Humanities Iowa and What We Do

Humanities Iowa (HI) is dedicated to bringing the humanities to life in Iowa, with the diverse people of Iowa. We provide grants, build community partnerships, and create programming that reaches over 250,000 Iowans each year. Our programming and projects reach every corner of the state and range from community roundtables and intergenerational storytelling projects to documentaries, rural archives restoration, the Iowa Poet Laureate program, the statewide Speakers Bureau series, and the journal Voices from the Prairie.

Grants

We support programming through major grants, mini grants, partnerships, as well as our Speakers Bureau. 

Partnerships

Council Conducted Partnerships are funding partnerships between Humanities Iowa and eligible non-profit organizations.

Speakers

Our Speakers Bureau has speakers available to come to your event with expertise in a wide variety of humanities fields.

Join Us!

We would love to have you join us and get involved!
Attend our events with your family and friends.
Nominate yourself or someone you know to serve on the Board of Directors or Speakers Bureau.
Spread the word.
Humanities Iowa is here for Iowa

Grants and Guidelines

We support programming through major grants, mini grants, partnerships, as well as our Speakers Bureau.

The Basics

Who Can Apply

Grants are awarded to not-for-profit organizations that serve the out-of-school Iowan adult public

Frequently Asked Questions

We will work with you to strengthen the application and answer questions.

Apply for a Grant

Access our online application process

Recent Mini-Grant Awards

Mini grants are awarded on a continual basis throughout the year.

The following mini grants were awarded for the 2023-2024 financial year:

The Details

Conditions of Grant Awards

Responsibilities you will be required to accept if you are awarded a grant from Humanities Iowa.

Special Guidelines: Media Projects

Humanities Iowa recognizes that media projects can serve as a powerful tool for fulfilling our mission to foster greater public awareness of and appreciation for the value of the humanities

Grants Administration

PDFs of guidelines and PDFs of forms for administering your grant from Humanities Iowa.

Special Guidelines: Teacher Seminars

Humanities Iowa will consider proposals from colleges, universities, area education agencies and school systems for planning and conducting seminars in the humanities for elementary, secondary and post-secondary teachers.

Recent Major Grant Awards

Title of Project
Iowa Corridor Sangeet

Sponsoring Organization
CARTHA
Iowa City

Grant
$5,000

Project Description
Iowa Corridor Sangeet (ICS) is a grassroots effort that brings greater understanding of ethnic performing arts from South Asia. This proposal outlines our exciting goal to bring 6 artistic programs to Eastern Iowa over the next 2 years (3 per year), consisting of music programs as well as film screenings, along with discussion with the artists, filmmakers and humanities experts. All programs will have an educational component that includes (as appropriate) an analysis of the art depicted, the historic evolution of the art, or the artistic evolution of the artist. We have successfully conducted programs of this nature over the past several years and are uniquely suited to execute this vision through support from HI and enthusiastic matching commitments from the community.

Recent Major Grant Awards

Title of Project
Out of the Archive Film Series: Envisioning Blackness

Sponsoring Organization

The University of Iowa

Grant
$5,000

Project Description

A film screening and discussion series, “Out of the Archive: Envisioning Blackness” seeks to showcase the vibrant, multifaceted tradition of Black cinema for Iowa audiences. Held at FilmScene, Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema, the series will feature five film programs from January to May 2024. Focusing on rare and difficult-to-access films, the series endeavors to share film-work that has, for too long, been overlooked. Each screening will feature an audience talkback led by humanities scholars and, whenever possible, the filmmakers whose work we feature. By screening this important work and then providing a space for wide-ranging discussions about it, we aim to foster vital conversations about American art and culture through the lens of Black cinema.

Recent Major Grant Awards

Title of Project

2024 Poetry Palooza

Sponsoring Organization
Iowa Poetry Association

Grant
$10,000


Project Description

Poetry Palooza!, a dynamic, interactive, and integrated arts and culture experience will be held April 5, 19 and 20. Additional workshops will be offered between these dates at times to be determined. All activities are free and highlight the Midwest as a poetry-rich region by bringing together state poets laureate, cultivating emerging talent, and demonstrating the positive power of poetry. Poetry Palooza! is inclusive and educational for a diverse audience of all ages. Attendance is expected at 1,570. Poets with national reputations, Iowa poets and artists, and the public will come together for engaging experiences, workshops in Mainframe Studios artists’ studios, at Grandview University, and other central Iowa locations. A poetry slam, Open Mic, and guest poet performances will demonstrate the transformative impact of poetry.

Recent Major Grant Awards

Title of Project
Tim Olson Exhibition

Sponsoring Organization
Art Center Association of Sioux City

Grant
$5,000

Project Description

As a dedicated and multi-talented artist who was born in Storm Lake and grew up in Marathon, Tim aims to capture the evolving relationship between industry and nature in this region, drawing inspiration from the intricate style of Netherlandish portrait and landscape painters. Tim’s paintings are presented in exquisitely detailed multi-panel altarpiece structures or hand-built gilded wooden frames. This unique fusion of influences will create an exhibition that resonates with audiences on both an emotional and intellectual level.

Events

Humanities Iowa hosts and sponsors events throughout the state of Iowa regularly.

Projects and Partnerships

Humanities Iowa partners with many organizations and sponsors a variety of programs, bringing the humanities to Iowans throughout the state.

Contact Humanities Iowa

Questions or comments for Humanities Iowa?