Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) Grant Guidelines
SHARP Grant funding is provided by Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021.
For additional information on the application process, please view the webinar HERE. A copy of the webinar PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded HERE.
General Provisions:
- Matching funds, either cash or in-kind, are not required.
- Organizations may receive only one SHARP Grant. Organizations with an open project grant are encouraged to apply for SHARP support. More information on Ohio Humanities' General Grants Program can be found here.
Eligibility:
Funds may be used for:
- Humanities programming;
- General operating costs of humanities-focused organizations;
- Strategic planning and capacity-building efforts related to preparing, responding to, and recovering from the coronavirus;
- Technical/consultant needs related to a digital transition or in support of preservation and access programs (equipment costs cannot exceed 20% of a subaward);
- Expansion, due to the effects of the coronavirus, of outdoor and virtual humanities programming and activities, from traditional environments to those that are more accessible;
- Equity assessments and planning related to coronavirus and the economic crisis.
Funds may not be used for or by:
- Individuals;
- For-profit organizations
- Organizations whose primary focus is the live display or creation of visual or performing arts;
- Political or advocacy organizations;
- Religious organizations who seek to carry out advocacy or conversion;
- Organizations that discriminate against any person or group of persons;
- Overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding and/or approved federal awards;
- Funds for activities supported by other non-NEH federal funds;
- Competitive regranting;
- Cancellation costs;
- Pre-award costs prior to March 15, 2021;
- Equipment costs in excess of 20% of total project costs;
- Travel (both foreign and domestic);
- Construction, purchase of real property, major alteration, and renovation;
- Environmental sustainability;
- Collections acquisition;
- The preservation, organization, or description of materials that are not regularly accessible for research, education, or public programming;
- Promotion of a particular political, religious, or ideological point of view;
- Advocacy of a particular program of social or political action; or
- Support of specific public policies or legislation.
Grant applicants are required to certify that they:
- Are not presently debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participating in federally funded programs;
- Are required to certify that they are not currently delinquent in the payment of a federal debt;
- Are in compliance with the US Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards and all of the following federal nondiscrimination statutes: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975;
- Have a federal DUNS number. Click here to request a DUNS number for your organization; and
- Ohio Humanities does not accept applications from fiscal agent sponsors and may request proof of nonprofit status at its discretion. Proper evidence includes 501(c)3 letter, IRS 990 form, or a copy of the Agent Notification Form for Unincorporated Nonprofit Associations from Ohio’s Secretary of State.