Over the past 50 years, Wisconsin Humanities has given more than 3,000 grants to projects in every corner of the state, serving rural and urban communities, and making Wisconsin a better place for all of us to live. That equals nearly 34 million dollars to over 1,300 organizations!
It's always exciting to announce another round of grant awards! Please join us in congratulating the following five organizations in Iowa, Milwaukee, Sauk, and Marathon Counties! These grants awards total $49,450!
Major Grant Awards
NOTE: The next Major Grant deadline is December 15th
Rise Up Central Wisconsin, Inc has been awarded $10,000 for “Meeting Our New Neighbors - The Stories of Refugees and Recent Immigrants to Central Wisconsin." The ECDC Multicultural Community Center - Wausau develops programs to meet the needs of newcomers to Central Wisconsin and raise awareness about refugees. A grant from Wisconsin Humanities supports the production of three short videos profiling new families from Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Congo. The families will help direct the tone and style of the videos so that they are authentic to the family’s personality, heritage, experience, and outlook as they process what they’ve gone through to get here and build their new life in Wisconsin. The interviews will also inform a traveling and then permanent community mural with audio testimonials organized by Rise Up Central Wisconsin, Inc.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been awarded $9,450 for “Hispanic Oral Latino Archives (HOLA) Podcast.” A grant from Wisconsin Humanities supports the production of themed podcasts based on oral histories from Milwaukee Latinx community members that are held in the UWM archives. The episodes will share stories from people who were instrumental in building a prominent Latinx presence in the city and were part of the fight for educational access and equality at UWM in the 1960s and 70s. Two Milwaukee high schools have partnered on the project to integrate the podcasts into classes and the UWM radio station will share the finished podcasts. HOLA (Hispanic Oral Latino Archives) is a collaborative project at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee between the UWM Libraries, the Roberto Hernandez Center, and the Chancellor’s Committee for Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Milwaukee Jewish Federation has been awarded $10,000 for “Tower of Life: The Role of the Individual Story in Holocaust Education.” The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center (HERC), an independent program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, is the only organization in the state of Wisconsin that has Holocaust education as its core mission. A grant from Wisconsin Humanities goes to support three programs that emphasize individual stories, the role of photographs in telling a personal story and the human cost of genocide. The events – a hands-on workshop with children’s book author Chana Stiefel and a program on memory preservation with historians and Holocaust survivors – are designed to meet the need for education about the Holocaust and other genocides mandated by Wisconsin Act 30.
American Players Theatre has been awarded $10,000 for “The Words Between Us Residency for Wisconsin High School Students.” The Words Between Us is a week-long residency designed to help teachers and students explore literature by authors of color while increasing their fluency around race and ethnicity. With support from a Wisconsin Humanities grant, teaching artists from American Players Theatre will return to rural school districts, where this program was piloted, and expand to new schools. The curriculum was designed in response to an expressed need from teachers and includes in-depth, vulnerable conversations about bias and identity.
Aldo Leopold Foundation, Inc. has been awarded $10,000 for “Exploring Leopold's Land Ethic Self-Guided Tour.” A grant from Wisconsin Humanities supports the development of a new tour offering that will be more accessible and immersive for visitors to the Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm National Historic Landmark. The goal is to maintain the rustic spirit of the site while using newer technologies to create a self-guided experience that inspires visitors to better internalize and act on Leopold’s Land Ethic. The tour will include features for the deaf and visually impaired and include a diverse range of historically excluded conservation voices.
Wisconsin Humanities grants support locally-initiated public humanities programs that promote reflection, dialogue, and civic participation. If you or your organization has never applied for a grant, or you just want some feedback on an idea you aren’t sure about, please contact us to discuss your idea. Our Director of Grants and Outreach, Meghan Dudle, is here to help! It might be anything from brainstorming an idea to connecting with a humanities expert.
