About Humanities Council of Washington Dc
At HumanitiesDC, we connect curious people with bold questions to the powerful stories of our vibrant city. Through our grantmaking and public programs we help build a community where all can engage in intellectual exchange, reflect on our connected stories and celebrate our various cultures.
Focus Areas
Humanities (history, literature, language, ethics, philosophy, arts appreciation)Oral history collection, transcription, archivingCommunity culture & heritage preservationPublic programming and public interpretation of scholarshipFellowships and community journalism
Who They Fund
Washington, DC residents / local communitieslocal filmmakers and media producerscultural nonprofits and humanities organizationsyouth and students (National History Day participants)
About Humanities Council of Washington Dc
A defining feature of Humanities Council of Washington DC is its support for public humanities built around Washington, DC stories, including oral history, community heritage, and local documentary work. In the recent grants list, that appears in sizeable awards such as $80,000 to the Historical Society of Washington DC for NEH SHARP and event sponsorship, and $73,000 to Street Sense Inc for the DC Oral History Collaborative, DC Documentary, and NEH SHARP. The foundation also backs project partnerships that link humanities work to public programming, including grants to Women in Film and Video for the 2024 DC/DOX Program Partnership Award and Visions Grant, and to Howard University for the Humanities Vision Partnership Grant and DCOHC Go-Go Stories grants. Its program menu includes operating support, oral history interviewing and archiving, public interpretation of humanities scholarship, and community culture and heritage grants. The pattern is place-based and civic, with funding aimed at organizations and community groups that collect, preserve, and present Washington, DC’s histories, culture, and scholarship. Across those efforts, the foundation combines unrestricted support, project grants, and partnership awards to strengthen the local humanities field.
What Humanities Council of Washington Dc Funds
Oral history is one of the clearest threads in the foundation’s work. It gave $60,000 to Howard University for the Humanities Vision Partnership Grant and DCOHC Go-Go Stories Phase 1 and 2, and $50,400 to One Common Unity for a DC Docs post-production grant and enhancement grant. The foundation also supports public-facing humanities production through film, festivals, exhibitions, and community events. It awarded $43,200 to Capitol Bop Inc for a Humanities Festival & Gathering Grant and Enhancement Grant, and $43,200 to DC Preservation League for a similar festival-and-gathering package. Youth and education are another visible area: DC Scores received $50,000 for a 2024 Visions Grant and Youth in the Humanities Grant, while Young Playwrights' Theater Inc received $43,200 for a Soul of the City Partnership Grant and Enhancement Grant.
How Humanities Council of Washington Dc Gives
Typical grant size centers on mid-five-figure support: p25 is $10,080, median is $25,000, and p75 is $29,592. Recent awards also show larger project and partnership grants above that range, alongside smaller oral history grants and community project grants. The recent grants list includes repeated support for several organizations across 2023 through 2025, including Historical Society of Washington DC, One Common Unity, Capitol Bop Inc, Wndc Educational Foundation, and One World Education, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it gives unsolicited in multiple active programs, including general operating support and several oral history and community grant lines.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.1M
Total Assets
$1.3M
Total Revenue
$3.1M
Total Expenses
$2.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Local3 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
REBECCA LEMOS-OTERO
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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