Minnesota Historical Society gives away $10 million in grants

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From preserving historic buildings to installing interpretive history markers along roadsides, Minnesotans now have access to more than $10 million for the cause of history and historic preservation through the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants.

The Minnesota Historical Society, the organization responsible for administering the grants, recently announced 49 recipients from across the state, of the September Small and Structured Grants of up to $7,000. The Society also announced the next deadline for Small and Structured Grants is January 13, 2012. The Grants Manual is available at www.mnhs.org/legacygrants with all applications being accepted only through the Society’s new grants portal at www.grants.mnhs.org.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment by the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including our state’s history and cultural heritage.

“It’s clear that Minnesotans need these funds to preserve and make accessible history now and for future generations,” said David Grabitske, manager of outreach services for the Minnesota Historical Society. “In 2009 and 2010, the Society administered more than $6 million in grants – the first time that Minnesotans have really had access to such significant grants for the cause of history. With those funds, we just made a dent in the pent-up demand for funds. It’s no surprise to see such strong usage of the grant program. We’re pleased to see the good work that began in the last legislative biennium, continue.”

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant Recipients: Small and Structured Grants

Each Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. The grants are awarded according to professional standards and criteria. The latest round of recipients of Small and Structured Grants of up to $7,000 are:

Aitkin County, Aitkin County Historical Society, Minnesota History Bookshelf, $1,132

Anoka County: Fridley Historical Society, Post World War II Suburban Development of Fridley, Minnesota, $5,114

Carlton County, Cloquet Public Library, Microfilm Reader/Scanner, $7,000

Carver County, Carver County Historical Society, Rehousing At-risk Photographs, $7,000

Cass County, Heritage Group North, Inc., City of Pine River, MN Walking Tour – Phase Two, $7,000

Clay County, Probstfield Farm Living History Foundation, Inc., Updated HSR for Probstfield House, $3,600

Cook County, Cook County Historical Society, HVAC Evaluation, $7,000

Dakota County, Caponi Art Park, Phase Two – Development of Institutional Archive, $6,560

Dakota County, Prairie Creek Community School, Preparing for a History of the Prairie Creek Community School, 1983-2013, $6,920

Dakota County, Dakota County Historical Society, Our Voices: Hastings State Hospital Oral History Project, $6,183

Dodge County, Dodge County Historical Society, Photo Preservation and Management, $4,986

Fillmore County, Fillmore County Historical Society, Microfilm Reader/Printer Purchase, $7,000

Fillmore County, Rushford-Peterson Schools, National Register Evaluation for the Rushford School, $6,995

Fillmore County, Lanesboro Arts Center, Lanesboro Arts Center HVAC Assessments, $5,000

Goodhue County, Goodhue County Historical Society, MNopedia, $6,800

Goodhue County, Friends of St. Rose, Inc., St. Rose Church National Register Nomination, $4,000

Hennepin County, Maritime Heritage Minnesota, Lake Minnetonka Survey I, $6,997

Hennepin County, Firefighter’s Hall and Museum, 1-35W Bridge Collapse Exhibit: Firefighter Response, $5,950

Lac qui Parle County, Lac qui Parle County Historical Society, Conservation Assessment/Preservation, $6,230

Lake County, William M. Kelley High School, “Company Town” Book, $6,008

McLeod County, City of Glencoe, Henry Hill School National Register Nomination, $2,600

Meeker County, Greater Litchfield Opera House Associations, Inc., HVAC, $5,000

Meeker County, City of Litchfield, Litchfield Original Plat Survey, $7,000

Meeker County, Meeker County Historical Society, Collections Care & Mgmt: Cataloging 350 Artifacts, $7,000

Mille Lacs county, City of Onamia, Exterior building preservation work – modification of the roof drainage systems – leaf guards (wicker covers and tip-ups), $ 2,035

Mower County, Mower County Historical Society, MCHS Township Records Microfilming Implementation Grant, $7,000

Otter Tail County, Minnesota State Community & Technical College, Funding for a Long Range Conservation Plan for a Collection of Fine Art, $2,696

Pope County, Pope County Historical Society, Museum Environment – Insulations, $7,000

Ramsey County, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Collections Inventory and Data Entry, $6,660

Ramsey County, Minnesota Administrators of Special Education, MN Services for Infants/Toddlers With Disabilities, $6,999

Ramsey County, HAND in HAND Productions, Saint Paul Police Oral History Project – Phase 5, $7,000

Ramsey County, Twin City Model Railroad Museum, Interpretive Plan, $7,000

Ramsey County, Friends of the Immigration History Research Center, Houses of Worship and Ethnicity in the Twin Cities, $7,000

Ramsey County, Sholom Community Alliance, Jewish Identity & Legacy: A Cross-Generational Exploration, $7,000

Ramsey County, Ramsey County Historical Society, Collections Inventory, $6,996

Ramsey County, Eight Air Force Historical Society, Inc. – Minnesota Chapter, Digital Conversion and Publication of Past Minnesota Veterans’ Presentations, Educational Outreach, and Oral History Interviews of Veterans of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota, $4,158

Ramsey County, White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, Fillebrown House Exterior Restoration Project, $7,000

Renville County, Dakota Wicohan, Dakota Language Oral History Project – Phase IV, $7,000

Rice County, Rice County Historical Society, Reaching and Gathering Historical Evidence of Alexander Faribault, $7,000

Scott County, Scott County Historical Society, “Marking Time: The Rituals of Life & Death” exhibit, $3,650

Sibley County, Maritime Heritage Minnesota, Minnesota River Survey I, $6,993

Stearns County, Stearns History Museum, Online Archival Catalog Upgrade, $6,750

St. Louis County, Minnesota Discovery Center, Minnesota Discovery Center Object Collection Inventory, $7,000

St. Louis County, Dorothy Molter Foundation and Museum, Collections Inventory and Registration, $5,384

St. Louis County, Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Associations, Duluth Farmer’s Market Oral History, $4,300

Washington County, Afton Historical Society and Museum, Collections Care & Mgmt: Phase 3, $6,992

Washington County, Hmong Cultural Center, Tshook Kos (Marriage Ceremony) and Kev Cai Pam Tuag (Funeral Procedures) Publication Project, $6,500

Washington County, Marine Restoration Society, Documenting Significant Historic Areas of St. Croix Valley Through Photographey, $6,999

Winona County, Sister City International, Columbia Heights, Frantic 7 for an American Audience, $2,000

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants

The Society received a 2011 legislative appropriation to award a total of $10.5 million in Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants during the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years. The grants provide an unprecedented opportunity for non-profit and educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations to preserve and share the state’s history and cultural heritage.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in three tiers: Small or Structured Grants of $7,000 or less, Mid-Size Grants between $7,001 and $50,000, and Large Grants of more than $50,001. For more information on the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, including application deadlines, visit www.mnhs.org/legacygrants.

For more information about other Legacy-funded history projects, please visit http://legacy.mnhs.org.

Tags: minnesota news, updates, history