Oklahoma Humanities Awards Nearly $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Grants

In August, Oklahoma Humanities (OH) reported that almost $700,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funding would be distributed to over 50 cultural and educational organizations statewide. Grants were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants and funds general operating expenses at museums, archives, historic sites, and other nonprofits recovering from the pandemic. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association was one of the nonprofits awarded money from this grant opportunity.

Funding for these grants was supported by $135 million in supplemental funding allocated to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Oklahoma Humanities is responsible for the distribution of federal funding allocated to the state of Oklahoma from the NEH Federal and State Partnership Division.

The ARP funding follows OH’s distribution of CARES Act funding in 2020, when NEH distributed awards to the state and jurisdictional humanities councils that serve the needs of states and local communities. OH CARES grants allowed cultural institutions to retain humanities jobs, continue operations, and shift programs and resources online at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic’s economic ramifications for our cultural institutions and their employees have been severe,” said OH Executive Director Caroline Lowery. “Museums, libraries, archives, and historic sites across Oklahoma have experienced layoffs, extended closures, and revenue losses. The Oklahoma Humanities Staff and Board have diligently worked to distribute this much-needed American Rescue Plan relief funding efficiently and equitably across Oklahoma.”

A full list of funded organizations is available at: https://www.okhumanities.org/doccenter/3a8c05f107b04be197a943ee9a616891