
A grant of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 will be awarded to successful applicants. Award amounts are dependent on organizational annual operating budget categories as follows:
- less than $100,000: awards of $5,000
- $100,000-$999,999: awards of $10,000
- $1 million or more: awards of $15,000
Allowable costs must clearly support general operating expenses. Programmatic expenses are not eligible under this grant stream. Applicants seeking support for programmatic expenses should apply to the Rebirth Grant opportunity (opening in February).
Eligible operating expenses include (but are not limited to):
Strategic Planning
- Hiring consultants
- Staff time
- Professional development or training
- Space rental
Sustaining Operations
- staff retention (salaries, wages, and benefits)
- rent
- insurance
- utilities
Capacity Building
- Hiring staff or contracting consultants
- Professional development or training
Cost sharing is not required for this grant. All expenses must occur within the period of performance. Expenses incurred outside of the period of performance are not eligible. At the end of the grant period, recipients of a Louisiana Culture Care Fund grant will be required to submit a brief summary of how the funds made a difference to their organizations and local communities as part of their final reporting requirements.
Resources
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
VIDEO GUIDANCE:
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 SAM.gov UEI.
- Nonprofits must submit copies of their form 990 from their most recently completed fiscal year and IRS determination letter.
All Louisiana Culture Care Fund Grant 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 size**
- Estimated annual audience**
- Town or parish population density**
- Organizations who previously received an Emergency Readiness Grant will be given priority consideration.
If you have questions about 2026 Louisiana Culture Care Fund Grants or would like to set up a virtual meeting, we encourage you to contact Grant Manager Wayne Dowdy at dowdy@leh.org or 504.356.0171
*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.
** LEH aims to reach all areas of the state and support organizations of all sizes and communities of benefit.
