Florida Humanities Awards $1.8M In ARP Funds To 129 Nonprofits

FLORIDA — The Ybor City Museum Society, like most cultural organizations, has struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now with a $24,500 grant from Florida Humanities, the citizens support group that owns the recently opened Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, is in better shape for the future.

“This is a game changer. We’ll be able to get the staff and technology we need and help secure contract work, which have all been sorely needed for a very long time,” said Chantal Hevia, president and chief executive officer of the Ybor City Museum Society. "We’ve grown, in spite of the fact that we’ve been through 18 months of COVID, and with these funds, we will be able to move ahead with all the things we are trying to re-energize."

Florida Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded 129 organizations across the state with a total of $1.88 million.

The funds are part of the $135 million received by the NEH from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, approved by Congress this past spring. The state humanities councils, including Florida Humanities, each received a portion of the NEH award to support museums, archives, historic sites and other humanities-focused nonprofits that continue to experience financial hardship as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the largest single grants initiative Florida Humanities has ever managed and the most funding it has distributed at one time.

“We really put the focus on the smallest organizations because without this funding, they could permanently close their doors,” said Florida Humanities Associate Director Patricia Putman. “Some of these organizations are the heart of their community. They’re not just cultural agencies, but they’re conveners and meeting places. Some have even served as vaccination sites. When those organizations go away in a main street community, you really impact the whole community and that’s why these dollars are so critical for operating support.”

The ARP funding from Florida Humanities is intended to meet immediate operational needs in order for organizations to remain viable and maintain delivery of public humanities programming and resources in their communities. Florida Humanities received 188 applications for ARP funding, with nonprofits requesting the most funds for staffing and utilities.

In 2020, Florida Humanities granted $875,000 to 100 cultural organizations, following the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The Cotton Club Museum & Cultural Center in Gainesville received $6,000 in ARP funds, which will pay for insurance and utility costs as well as supplies and equipment to meet COVID safety protocols, said Deloris Rentz, the museum’s financial secretary. The museum, which is run by volunteers, opened in 2019 and was on track for a successful 2020 with scheduled exhibitions, strong programming and numerous event space rentals.

“That all had to be canceled, and with the pandemic, of course, our donations dwindled,” said Rentz, adding the museum is finally reopened Nov. 14. “We are so blessed and fortunate because every time we get right to that edge, something opens up for us, like this grant, which will help us with the essential needs to maintain our regular operations.”

Florida Humanities Executive Director Dr. Nashid Madyun noted that the ARP funds provide a safety net for the organizations so they can focus on other priorities, such as fundraising and creating programming.

“For smaller nonprofits, when bills are paid and staff are safe and intact, that type of alleviation is immeasurable,” he said. “Florida Humanities is honored to provide a lifeline to our state’s cultural and history institutions, ensuring they continue to enrich their local communities, and the Sunshine State at large, for years to come.”

The Florida Humanities ARP Impact Report, which includes a complete list of the 129 awardees, is available here.