Relief Operating Grant and Recovery Program Grant Frequently Asked Questions 

A: These grants differ in two significant ways: a) the scope of activities that the grants will support; and b) the kinds of organizations that are eligible to apply for the grants. Relief Operating Grants support short-term, general operating costs such as rent, mortgage costs, utilities, salaries and benefits for permanent employees, contract staff, and are only open to Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with humanities-focused mission statements and or groups with a federally recognized Nevada tribal affiliation with humanities-focused mission statements. Recovery Program Grants support efforts to strategize, plan, evaluate, communicate, and implement public humanities programs and are open to Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanities and cultural organizations, and government entities such as local and tribal governments, museums, libraries, schools and educational institutions, and other nonprofit or governmental humanities organizations.

A: At Nevada Humanities our emphasis is on the public humanities. We understand the humanities to be how people process, document, express, comprehend, and live the human experience, and that through the wide breadth of human learning, civic, social, and cultural activities, everyone participates in and has access to the humanities. While we value traditional academic humanities disciplines (such as linguistics, literature, history, jurisprudence, philosophy, archaeology, comparative religion and belief, ethics, the history, criticism and theory of the arts, etc.), we also see the humanities as encompassing a wide range of activities and creative expressions that contribute to our individual and collective sense of being human. These include: social and cultural traditions and practices; civic and community engagement; expressions of identity; our understanding of history; our worldview and sense of place; the consideration of the meaning of life; the reasons for our thoughts and actions; the examination of the values and principles that inform our cultures, laws, and government; contextual and educational approaches to the creative process and the arts; and much more. Projects supported by Nevada Humanities may utilize academic and/or public humanities tools and perspectives. For the purposes of this American Rescue Plan Act funding opportunity, projects and expenses that fall outside of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences (including the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and quantitative social science research or policy studies) are not eligible for funding.

A: A humanities-focused mission directly addresses humanities issues or disciplines as defined above.

A: A humanities organization has a mission explicitly connected to the humanities along with a track record of specifically working in the humanities, as opposed to a group that occasionally tackles or delves into humanities-based themes or activities. Humanities organizations include, but are not limited to, historical societies and heritage groups, historic homes and sites, archives, oral history programs, folklife organizations, cultural centers, museums, nonprofit libraries, literary organizations, nonprofit education organizations, historic preservation groups, nonprofit media groups that report on culture, other cultural nonprofits with core missions or activities that center on developing and implementing public humanities programming. Relief Operating Grants are only open to Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with humanities-focused mission statements and/or groups with a federally recognized Nevada tribal affiliation with humanities-focused mission statement. Recovery Program Grants are open to Nevada 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanities and cultural organizations, and government entities such as local and tribal governments, museums, libraries, schools and educational institutions, and other nonprofit or governmental humanities organizations. Nevada Humanities will consider Recovery Program Grant applications for funding from organizations in other fields or endeavors that also deliver significant humanities programming.

A: No. To be eligible to apply for Relief Operating Grants you must have a humanities-focused mission statement. To be eligible to apply for Recovery Program Grants you must either have a humanities-focused mission statement or implement a significant amount of public humanities programming and demonstrate this in your application.

A: Please describe your programming as requested in the application and make your case.

A: For the purposes of this American Rescue Plan Act funding opportunity, projects and expenses that fall outside of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences (including the creation or performance of art; creative writing, autobiographies, memoirs, and creative nonfiction; and quantitative social science research or policy studies) are not eligible for funding. Nevada Humanities will consider applications for Recovery Program Grants from organizations that also deliver significant humanities programming.

A: Organizations that apply for Nevada Arts Council funding are also eligible to apply for Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan grants; however, you may not have overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding.

A: Organizations that apply for other sources of American Rescue Plan Act relief funds are eligible to apply for Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan Relief and Recovery Grants; however, you may not have overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding.

A: Humanities-focused organizations such as museums, archives, university presses, and public-facing humanities centers affiliated with a college or university that have their own 501(c)(3) status and their own DUNS number not affiliated with an institution of higher education may apply for a Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan grants for which they are eligible.

A: No.

A: Any Nevada federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may be eligible to apply if it meets the eligibility criteria for each grant. Organizations that define their mission as social service oriented without a humanities focus are not eligible for Relief Operating Grants, but may be eligible for Recovery Program Grants if they present strong evidence that the humanities are a central and significant portion of their public programming.

A: To be eligible, an organization must have a primary business address in Nevada and have been in operation for at least two years prior to August 1, 2021.

A: Eligible organizations are able to apply for and potentially receive funding for both a Relief Operating Grant and a Recovery Program Grant: however, each organization may only submit one application in each of the Relief and Recovery grant categories. Note that not all organizations will be eligible for both grant categories.

A: If you received a previous project grant from Nevada Humanities and are eligible for Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan grants, you may apply for Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan grant funds. Receipt of Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan funds will also not affect your eligibility for future Nevada Humanities project grants.

A: When the National Endowment for the Humanities passed these American Rescue Plan Act funds through to Nevada Humanities the funds arrived with a number of stipulations including that general operating support would only be subawarded to organizations with humanities-focused missions. While not eligible for a Relief Operating Grant, your organization may be eligible for a Recovery Program Grant.

A: Nevada Humanities Relief Operating Grants will support short-term operating costs for Nevada nonprofit humanities organizations who have experienced hardship resulting from the COVID-19 health emergency. This may include:

• Salaries, taxes, and benefits for permanent staff

• Honoraria and professional fees for contractual personnel that are essential to an organization's humanities work

• Rent or mortgage payments

• Utilities, insurance, and other facilities costs

• Personal Protective Equipment, equipment, and supplies related to preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic (note that equipment costs may not exceed 20% of total project costs).

A: Recovery Program Grants are intended to provide capacity building and programmatic support to public humanities organizations and cultural institutions. This funding will enable organizations that enhance and undertake public humanities programming to respond to the current and longer-term challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As Nevada’s humanities and cultural organizations plan and implement strategies to recover from the pandemic, this funding may be used to strategize, plan, evaluate, communicate, and implement public humanities programs. This funding should be considered in the context of helping Nevada’s humanities-focused cultural organizations prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. For more details, visit the Recovery Program Grant guidelines.

A: Please interpret this in ways that are most appropriate and helpful to your organization at this time.

A: As required by federal guidelines, your organization is required to have a DUNS number to receive Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan Relief Operating Grant and Recovery Program Grant funds. You may complete and submit your Relief Operating Grant and your Recovery Program Grant application if your DUNS number application is in process, but you will not be able to receive awarded grant funds until you provide this number to Nevada Humanities. Learn more about the DUNS number requirement here as described by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It may take a few days to receive your DUNS number, so please anticipate this when submitting your application. Please allow plenty of time to process your request.

A: It ordinarily takes two business days to receive a DUNS number, but we have heard that demand is currently high and that it may take longer than usual to process your request. Applicants must have a valid DUNS number at the time that they submit their application. Please allow plenty of time to process your request.

A. You are not required to register with SAM to apply for this grant, but it is strongly encouraged. Register with SAM here. Note that it may take up to two weeks to complete your registration. You may complete your application process while your registration is pending. SAM registration is free.

A: No. The organization that applies for funding must also receive and use the funds awarded.

A: Yes. No hand-delivered, faxed, or emailed applications will be accepted. Read the guidelines and then you can register and begin your application through the Nevada Humanities Online Grant Application System.

A: If you are applying for both a Relief Operating Grant and a Recovery Program Grant you must create and submit a different budget for each application with applicable and unique expenses appropriate to each grant stream. You may not duplicate costs in each application.

A: Yes, if they directly support your humanities-based programs and operations. Please specify in your application the nature of your contractor’s work.

A: Applications will be processed by Nevada Humanities staff and evaluated by a special committee of the Nevada Humanities Board of Trustees, which will make recommendations to the full Nevada Humanities Board of Trustees for approval. Applications will be evaluated in the context of the overall pool of requests, considering:

• Strength of the organization’s humanities focus and program content

• Strength of the organization’s public facing humanities programming

• Strength of the organization's proposed humanities-focused project (for Recovery Program Grants)

• Strength of service to underserved demographics

• Impact of COVID-19 emergency on the organization

• The level of need identified in the application

• Demand and availability of funding

• Ability to ensure compliance with federal regulations guiding the use of federal funds

Priority will be given to organizations with annual budgets of $500,000 or less and those that serve underrepresented populations or communities, but all types and sizes of eligible organizations are welcome to apply. We regret that feedback cannot be given on draft applications or grant decisions.

A: If your application is unsuccessful you may not reapply in this round of Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan funding; however, you may be eligible to apply for other future rounds of Nevada Humanities grant funding.

A: No.

A: No.

A: The Relief Operating Grant period of performance is December 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022. The Recovery Program Grant period of performance is January 1 - October 31, 2022. You must expend the allocated grant within these windows of time.

A: Relief Operating Grant decisions will be announced mid-November 2021. Recovery Program Grant decisions will be announced mid-December 2021.

A: If your grant request is successful, you may choose to have the funds deposited directly into your organizational bank account or to receive a check mailed via USPS. You will be able to select your preferred method of delivery when you complete your Nevada Humanities Grant Agreement.

A: Perhaps. Project expenses must fit within the period of performance defined by the grant, organizations may not have overlapping project costs with any other pending or approved application(s) for federal funding, and all projects must also respond to the purpose of American Rescue Plan Act funding, which is to help organizations prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A: Organizations will be required to sign a Grant Agreement upon notification of funding. Funds will not be disbursed until a signed Grant Agreement is returned to Nevada Humanities. A final report confirming and describing the use of funds will be due 90 days after the end of the period of performance for the grant. The final report will include:

• Narrative report describing the use, impact, and outcomes of the grant

• Project budget that lists all expenditures and supporting documentation demonstrating the use of grant funds

• Data including audience served, kinds of humanities programs implemented by the organization during the period of performance, number of people benefitting from grant funds, and number of jobs preserved or created

• Certification of compliance with federal regulations governing the expenditure and use of federal funds

• Copies of letters from your organization to Nevada’s U.S. representatives and senators thanking them for supporting Nevada Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and your organization

A: When submitting your final actual project budget with your final report, you must include documentation for cash expenditures that demonstrate the expenditure of those funds. This documentation must be equal to the dollar amount of the grant that you expended. Examples include, but are not limited to, copies of receipts, invoices, checks, emails, and noted calculations for values. To accurately demonstrate salaries, taxes, and benefits for permanent staff, please include pay slips that include a break out of these expenses.

A: Nevada Humanities American Rescue Plan Act grant funds are provided to Nevada Humanities by Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more about the responsibilities of award recipients visit the National Endowment for the Humanities here. More information about cost principles and the use of federal funds can be found here.