Humanities New York

Grant-making:the Humanities help us talk about and understand the ideas that define us as individuals and connect us as communities. They teach New yorkers how, not what, to think. Humanities New York grants help communities use the Humanities to articulate their ideas about what it means to be human. Humanities New York grants support project teams with Humanities expertise and projects that use the tools of the Humanities to engage public, non-specialized audiences. Humanities New York offers three competitive grant programs. Vision grants ($500 to $1,500) help groups develop plans for public Humanities programs and initiatives that are built in partnership with community members. Action grants ($6,500 to $10,000) help organizations launch public Humanities programs that are dynamic, responsive, and thought-provoking. Quick grants ($500 to $1,500) are available to organizations with operating budgets of less than $250,000 for the implementation of public Humanities programs. During fy22, Humanities New York awarded 141 vision, action, and quick grants totaling $731,867 in support. Of this amount, $362,412 in action grants derived from hny sharp emergency funding via the american rescue plan act of 2021. Total cost for this program was $1,195,925.

Reading and discussion:the reading and discussion program offers time for participants to think deeply about a single idea from a variety of perspectives. In the process, texts become catalysts for civic engagement, cultural understanding, and personal reflection. Participants read a series of thematically linked texts over the course of four to six sessions. At each session, they come together with others in their community for a conversation about the ideas in those texts, guided by a trained local facilitator. Themes range from "james baldwin's america and "growing & aging" to the indigenous experience of the revolutionary war era and the women's suffrage movement. Host organizations identify a theme relevant to their community, how many sessions they plan to host, and partner with a local humanist to facilitate the program. Hny trains both the host site and the facilitator on best practices for generating discussion and drawing in multiple voices. Hny provides grants of up to $2,000 for program expenses, provides a lending library of books for each theme, and pays the cost of freight for books to and from the host site. Participants, recruited by the host organizations, attend the programs for free. Hny's programs team reviews all applications, and any that demonstrate the ability to attract an audience and host the program successfully are awarded, so long as funding permits. If necessary, Humanities New York gives preference based on geography and New partner organizations to insure our resources reach New audiences and underserved areas of the state. Total cost for r&d was $223,821.

Post-incarceration public Humanities grant - pihp:the post-incarceration Humanities partnership (pihp) grant supports the work of organizations in New York state who serve and collaborate with individuals who have previously been incarcerated and the families of those individuals. Each grant provides $20,000 in funding for organizations using humanities-based techniques on projects that engage the formerly incarcerated and their families with experiences, tools, education, and networks to insure that their incarceration is not the episode that defines their lives. Bolstered by a pilot version of the grant, which funded efforts by six "downstate organizations located in the nyc and long island regions, hny supported the formerly incarcerated and their loved ones in efforts to rebuild their relationships and their lives. During fy22, Humanities New York awarded six pihp grants totaling $120,000 in support. Total cost for this program was $267,081.

Other programs include Humanities centers initiative, Humanities New York events, community conversations, and partnerships and convening.