The financial stability of the Commons depends on a combination of revenue derived from participating organizations, institutions, and support raised through grants and other fundraising processes. Our goal is to communicate with our community as transparently as possible regarding our financial operations.
Grant Funding
The Commons has thus far been developed and maintained thanks to grant-based support. Information about the grants we have received is below.
The National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) is a key supporter of the Commons’s expansion beyond the humanities. Grant support provided by the NSF includes:
- STEMEd+ Commons – A FAIR/CARE/OS RCN (Grant no. OAC-2226271), January 2023–December 2025, $1,249,282.00
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge program (previously Scholarly Communication) has been a crucial supporter of the Commons since its infancy, and is currently supporting the implementation of a new sustainability model for the network. Grant support provided by the Mellon Foundation includes:
- MLA Commons prototyping grant, April 2012–May 2013, $83,000
- Humanities Commons planning grant, August 2013–March 2014, $40,250
- Humanities Commons pilot grant, July 2015–June 2017, $225,000
- Humanities Commons implementation and sustainability grant, July 2017–September 2018, $310,000
- Expanding the Commons, change capital grant, October 2021–September 2026, $971,000
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities has been a key supporter of the Commons, and in particular of the development and expansion of its associated repository, CORE. An Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant has laid the current groundwork for our new sustainability model.
- Humanities CORE, Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant, May 2014–May 2015, $60,000 (with Columbia University Libraries)
- Humanities CORE, Digital Humanities Implementation Grant, September 2016–August 2020, $300,000 (with Columbia University Libraries)
- Humanities Commons, Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant, May 2020–April 2027, $500,000 (requires 3:1 fundraising match for release of funds) — grant terminated April 2, 2025, with approx. $90,000 unspent
Nonprofit Finance Fund
The Nonprofit Finance Fund is supporting the Commons as part of a cohort of digital humanities organizations seeking financial sustainability. This grant includes both operating funds and in-kind financial advising.
- Humanities Commons, Building Financial Resilience in the Digital Humanities Initiative, July 2020–December 2022, $20,000 plus in-kind support
Samuel H. Kress Foundation
The Samuel H. Kress Foundation has supported the Commons in our efforts to expand platform usage among scholars and organizations in art and art history.
- Expanding Open Networking in Art and Art History, May 2020–April 2023, $35,000
JROST Rapid Response Fund
The JROST Rapid Response Fund, a community effort of Invest in Open Infrastructure, made a small grant to the Commons in support of our work to remediate the technical debt the network had accrued.
- Humanities Commons, December 2020–December 2021, $5,000
Open Society Foundations
The Open Society Foundations supported the Commons as we began raising the match required for our NEH Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant.
- Humanities Commons, Information Program Grant, October 2020–September 2021, $50,000
Michigan State University, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation
The MSU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation supported the Commons with a Discretionary Funding Initiative Award, designed to support projects that have come close to being awarded significant federal funding as they strengthen their positions for reapplication. This DFI grant enabled the Commons to do some necessary work in preparation for re-application for the NEH Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant.
- Humanities Commons, Discretionary Funding Initiative Award, December 2018–June 2020, $46,780
Supporters
The work of the Commons is also made possible by the organizations, institutions, projects, and other donors that contribute to its financial sustainability. We are grateful for their ongoing support.
Host and Fiscal Sponsor
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years.
Founding Organization
Founded in 1883, the Modern Language Association of America provides opportunities for its members to share their scholarly findings and teaching experiences with colleagues and to discuss trends in the academy.
Participating Organizations
- Art Libraries Association/North America
- Association of University Presses
- HASTAC: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory
- Society for Architectural Historians
Sustaining Members
Major Donors
Founding Repository Partners
Our now-retired repository, CORE was the result of a collaboration between the Modern Language Association and the Center for Digital Research and Scholarship at Columbia University. Development was funded in part by a generous Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.