Spark Grants

Up to $5,000

Spark Deadlines

Final applications due the first business day of every month; preliminary applications due one month prior to final due date.

Applications must be submitted two months before public events occur.

Please note: Spark Grant applications will be unavailable from May 3 - June 3, 2024, and October 4 - November 8, 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

Past Grants

Spark grants provide non-profit organizations with funds to develop and produce programs that spark conversations about issues that are relevant to Ohioans today. These projects can be limited in scope, both in terms of subject matter and intended audience, but they should be designed to appeal to as broad of a public audience as possible.

Programs funded by Spark grants should focus humanities content in ways that will inspire lasting conversations around social, economic, and historical issues challenging Ohio communities, and they should encourage a sense of place and civic engagement in Ohio citizens. These grants can also be used to build capacity for larger projects that will have a wider impact.

Click here to see a list of our previously funded grants.

Spark Grant Guidelines

Successful applications for project grants meet four major criteria:

Applicants must be an eligible non-profit organization.
The public humanities must be central to the proposed project.
Public humanities professionals should be deeply involved in the project.
The application must follow Ohio Humanities budget guidelines.

Before you apply for a grant, please contact a Program Officer to discuss your project. We’re here to help you submit a successful application!

To be eligible for an Ohio Humanities grant, you must apply on behalf of a nonprofit organization—such as a public library, museum, historical society, or community organization— located in the state of Ohio

All applicants and grantees working with Ohio Humanities must now have a UEI number issued by the federal government through the Sam.gov system. All applicants are required to include their UEI on the application. Please visit https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei to acquire your number.

In addition to being a state-recognized non-profit, organizations must meet two other major criteria:

The organization is not solely a fiscal agent sponsor for the project. The sponsoring organization for an Ohio Humanities grant must be making a substantive contribution to the project.
The organization does not currently have an open grant with Ohio Humanities. Large organizations with semi-autonomous departments or locations—like universities, public library systems, or park systems—may receive a waiver for this limitation.

Successful applicants will demonstrate that their projects adhere to three major public humanities principles:

They are focused on the humanities. We fund projects that deepen our understanding of what it means to be human. Programs should encourage participants to thoughtfully consider how a humanities discipline can create and sustain vibrant communities.
They are designed for the benefit of the public. Projects must be open to the public. Although you can target a specific audience in your promotional materials, everyone in the community should have an equal opportunity to attend. (We do consider programs held in prisons and schools to be public, so there is no requirement to open them to a broader audience.) Although you may charge an admission fee to sponsored events, we prefer that organizations offer a free or reduced admission fee for those who need it.
They employ a balanced viewpoint. Public programs should encourage open conversations among speakers and audience members. Our funded projects cannot discriminate against persons or groups, and they cannot promote a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view. In other words, projects should strive to provide fair consideration and expression to alternative viewpoints.

Public humanities professionals are integral to every project that we fund. We consider a “humanities professional” to be a person with humanities expertise. This might be someone with an advanced humanities degree—like an MA, MLS, or PhD—or it could be a local historian, educator, or culture bearer. Regardless of educational background, these individuals should ensure accuracy in the project, provide relevant context, and contribute to the interpretative work of the project from a humanities perspective.

We fund the labor necessary for public programs, as well as the research, preparation, production, and presentation for these events. We prefer projects that spend our funds on humanities experts and the staff to execute a successful project rather than on equipment or operating costs. You can find our full budget guidelines in the descriptions of each specific grant type. But there are two particularly important considerations to know upfront:

Ohio Humanities requires a $1-to-$1 cost share from sponsoring organizations. That means that each dollar from Ohio Humanities must be matched with either cash or an in-kind contribution.

No more than 20% of an Ohio Humanities grant can be used on equipment.

Spark Grant Application