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The Council of Independent Colleges today announced that it was awarded a grant as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) initiative, funded by the American Rescue Plan, to support humanities programs at cultural organizations that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. CIC will receive $190,835 to be used to sustain faculty development programs in the humanities and a national network that aims to grapple with the legacies of American slavery through scholarship, teaching, and public engagement.
The main goal of the NEH American Rescue Plan: Humanities Organizations program is to assist selected organizations and institutions in sustaining core humanities programs and retaining key employees. The competition for these grants was strong: of the more than 930 eligible applications submitted, only 292 were funded.
CIC President Marjorie Hass said the grant will be used to support the following three CIC projects:
The grant will partially cover staffing costs for seven staff members, two senior advisors, and a newly created project assistant position. The grant also will ensure that all three programs maintain momentum and successfully launch activities postponed due to pandemic restrictions.
In announcing the new grant program, NEH Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson said, “The American Rescue Plan recognizes that the cultural and educational sectors are essential components of the United States economy and civic life, vital to the health and resilience of
American communities. These new grants will provide a lifeline to the country’s colleges and universities, museums, libraries, archives, historical sites and societies, save thousands of jobs in the humanities placed at risk by the pandemic, and help bring economic recovery to cultural and educational institutions and those they serve.”