LIMITED GRANTMAKING NOTICE—The West Virginia Humanities Council (WVHC) is the official West Virginia state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). In 2025, federal funding for all State Humanities Councils (SHCs), including the WVHC, was terminated through DOGE action.
 
In 2026, Congress restored full funding for the SHCs through its regular appropriations process. However, as of this writing, less than 50% of that congressionally restored funding is being made available to us.
 
We continue to aggressively pursue the release of full funding to the SHCs, so that we may return to our normal grantmaking capacity. In the meantime, we plan to offer limited grantmaking in the form of minigrants, which will deliver available federal funding to as many West Virginia communities as possible, while maximizing the impact of the funding the NEH is currently releasing to us.
 
Please refer to this page for current information on minigrant opportunities, application support, and timelines for submission.

How do I apply?

1. Before beginning the application process, applicants should confirm that their project is eligible for funding. Review what the Humanities Council can and cannot fund on the grant guidelines page. If you have questions about eligibility or are an organization applying for the first time, contact grants administrator Erin Riebe at 304.346.8500 or riebe@wvhumanities.org. Plan to discuss your idea in detail and find out if it is eligible for funding.

2. Review the general grant guidelines and the appropriate grant application. Make notes and write down any questions. Contact the grants administrator to discuss questions or concerns.

3. Confirm that the sponsoring organization is a nonprofit and understands the responsibility of administering a Humanities Council grant (not required for Fellowship and Travel Assistance grant applications; see Publication and Teacher Institute grant guidelines for grant-specific sponsor requirements). View a sample grant contract. If the grant is awarded, the organization must have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) from the IRS, and an active Unique Entity ID (UEI – SAM) created in SAM.gov.  The sponsoring organization must have full registration in SAM.  Click here for more information about UEI (SAM).

4. Confirm that your project is rooted in one or more of the humanities disciplines. Review the definition of humanities.

5. Review examples of successful grant applications.

Major grant example                          Minigrant example

Fellowship example                            Media grant example

Publication grant example                 Teacher Institute example

Travel Assistance example

6. Review the grant application checklist.

7. Complete the appropriate online application by midnight on the grant deadline date.  The Humanities Council prefers that applicants submit proposals electronically through the Council’s online grant application system.  For your reference, a PDF of the grant application may be downloaded from the print tab at the top of the appropriate application page.  Applications completed online may be saved and returned to at a later time before submission.  If you are unable to submit the application through the online grant application system, please contact the grants administrator.  Hard copies must be postmarked on or before the grant deadline.