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Heritage Support Grants
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Funding local history
The Indiana Historical Society is pleased to support Indiana’s local, county and regional historical societies, museums and sites in their important work through Heritage Support Grants, made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Grants are for projects that will help Indiana’s local history organizations meet high-priority needs in areas of Collections Stewardship, Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion, Sustainability, and Planning. In addition to the grant awards, IHS also offers fundraising education workshops, ongoing coaching for grant applicants and opportunities to serve on grant award selection committees.
During its first five years, the program offered 11 grant opportunities and awarded more than $2.6 million through 173 awards to 100 different organizations, which are located in 57 of Indiana’s 92 counties. These grants helped history organizations in Indiana improve stewardship of the cultural materials in their care and develop institutional capacity to play greater, more effective roles in their communities.
Heritage Support Grants are provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Project grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 and require a 15% cash match from new fundraising. Project grants also require 100% board support in the organization which can be financial contributions, volunteer time or a combination of the two.
Grant Cycle A – Project timeline: July 2020 through June 2021:
- April 30, 2020 – This application deadline has passed
- June 2020 – Grants awarded
- Jan. 31, 2021- Midpoint Reports due
- Aug. 31, 2021– Final Reports due
Grant Cycle B – Project timeline: July 2021 through June 2022:
- March 2, 2021 – Summary of Proposal due
- April 29, 2021 – Full Proposal due
- June 2021 – Grants awarded
- Jan. 2022 – Midpoint Reports due
- Aug. 2022 – Final Reports due
To start an application, see the complete guidelines and then apply through the online grant portal.
Mini grants range from $500 to $4,999. No outside matching support is required.
Grant Cycle A – Project timeline: July 2020 through June 2021
- June 2, 2020 – Proposal due (this deadline has passed)
- July 2020 – Grants awarded
- July 30, 2021 – Final Report due
Grant Cycle B – Project timeline: October 2020 through September 2021
- Sept. 1, 2020 – Proposal due
- October 2020 – Grants Awarded
- Oct. 29, 2021 – Final Report due
To start an application, see the complete guidelines and then apply through the online grant portal.
The objective of the Heritage Support Grants program is to advance the care of and access to history in Indiana, while increasing the capacity of organizations that carry out this work.
In order to apply for a project or mini grant, organizations must meet all the following criteria:
- Be incorporated in the State of Indiana as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation*
- Reflect history as a significant component of its mission and/or propose a project that is clearly history focused.** Priority will be given to Indiana history projects.
- Have an annual budget of less than $300,000
- The parent organization supports the project and application for grant funding.
- A representative of the friends group is on the grant project team.
- HSG funds will be held and disbursed by the friends group.
**A history-focused project should interpret, present or otherwise disseminate a historical narrative or information. Structures and landscapes will only be considered if they are primarily used to facilitate historical interpretation or house significant historical collections.
To start an application, see the complete guidelines and then apply through the online grant portal.
- Collections stewardship – Projects address the storage, management, and care for collections and associated documentation that are entrusted to the organization’s care. This includes historic objects, structures and landscapes as part of collections care. (NOTE: Structures and landscapes will only be considered if they are primarily used to facilitate historical interpretation or house significant historical collections.)
- Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion – Projects focus on efforts to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in all aspects of organizational work, broaden organizations beyond public accommodations, and work to achieve genuine inclusion.
- Sustainability – These projects focus on identifying and accessing internal and external resources the organization needs to achieve goals for greater capacity and to take important next steps. Sustainability projects meet the needs of the present and help set the organization up for future success.
- Planning -Projects identify organizational objectives and assess organizational capacity.
Inquiries regarding the online grant portal, grant requirements, and fundraising training:
Bryce Gorman
(317) 234-9514
bgorman@indianahistory.org
Other inquiries:
Tamara Hemmerlein
(317) 234-0170
themmerlein@indianahistory.org
