July Update from the Director

Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters,

My heart is full these days, as I keep working to help Wisconsinites understand and care for one another. In the face of political division and national turmoil, our Wisconsin Humanities family is resilient and generous. I'm fueled by your support -- and by hope.

Because of your generosity, Wisconsin Humanities has held seven Listening Sessions with incredible community leaders despite our federal defunding. Erika, a teacher who joined us in Superior, told us how a past WH partnership changed the way she thought about her teaching -- and changed her rural community. When she realized what students could learn by connecting with people and cultures right in their own backyard, Erika created Finnish culture classes. Then she kept going and helped found a heritage center that today is a beloved rural gathering place for people of every background. Long-lasting, multi-generational community-building -- that's what happens when Wisconsin Humanities is there to help community leaders like Erika leverage the power of connecting through culture. It happens with Erika in Oulu, in Milwaukee, and so many places in between.

Erika’s story is just one of many we’ve heard recently, as people urge us to rebuild programs that were devastatingly paused eight months ago. Hand-in-hand with librarians, local historians, artists, scholars, grassroots civic leaders, and you, we're pressing forward!

Congress promised that some new federal funds will arrive. But we can't count on it. Meanwhile, the fragile social and cultural fabric of our communities keeps tearing. Our civic life must be brought back to health for our communities to function -- and for democracy to survive. Wisconsinites need to reconnect. Our communities need us now.

This is why I'm asking for your support today, to ensure that with or without new federal funding, in 2026 we can:

Reopen our grant program to organizations statewide – nonprofits that today are in peril
Restart our Community Powered training sessions that Listening Session participants tell us are as valuable as any grant funds
Inspire Human Powered podcast listeners with conversations about what’s really working in our communities right now

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment to all the people of Wisconsin and for your generosity. Your gift today will make a real difference in the lives of your neighbors. Let's fill everyone's heart by knitting Wisconsin’s communities more firmly together.

Dena

There's a desire for connection among Wisconsinites. That's what Mary Beth Collins has seen lately -- a bubbling up of civic energies throughout the state. From her native La Crosse to Ashland, people want to connect. Collins' deeply informed perspective comes from directing the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at UW-Madison.
Whether it is a potluck at a bike shop or a new community website that alerts people to upcoming events, she describes how Wisconsinites in the post-COVID era, and a time of such divisiveness, are hungry for opportunities to come together. She also tells us it isn't always easy. The loss of federal funds has harmed so many nonprofits, including Wisconsin Humanities. No amount of local effort can replace those funds, Mary Beth points out, but she is hopeful that civic life will continue to regrow. We Wisconsinites are doers!
You can listen in on our conversation with Mary Beth Collins here and discover new hope for your community.

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