Applications Open for Second Round of Maryland Humanities’ SHINE General Operating Support Grant Program

August 1, 2023

A large text graphic that says “ Maryland Humanities Marilyn Hatza Shine Memorial General Operating Support Grants.” Smaller text says “Information Session: August 7. Application Deadline: September 1.” Maryland Humanities Shine,” with “Shine” in all-capital letters. Another row of regular text says “General Operating Support Grants.” Under the word “Shine,” we see that Shine stands for Strengthening the Humanities in Nonprofits for Equity.” The word Shine is a Logo of the word in all capital letters. The dot for the i in “Shine” looks like a sparkle and the n looks like a rainbow with a dark blue (that matches the rectangle at the top), a lighter blue, and a bright green (that matches the shade of the font for “General Operating Support Grants.)” The text telling the deadline is in the dark blue font.(Baltimore, MD) – Maryland Humanities announces the second round of SHINE (Strengthening the Humanities Investment in Nonprofits for Equity) general operating support to humanities-focused Maryland nonprofits. This round, the organization will distribute a total of $950,000 in general operating support grants, thanks to the State of Maryland, via Maryland Historical Trust. Applications are currently open: they close September 1.

Previously known as SHINE (Strengthening the Humanities Investment in Nonprofits for Equity) Grant Program, Maryland Humanities has renamed it the Marilyn Hatza Memorial SHINE Grant Program after the organization’s late Director of Grants and Community Engagement.

“Honoring Marilyn’s legacy in our grants program and our racial equity work felt important. I am so thankful that we are able to name SHINE, a program she imagined during the pandemic, after her.” says Lindsey Baker, Executive Director of Maryland Humanities.

Full guidelines and eligibility requirements are available here; the application template and scoring rubric will be released at the end of the month. These grants provide full flexibility to nonprofits, allowing them to determine where funds are most needed. General operating expenses include salaries, rent, utilities, supplies, equipment, programs, and other expenses.

Eligible nonprofit organizations will offer humanities programming as a significant part of their mission with an annual budget of up to $500,000. They include but are not limited to: museums, historic sites, preservation and historical societies, and community or cultural organizations. Ninety-five eligible nonprofits in Maryland will receive grants of $10,000 each.

“I am thrilled that Maryland Humanities is able to launch the second round of our SHINE funding,” says Baker. “Lowering barriers and providing funding in a more equitable way to organizations statewide remains a goal for us and the Marilyn Hatza Memorial SHINE Gant Program allows us to work towards those goals.”

Keith Stone, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and Grants Committee Chair at Maryland Humanities, says, “We believe that the shift to general operating support will allow Maryland Humanities to build deeper, stronger relationships with our partners, each of which will focus on providing quality humanities programming to Marylanders.”

Running the Hatza SHINE Grants program will be Emily Ross, Maryland Humanities’ new Program Officer for Grants. Ross joined the staff last month and recently graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, earning her Master of Social Work. During her studies, she conducted social research at the Urban Institute and worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra designing programs for OrchKids. Prior to that, Emily worked as a museum educator for six years at institutions such as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and The Fralin Museum of Art.

These grants are funded by the State of Maryland via the Maryland Historical Trust.  Learn more about our SHINE Grants, eligibility, and deadlines here. For questions, contact Ross at eross@mdhumanities.org.

Press Release