This year, North Carolina Humanities awarded a total of $8,950 in Project Planning Grants to support preparations for upcoming humanities projects including research activities, planning meetings, data collection, and more. Funding supports community-based initiatives that promote understanding, respect, and an appreciation for diverse cultural expressions.
NC Humanities annually provides Project Planning Grants of up to $2,000 on a rolling basis throughout the year to nonprofit organizations that use the humanities (literature, history, philosophy, etc.) to raise questions, encourage conversation, contextualize experiences, and connect people across differences in their local communities. NC Humanities also offers other humanities project grants of varying funding amounts.
Grant information and applications for 2025 will be announced later this year. To learn more about NC Humanities’ grants, eligibility, and deadlines, visit https://nchumanities.org/grants.
The following organizations received a Project Planning Grant from North Carolina Humanities throughout 2024.
Appalachian State University (Boone)
Books Without Borders: Exploring Censorship and Reading in Schools
Grant Award: $2,000
In collaboration with the Franklin School of Innovation, a Title-I public charter school in Asheville, North Carolina, banned book curriculum for grades 9-12 will be developed. The initiative aims to celebrate marginalized voices, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQ authors, and enhance literacy and critical thinking skills. The curriculum will be grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy, which underscores the importance of students reading literature that reflects their own experiences. Integrating this content into existing curriculum will provide students an opportunity to engage with the intersection of literature, policy, and censorship.
Chapel Hill Historical Society (Chapel Hill)
Franklin Street – Then and Now
Grant Award: $950
Grant funding will support planning and development for an upcoming physical and virtual exhibit, co-sponsored by the Chapel Hill Historical Society and the Orange County Historical Museum. The exhibit will present stories of the businesses, individuals, and events that have helped to create Franklin Street’s unique identity. The exhibit will explore the different ways in which Black and White people experienced life on Franklin Street, from the perspectives of business owners, workers, and students, and how these experiences influence our notions of community.
Show N Tell Ministries (Garner)
Invisible Warriors
Grant Award: $2,000
Grant funding will support interviews, research, and the collection of file footage for a future documentary about Global War on Terror veterans. Specifically, the documentary will focus on veteran suicide rates and other contemporary issues faced by our nation’s veterans.
Visual Art Exchange (Raleigh)
Quiet Cartographies
Grant Award: $2,000
During the research phase of this project, artist R. Stein Wexler will pilot “Quiet Cartographies” a community-led story mapping effort. Over the course of six weeks, visitors to the exhibition will be invited to collectively map local stories that they think need to be told, where they need to be told, and start ideating ways in which to tell them. A series of workshops, gatherings, and “open house” hours will encourage community members and culture bearers to contribute to the “Quiet Cartographies” research pilot.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte)
North Carolina African American Cemeteries Network
Grant Award: $2,000
There is momentum and interest surrounding the identification, preservation, and conservation of African American burial grounds across the United States, and more locally, in North Carolina. As such, this grant will support a county-by-county assessment of known African American cemeteries, historical societies, heritage professionals, and community organizations who could be part of the North Carolina African American Cemetery Network. This grant will also support the creation of planning and informational materials regarding the network.
Note: Project descriptions are shortened for length and clarity and reflect the project’s proposed activity at time of grant submission.
About North Carolina Humanities: Through public humanities programs and grantmaking, North Carolina Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community. North Carolina Humanities is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more, visit www.nchumanities.org.
