Application Instructions/General Guidelines

Note: If you are applying for an MHC Major Grant or a PNC Foundation Legacy Project Grant, you must complete the Letter of Inquiry form by registering through the online application system. Letters of Inquiry for Major Grants must be received by March 1 for the Spring round and by September 1 for the Fall round. Letters of Inquiry for the PNC Foundation grant are due on October 15, 2008. Opportunity Grants do not require a Letter of Inquiry.

There are five parts to the application that must be completed:

1. Basic information – Summary of the project, information about the applicant organization
2. Narrative – More detailed information about the organization, project, team, work plan, and evaluation process
3. Budget – detailed budget form with instructions
4. Appendix – supporting documents such as resumes, letters of commitment from partners
5. Certification

Using the online application system, enter information into the available fields for the Application and the Narrative sections of the form. You may want to complete the information first as a Word or other text document using a 12 point standard font, and then copy and paste the text into the online application.

Review the instructions for completing the budget. Download the Budget Form (in Excel). The budget form is designed to provide sufficient detail by each cost category to justify the necessity of the expenses listed.

The budget form should be completed, saved, and then submitted through the online application system using the "File to Fax" feature. Other documents noted in the Appendix section such as resumes, commitment letters and the like may also be submitted through the online application system. In addition, two signed copies of the Application and Budget should be mailed, along with any attachments you may wish to include. If you are unable to submit documents through the online application system and plan to submit documents only in paper form, please provide the original signed application plus ten copies.

To be considered for funding, the proposal must be emailed to or received in the Maryland Humanities Council office, 108 W. Centre Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the deadline date given. Material received after this deadline cannot be considered as part of the grant proposal.

LET’S GET STARTED!

STEP 1: DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY
If you can answer ‘yes’ to ALL five of the questions below, you are eligible to apply for a grant.

1. Is your organization a non profit?
2. Are the humanities a key component to your project?
3. Have you involved humanities scholars in the project?
4. Is there a discussion component?
5. Do you have matching funds to support project costs?

STEP 2: DETERMINE TYPE OF GRANT FOR WHICH YOU ARE APPLYING
Click on any of the grants listed below for a full description of the grant’s purpose, guidelines and process for submittal.

Major Grants
Grant awards up to $10,000 Spring Grant Round – Letter of Inquiry due March 1; Final Application due April 15 Fall Grant Round – Letter of Inquiry due September 1; Final Application due October 15

Opportunity Grants
Grant awards up to $1,200 May be submitted at any time during the year, but must be received at least 6 weeks before project begins.

PNC Foundation Legacy Project Grants
Grant awards up to $10,000 Letter of Inquiry due October 15, 2008; Final Application due November 15, 2008.

STEP 3: BEGIN APPLICATION PROCESS
For Major Grants, submit a Letter of Inquiry that briefly explains your project. To access the Letter of Inquiry form: please click on the link to the MHC online application system. If you are a first-time applicant, you will need to complete a registration form and select a personal user name and password. If you are already a registered user you can log-on to the system. Once you are logged on, select “start new application” and proceed with completing the Letter of Inquiry. After review by staff, you will hear shortly whether you will be invited to submit a full proposal.

STEP 4: SUBMIT GRANT APPLICATION

For a Major Grant: If, after submitting a Letter of Inquiry, you are invited to submit a grant, return to the online application system, log on, and fill out the Application Form. Remember to include a completed copy of the Budget Form which is a pdf document you will need to download, fill out, and attach to your application.

For an Opportunity Grant: Access the online application system,  log on, and follow instructions to complete the MHC Opportunity Grant and the Budget Form. E-mail completed forms to Lydia Woods at least six weeks prior to the beginning of your event. Two signed hard copies should be mailed, along with the attachments and ten copies of any supporting materials.

You will be able to track the status of your by logging on to the online application system.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Lydia Woods
Coordinator of Grants & Community Outreach
Maryland Humanities Council
108 W. Centre Street
Baltimore, MD 21201