Mass Humanities supports the exploration of humanities to foster a deeper understanding of ourselves and our current society, drawing from history and the critical examination of values, beliefs, and cultural heritage.
The "Staffing the Humanities" grant program by Mass Humanities is directed at past grantees with annual operating expenses ranging from $50,000 to $350,000 and with no more than five Full-Time Equivalent Employees (FTE). It specifically aims to address staffing needs to help organizations either grow, create new, or revive lost humanities programming following challenges posed by the COVID pandemic and beyond. The grants can be used for hiring new staff, expanding hours for current staff, or reinstating positions that were cut, with a strong encouragement towards offering competitive wages. The program responds to the critical need for staffing identified through pandemic relief efforts and surveys, emphasizing the importance of supporting organizational capacity and staff retention to enhance humanities programming across the Commonwealth.