amArmenian Grants
General Information
The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation is dedicated to funding initiatives that benefit Armenians and the Republic of Armenia, ensuring the greatest possible impact on the country's progress and prosperity. For years, we have accepted grant applications year-round, reviewing them on a quarterly basis across our key focus areas: arts and cultural preservation, entrepreneurship and innovation, education, ecotourism and rural development, public health and emergency response, leadership, and youth and community development.
Starting the third quarter of 2024, we have refined our approach by dedicating each quarter to a specific focus area, guided by an overarching goal set by the Foundation. This targeted strategy will allow us to maximize our impact in each area. Please see detailed information on our quarterly areas of focus in the "Areas of Focus" section below.
We encourage you to review the Eligibility Criteria section below to determine whether your organization qualifies for a Hovnanian Foundation grant. You'll also find information on our non-required preferences that may guide your application. If you have any questions, our FAQ section provides additional clarifications.
The first step in the application process is to complete the Eligibility Quiz below. This will confirm your eligibility and guide you to the next step in the process.
For all IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States focused on Armenian or Armenia-related missions, please use the Armenian Grants section to submit your proposals.
Eligibility Quiz for Armenian Grants Application
START THE QUIZCurrent Quarter Open Call
Funding Opportunity Title: H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Grants for Cultural Initiatives
Deadline for Applications: June 30, 2025 (funding decisions by early August)
Contact Person: Anahit Hakobyan, Programs Manager
Email: [email protected]
Funding Opportunity Description
The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation is pleased to announce a call for proposals for arts and cultural initiatives aimed at strengthening Armenia’s cultural institutions, fostering artistic creation and public engagement, and revitalizing cultural heritage. This opportunity aims to support museums, theaters, art schools, cultural centers and other cultural institutions by enhancing professional development, institutional capacity, and infrastructure. It encourages the creation and presentation of artistic works while expanding public access to cultural experiences and advancing professional training for cultural practitioners. Additionally, it seeks to transform heritage sites into active cultural spaces, preserve and adapt cultural landmarks, and safeguard Artsakh’s cultural heritage.
The three goals we aim to achieve are outlined below. Proposals should address at least one or a combination of the following 9 objectives.
Funding Goals and Objectives
Group A: Strengthening Cultural Institutions
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Improving infrastructure: Support infrastructure improvements in cultural institutions through innovative upgrades, renovations, and equipment acquisition to enhance functionality, quality and accessibility.
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Strengthening institutional capacity: Improve the operational sustainability of cultural institutions by strengthening management systems, fundraising efforts and digitization efforts.
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Enhancing professional development: Create and facilitate professional development opportunities for cultural institutions’ staff.
Group B: Promoting Cultural Creation and Engagement
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Supporting the creation of cultural works and innovation: Enable institutions to develop, produce, and present artistic and cultural works that shape Armenia’s cultural identity.
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Expanding Cultural Access and Engagement: Enhance public access to cultural experiences through festivals, touring exhibitions, and digital platforms, fostering cultural tourism and greater community participation. Special attention will be given to integrating educational programs within cultural institutions to enrich learning and engagement.
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Strengthening Creative Outputs: Support educational programs for cultural professionals to enhance their skills, foster artistic excellence, and ensure the sustainability of Armenia’s creative sector.
Group C: Revitalizing & Activating Cultural Heritage
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Transforming cultural heritage into living spaces: Promote heritage sites as active cultural spaces by supporting special initiatives, festivals, events, and interactive experiences that drive tourism, engage communities, and integrate heritage into daily life.
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Preserving & reimagining cultural heritage: Support the preservation of monuments, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes to protect their integrity while ensuring accessibility and relevance.
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Safeguarding Artsakh’s cultural heritage: Support initiatives that document, restore, and protect Artsakh’s cultural heritage, ensuring its preservation.
Award Information
Eligible Institutions: NGOs, foundations, public or community institutions, and cultural organizations registered in Armenia with at least three years of experience, as well as US-registered entities with 501(c)(3) status.
Funding Type: Grant contract
Total Amount Available: $390,000 USD
Expected Number of Awards: 6-9, without strict upper or lower limit
Application Process
The application steps are as follows: 1) Eligibility Quiz entry on our website (if eligible you will receive the full application package), 2) Interviews or discussions may be conducted with applicants of potentially interesting proposals prior to the submission of their full applications, 3) Submission of the full application form via email.
Application Process
To apply for an H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Grant, begin by completing the Eligibility Quiz above. Since each quarter is focused on a specific area, please make sure to complete the Quiz within the designated dates for your focus area. If you complete the Eligibility Quiz before or after the designated quarter, your application will be deemed ineligible, as we are not accepting grant applications outside our focus area for the specific quarter.
Once you successfully complete the Eligibility Quiz, Foundation staff will contact you with the full application form and a list of required documents. Submit your complete application to [email protected] by the deadline specified for each quarter.
The review and decision process typically takes 2-3 weeks after the submission deadline, and all applicants will receive written notification of the decision regarding their proposal.
Reporting Requirements:
- All grant recipients will be required to submit interim and final narrative and financial reports in a timely manner and as agreed upon in the grant agreement letter.
- All Financial reports must include documentation of financial expenditure made during the reporting period.
- All Narrative reports should include pictures and videos as well as an explanation of what has been accomplished during the reporting period as well as what is to be accomplished during the next reporting period, with a frank assessment of challenges, successes and impact.
Eligibility Criteria: Who Can Apply?
H. Hovnanian Family Foundation makes grants only to:
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Registered organizations that are charitable in nature, i.e. either designated IRS 501(c)(3) status in the U.S. or state-registered organization including non-profit organizations and foundations, and other charities in Armenia.
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Organizations that have established at least three years of program outcomes.
- Collaborative projects between private and public sectors are encouraged, as well as any collaborative projects between two or more organizations.
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Project activities that fall under one of Hovnanian Foundation’s primary areas of focus.
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Calendar year, as well as multi-year grant requests, are eligible for consideration.
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Prior grant recipients of Foundation funding are eligible to reapply only after adhering to a 12-month waiting period following grant approval prior to submission of any new request.
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If all of the above criteria are met, grant budgets with no more than 20% of project costs are allocated for indirect costs such as travel.
H. Hovnanian Family Foundation does not make grants to/for:
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Operational overhead expenses
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Non-registered entities/organizations
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Political action groups
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Proposals submitted without a sustainability plan
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Grant requests used to produce something for commercial sale
Areas of Focus
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January 1 - March 31, 2025 — The Foundation will be accepting proposals for projects focused on improving the quality of the public education system, with a particular emphasis on the regions. This may include teachers’ and education managers’ capacity building and professional development to ensure educators are equipped with the latest teaching methodologies and skills, improving access to educational resources and technology in underprivileged schools, and developing curriculums and programs that support student engagement. By strengthening the public education system in the regions, the Foundation aims to ensure that all students have access to high-quality education.
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April 1 - June 30, 2025 — The Foundation will be accepting proposals for projects focused on promoting and preserving culture and arts in Armenia, with an emphasis on fostering artistic creation and driving systemic and institutional changes in the cultural field. Funding goals will include supporting the development of innovative works across various artistic disciplines, enhancing the capacity and sustainability of cultural institutions, and implementing initiatives that promote long-term, structural improvements in the cultural sector. This also involves creating and curating original content within institutions, establishing new frameworks for arts education, and developing platforms for emerging artists.
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July 1 - September 30, 2025 — The Foundation will be accepting proposals for strengthening resilience to emergency shocks and disaster risks through early warning systems, updated infrastructure, and community-based adaptations. The cycle will also target projects that promote a green environment and energy efficiency via sustainable land and water management, renewable energy use, and pollution reduction. Additionally, those who foster environmental education and community engagement to raise awareness, encourage innovation, and support sustainable practices.
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October 1 - December 30, 2025 — The Foundation will be accepting proposals for projects that promote civic engagement and active citizenship through non-formal education and youth-led initiatives; encourage healthy lifestyles by increasing access to sports, raising mental health awareness, and supporting overall well-being; support science education through non-formal STEM learning, digital literacy, and youth-driven innovation; and foster career development by building soft skills, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and interest in vocational pathways.
Armenian Grants FAQ
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Our priorities for funding are where our charitable mission and Armenian current imperatives intersect to ensure our investments are making the most impact possible in the country, for its people, progress, and prosperity. Arts and cultural preservation, entrepreneurship/innovation, education, public health and emergency response, leadership, youth and community development are our areas of focus in Armenia.
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Eligible are those registered organizations that are charitable in nature in the United States i.e., designated Armenian organizations, schools and churches that are designated IRS 501(c)(3) status organizations, as well as state-registered entities in the Republic of Armenia such as nonprofit organizations, foundations, government agencies and other charities.
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The Foundation will not fund operational overhead such as salaries, whereas it will fund up to a maximum of 20% indirect project costs such as meals, hotels, and travel.
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The first step is to take the eligibility quiz above. If successfully passed, you will be given instructions on the next steps of the application process.
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There are no grant deadlines per se, as grant proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis at the end of each quarter (end of March, end of June, end of September, end of December). These dates should be heeded if submitting a time sensitive proposal.
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Yes, the Foundation does consider multi-year funding requests.
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Yes, we allow the flexibility of emergency grant submissions only if the proposal is addressing a priority, time-sensitive need that requires a quick decision rather than having to wait for quarterly submission.
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Application forms are accepted via email but this step only becomes available once you have successfully passed the eligibility quiz.
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Yes, you may, but we provide feedback on rejections which we hope will be heavily considered prior to future application submission.
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The Board makes funding decisions within two weeks of each quarter’s closing.
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Yes, a registered entity may submit more than one grant proposal per quarterly cycle. But only one of the proposals may be approved upon meeting grant conditions.
