THE ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM
Mission: to use the wisdom and methods of the humanities to promote the civic, intellectual and cultural life of all Alaskans.
WHO ARE WE?
The Alaska Humanities Forum is a non-profit organization affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Congress established the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1965. Our purpose is to promote the exploration of ideas, human values, and public issues that concern Alaskans today. The Forum believes that projects rooted in history, philosophy, literature, traditional wisdom, and other studies in the humanities contribute to our quality of life in meaningful ways.
A statewide Board of Directors establishes the programs and policies of the Forum. Nominations for election to the Alaska Humanities Forum board take place periodically by public solicitation. Five members of the board are appointed by the Governor.
WHAT ARE THE HUMANITIES?
The humanities are the study of human values, traditions, ideals, thoughts, and actions. The humanities seek answers to questions about who we are, what we believe, where we have been, what we value, and why. By connecting us with other people through the examination and discussion of ideas, the humanities point the way to answers about what is right or wrong, or what is true to our history and our heritage. The humanities emphasize analysis, interpretation, and exchange of ideas rather than the creative expression of the arts or the quantitative explanation of the sciences. The humanities should not be confused with “humanitarianism,” the concern for charitable works and social reform or with “humanism,” a specific philosophical belief.
Disciplines relating to the humanities include but are not limited to: Archaeology, History, Geography, Ethics, Linguistics, Ethnic studies, Philosophy, Folklore studies, Political science, Cultural anthropology, Languages, Non-western philosophy, Linguistics, Literature, Film criticism, Comparative religions, Women’s studies,Jurisprudence, History, theory and criticism of the arts (not performances of the arts), Those aspects of the social sciences which employ a philosophical or historical approach (i.e. sociology, economics, psychology)
WHAT THE GRANT PROGRAM DOES
The grant program funds humanities-based projects. In carrying out the Forum’s mission, we support grant projects that:
Cultivate appreciation and enjoyment of the humanities.
Create dialogue among peoples holding divergent points of view.
Apply traditional bodies of wisdom to present concerns.
Search for a sense of personal identity and a sense of place through history, traditions, and new ideas.
Pass on the values, methods, and wisdom of the humanities to future generations of Alaskans.
MINI-GRANTS
Mini-Grant awards provide the Forum with the flexibility to make small grants (up to $2000) for humanities projects that fall out of the General Grant deadlines. Mini-Grant awards are made throughout the fiscal year with a rolling deadline for proposals.
Mini-grant funds are only available for timely projects that cannot wait until the next General Grant deadline and are subject to "funds availability." In other words, if you missed the General Grant deadline, this alone is not enough to qualify for mini-grant funds; the immediacy for funding must also be successfully demonstrated.
Although the grant application process is the same as for a General Grant, you must pre-qualify before applying to see if your project meets the criteria and to see if funds are available. The first step in the application process for mini-grants is to contact the Grants Officer at 272-5373 or grants@akhf.org and send a letter of intent summarizing the project to the Forum.
Who is eligible to apply?
Non-profit organization or institutions, individual scholars, and ad-hoc groups may apply for grants
Who cannot apply?
For-profit groups and organizations
Previous grant recipients who have not fulfilled the terms and conditions of their Grant Agreement
Alaska Humanities Forum staff or members of the AHF Board of directors
Activities that are NOT supported
Projects that influence an audience toward a single position or present a one-sided, uncritical treatment of an issue. If public policy issues are involved, the discussion must be balanced.
Work for academic credit or toward the completion of a formal degree, including travel to professional meetings and academic conference
Performances in the arts, unless their primary role is to foster analysis or interpretation using history, literature, philosophy or other humanities disciplines
Library or museum acquisitions and capital equipment
Acquisition of equipment
Building construction, acquisition, or restoration costs (including historic preservation)
Profit-making projects
Projects that are not open to the public
Lobbying or partisan political activity
Food, alcoholic beverages, refreshments, or entertainment for projects or project-related activities
Social service programs
Projects NOT centrally concerned with the humanities
PROJECT PERSONNEL
What is a sponsor? What is a project director?
The sponsoring organization is the fiscal agent for the project. They are responsible for requesting grant fund disbursements during the project and are responsible for providing the final financial reports at the completion of the project. If the project has a sponsoring organization, all grant fund disbursements are issued to the sponsor.
The project director is the individual who is in charge of carrying out and/or coordinating the project. The project director is our “point of contact” and provides the final narrative report at the project’s completion. Correspondence and communication with the Forum normally coordinates through the project director. If the project director is an independent scholar with no sponsoring organization, all sponsor responsibilities fall to the project director.
Who are Humanities Scholars/Tradition Bearers?
Every grant project must include at least one humanities scholar and/or tradition bearer.
Humanities scholars ordinarily hold an M.A., Ph.D. or other graduate degree in a humanities discipline. The project director may be identified as the humanities scholar if he/she meets the criteria.
Tradition Bearers are elders and/or leaders who are respected by their community for their traditional knowledge.
Who is an Independent Evaluator (required for the final project report)?
The Independent Evaluator will help evaluate a project funded by an Alaska Humanities Forum grant through thoughtful comments on purpose, direction, and success of the project. The Independent Evaluator should be a person with a level of expertise in the subject of the project who has not been directly involved in the project planning or in the execution of the project.
MINI-GRANT BUDGET
Grant Request Funds and Cost Share for Mini-Grants
Forum grant funding can provide NO MORE THAN HALF THE TOTAL COST OF A PROJECT. The other half of the funds comes from cost share.
Grant Request Funds. This is the funding request that you are asking for from the Forum. Forum funds cannot be used for expenses incurred prior to the grant award. In the Grant Request Budget section of the application please indicate how potential funds from the Forum would be spent on the project.
Cost Share. The Forum requires a 1 to 1 cost share. Cost share is the shared support for your project beyond your request for Forum grant funds. Cost share cannot be retroactive before the grant award. It includes:
1. In-kind support: i.e. staff/volunteer unpaid time; donated materials used to plan, promote, or carry out the project; donated office space and equipment; travel; donated services and materials and other non-cash donations;
2. Cash support: Non-federal cash contribution specifically designated for the project from other funding sources beyond the Forum.
The requested grant funds from the Forum must be matched or exceeded by the cost-share to the project. Institutions that have a federally established rate may include indirect costs as matching funds. No indirect or overhead costs will be paid with Forum funds.
The Forum strongly encourages grant applicants to seek broad community support with a substantial investment in the project in both cash and in-kind donations. Proposals that successfully demonstrate shared support and community interest are generally stronger than those proposals that do not.
Budget Narrative (maximum of 3,300 characters)
The budget narrative must explain each expenditure of requested Forum funds by category. Please designate the cost-share funds that are in-hand and which are anticipated.
PROJECT CATEGORIES
Grantees need to select ONE of the following five categories for the proposal. The requirements will need to be explained in further detail in the project category description field of the project narrative section of the application. If your project falls into multiple categories, please select one that best fits your project:
MEDIA: Includes projects involving non-profit radio, television, film, print, and other media.
Detailed Category Requirements:
Treatment: Provide a summary treatment of the proposed program and a timeline for completion. Make clear which phases of the project are being proposed for funding and what other funding is anticipated.
Audience: Describe the audience and how the production is designed for it. Also, please address secondary audiences, such as future researchers, and describe how raw materials and final products will be archived for their use.
Distribution: Outline a plan for public distribution of the final product(s). Explain where the product(s) will be broadcast, shown, published, or distributed. Describe what contacts and commitments have been made and what others are anticipated.
Special Assistance: Media projects that employ professional performers and related or supporting professional personnel must provide written assurance that: 1) these employees will be paid not less than the prevailing minimum compensation for persons employed on similar activities; and 2) no part of any project or production will be performed or engaged in under working conditions that are unsanitary or hazardous to the health and safety of the employee(s) involved.
ORAL HISTORY: Includes projects that identify persons who possess a living memory of history and traditions that may be unique to an area or culture. This knowledge can be preserved through methods such as audio recordings, video tapes, transcriptions, and CD/DVD disks.
Accepted oral history principles and standards are found in the guidelines of the Oral History Association, Dickinson College, located on the web at http://omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/pub_ps.html or by mail to P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013; telephone (717) 245-1036; email at OHA@dickinson.edu.
Detailed Category Requirements:
Identification: Explain who will be interviewed and why.
Methods of Production: Describe what equipment and formats will be used.
Cataloging/Archiving: Explain how materials, tapes, transcriptions, or other final products developed in the project will be indexed, catalogued, and stored. Describe how and where these products will be archived and who will have access to these materials. Explain how information about this resource will be made public.
PUBLIC MEETINGS AND EXHIBITS: Includes public meetings, seminars, discussion groups, workshops, symposia, exhibits, and conferences which address issues from the perspective of the humanities.
Detailed Category Requirements:
Audience: Identify the prospective participants in the event.
Publicity: Describe how both specific audiences and the general public will be informed of the event and encouraged to participate. In addition, explain a broad-based plan for publicity.
Exhibits: If an exhibit is involved, describe what makes it appropriate to the event. Describe the exhibit and its history, source, permission for use, physical accommodation, and format.
RESEARCH:Defines research in the traditional sense as “careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles.”
Detailed Category Requirements:
Resources: Explain what sources and/or individuals will be consulted. Explain these resources (texts, cultural customs or practices, people, etc.) and their significance to the research project.
Methodology: Explain how the research will be conducted. If a dictionary is proposed, for example, explain the compilation and design process. If documentation of cultural practices is the focus, explain how information relating to those practices will be gathered and used. Provide a detailed timeline for conducting the project.
Outcome and Audience: Describe what form the research product will take, identify the intended audience, and show how the research product is designed to meet the needs of that audience. Explain where the product(s) will be housed and who will have access.
Overall Significance: Describe what contribution the research will make to the humanities and how it is different from other research in its area. Summarize the importance of the research.
PLANNING: Available to help humanities scholars or experts meet with organizations interested in developing a proposal in the future for submission to the Forum and/or other funding sources. These grants are appropriate in cases where preparing a proposal involves complexities requiring special expertise. All cost-sharing and other standards of the Forum must be met.
Detailed Category Requirements:
Concept: Describe your preliminary conceptual vision of the project.
Planning Need: Explain why a planning grant is appropriate to the project.
Expertise: Specify whose expertise is needed and why.
PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS
Each Mini-Grant project proposal must be pre-approved before an application will be accepted by the Forum. A letter of intent with a summary of the proposed project, a list of partners, and a short budget narrative should be sent to the Forum Grants Officer at the address below, or it can be emailed to grants@akhf.org.
PREPARING YOUR PROPOSAL
If the applicant's pre-application is accepted he/she will be directed to this system to complete the process. Please do not complete an application without prior approval from the Forum. Once the pre-approval has occurred, the applicant can use the following guidelines to complete the online proposal.
PROJECT NARRATIVE
Project Summary (no more than 3,300 characters): Provide a clear summary and overview of the project. Describe how humanities disciplines are central to the project. Explain why there is a need for it and how this project will meet the need. Identify what the product will be at the end of the project. Explain what new information will be generated or how understanding is improved.
Project Personnel (no more than 2,000 characters): Summarize who is participating in the project, and how they are involved in the planning, implementing and evaluation of the project.
(All Humanities Scholars/Tradition Bearers must be detailed in the Humanities Scholars/Tradition Bearers Information Section.)
Project Publicity (no more than 1,500 characters): Include a clear plan on how you will broadly disseminate information to the public about your project, both on a community level and on a statewide level. In addition, explain how you will target and engage audiences and encourage participation as appropriate to the project.
Project Support (maximum of 1,000 characters): Specify the individuals or organizations supporting the project. Optional letters of support may be mailed to the Grants Officer as appropriate and must be postmarked by October 1st.
Ethics and Permissions (maximum of 1,000 characters): When individual or community permissions are necessary for the conduct of project activities, please indicate how these permissions will be obtained.
Project Category Description (maximum of 1,500 characters): Please address the SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS for the ONE selected Project Category. (You can find the specific requirements in the above Project Categories section of these Grant Guidelines.)
PROJECT EVALUATION PLAN (maximum of 2,500 characters)
A proposal must include a clear plan describing the methods to be utilized to evaluate the results of the project and measure success. The scope of the evaluation should cover:
Goals and Objectives: Examine the extent to which the project’s stated goals were served and their objectives achieved.
Humanities Content: Analyze how the disciplines, methods, and approaches of the humanities were employed, the extent to which they influenced the project, and how they might have been utilized more effectively.
Action and Outcome(s):
Describe how the actions taken to complete the project (planning, publicity, activities, evaluation) were accomplished. Describe the information, knowledge, products and resources that arose from this project and describe means taken to preserve and/or disseminate these outcomes beyond the immediate scope of the project.
Replication: Evaluate whether others should consider undertaking a similar project. If possible, indicate whether the project director or other project personnel (as well as yourself) are willing to be a resource for others.
Audience Response: If appropriate, describe and analyze the response of the audience (readers, listeners, viewers, etc.) to the project. Were questionnaires or other means employed to solicit feedback and, if so, what was learned? Please relate any spontaneous comments or other unsolicited responses.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Comment on both strong and weak points of the project and how, given the benefit of hindsight, it might have been improved. If the project were conducted again, what could be done differently to strengthen it, avoid mistakes, save time, or use resources more effectively? (Generally it is as important to know what went right with a project as what went wrong.)
PROJECT EVENTS
Include detailed information regarding any events related to the grant project. Since the Forum grants public funds, all events must be open to the general public. Please explain how the event(s) will be open to the public.
FORUM REVIEW AND ACTION
The Alaska Humanities Forum President, with subsequent Board approval, makes the final decision about mini-grant awards. Proposals are closely reviewed by the Grants Officer and Forum President.
Every grant applicant will be sent an acknowledgment of the receipt of their grant application by the Forum.
Every grant applicant is sent an official notice of the President’s decision. If a mini-grant has been approved, a Letter of Agreement and associated materials are sent to the sponsoring organization, with copies to the Project Director. The Letter of Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions of the grant. Signing the Letter of Agreement obligates the sponsor to conduct the project as described in the proposal and to accept the conditions outlined in the Letter and these Guidelines.
A response to a proposal for a mini-grant will be made within one month after the application submission date.
Successful applicants have 60 days to accept and sign their grant award letters and return them to the Forum. With the receipt of the signed award letter, the grant is “activated.”
ALASKA HUMANITIES FORUM STAFF
Greg Kimura, Ph.D.
President
907-272-5308
gwkimura@akhf.org
Laura Schue
Grants Officer
907-272-5373
grants@akhf.org
Adele Alderman
Development Director
907-272-5338
adele.alderman@akhf.org
Barbara Brown
Leadership Anchorage Director
907-272-5324
barbara.brown@akhf.org
Maren Carey
Accountant
907-272-5326
accounting@akhf.org
Donna Elliott
Best Beginnings Associate
907-297-3301
bestbeginnings@akhf.org
Abbe Hensley
Best Beginnings Director
907-297-3300
ahensley@akhf.org
Elizabeth Hilpert
Executive Assistant
907-272-5313
ehilpert@akhf.org
Panu Lucier
Rose Urban Rural Exchange Director
907-272-5302
panu.lucier@akhf.org
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