Spotlight
This online, searchable database of profiles allows heritage language programs to exchange ideas and resources with one another.
The Alliance has developed the Heritage Voices Collection, an online series designed to allow heritage language speakers and programs to share their unique voices with visitors to our website. Learn more.
Heritage Program Funding Guide
Funding is an ongoing challenge for many community-based heritage language organizations and programs. Community-based programs receive funding from various sources, with most funding coming from tuition paid by participating families and other contributions by program participants. Programs also receive funding from foundations, non-profit organizations, the governments of the home countries of program participants, and U.S. federal or state governments (particularly programs focused on Native American languages).
To support heritage language programs, the Alliance has examined the sources of funding that are currently available to community-based programs and has developed the Heritage Program Funding Guide to guide similar programs in seeking funding.
Download the Heritage Program Funding Guide. 
(185 KB)
We have identified the following patterns based on our analysis of the program profiles in the Heritage Language Programs Database:
- Over half of the programs in the Alliance programs database are community-based programs, not supported by K-12 or higher education funding.
- Among community-based heritage language programs, the primary source of funding is tuition.
- The most commonly cited challenge faced by community-based heritage language programs is securing adequate funds to sustain program work.
Read the Heritage Brief, Where do community-based heritage language find funding?, for a review of program funding sources.
Search the Heritage Language Programs Database for information about the funding sources of the programs in the online collection.
Due to constant changes in sources and purposes of funding, we have chosen not to provide a static list of funders for various types of programs. Instead, the Heritage Program Funding Guide includes a process for searching for the most up-to-date funding sources at any given time. In developing this process, we performed various searches of grants and grantmakers, analyzed the results, noted which search methods were most accurate and efficient in determining relevant grant makers for certain program types, and condensed the process to a short list of tips on narrowing or broadening your search. The funding guide also provides guidelines for evaluating your search results.
We hope that this guide provides helpful information for seeking funding for community-based heritage language programs.
