Now in its fourth decade, HumanitiesDC has steered millions of dollars to the local community through grants and programs to achieve its mission. HumanitiesDC engages with numerous partners, including schools, museums, historic sites, civic associations, community centers, and independent scholars to ensure equitable access to all of DC’s diverse communities. A sample of signature programs include:  

Various grant programs, which amplify DC’s diverse voices, perspectives, and stories, support scholarly programming, oral history, documentaries, curriculum development, youth empowerment, and more. Awards range from $5,000 to $30,000. In 2021, HumanitiesDC awarded $1.2M in competitive grants to various humanities organizations and projects.

The DC Oral History Collaborative, an innovative partnership with the DC Public Library, preserves stories and memories of DC residents as communities change. HumanitiesDC equips residents with the training and financial resources they need to conduct and record high-quality interviews. Since 2016, over 200 recordings have been documented, a portion of which are archived in the DC Public Library’s Washingtonian collection.

At HumanitiesDC, we strive to create a space that is welcoming, creative, energizing, respectful, and equitable for our team, partners, and participants. All programming aligns with the mission and values of the organization, is designed to reflect participating communities, is flexible enough to be responsive, and makes cultural connections wherever possible.