The Vermont Humanities Council, established in 1974, aims to engage all Vermonters in the world of ideas, foster a culture of thoughtfulness, and inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning. As a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, its mission centers on the belief that engagement in the humanities enriches lives, strengthens communities, leads to a more humane society, and builds a better world. With programs across Vermont, it sponsors events to bring humanities to every community, supporting a culture of learning and reflection.
The Vermont Humanities' traditional Project Grants aim to support nonprofit organizations in bringing humanities-based community projects and curriculum development to Vermont audiences. These grants encourage community programming that fosters participation in humanities discourse, supports the development of humanities curriculum accessible to all, and designs humanities experiences for specific or inter-affinity group interaction. A small review committee evaluates grant proposals on several criteria, including the centrality of humanities to the project, audience benefit, incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, ADA accessibility, evaluation methods, and the organization's capacity to successfully implement the project.