July Update from the Director

Dear Wisconsin Humanities Friends and Supporters,

Happy New Year! We’re thrilled to kick the year off by reopening our grant program. Huge thanks to everyone who gave a year-end gift, helping us to restart programming. With you and the rest of our statewide community as advocates and supporters of the public humanities, I'm sure we'll be able to bring back even more!

For over fifty years, our grant program funded projects in every corner of the state that invite Wisconsinites to explore culture and history, share stories and ideas, and strengthen our connections with one another.

In 2026, we’re putting the grant program to work in some special ways.

Wisconsin and America at 250 is our call for projects that will help Wisconsinites reflect on the nation’s semiquencentennial, aka America’s 250th, from a Wisconsin perspective today
Converse & Connect encourages nonprofits to create projects that are intentional about bringing community members together for fruitful conversations on topics they care about

And as always, we will continue to support Wisconsin nonprofits’ creative ideas for public humanities projects that feed our curiosity, make new connections, and maybe even help communities’ dreams come true.

It’s a hopeful way to start the year, and I’m so glad you are here with us to get it rolling!

Interested in applying for a grant?
The Spring 2026 Grant Round is now accepting applications. Go to our website to find everything you need, including details about our two thematic priorities. Whether you are a past applicant or new, watch our recorded webinar for help with eligibility and requirements. After watching, you can contact Meghan.dudle@wisconsinhumanities with questions. We love to consult with you personally, but the cancellation of our federal grant means we’re at half our former staff. We will do our best to help you.