Our grant program supports the specific ideas and dreams that come from locally-grounded organizations.
Wisconsin Humanities collaboratively fosters positive change by amplifying existing initiatives, cultivating partnerships, and facilitating meaningful dialogue to strengthen and support the civic and social fabric of Wisconsin.
We are very excited to announce the first round of grant awards in 2024. Seven projects received a total of $69,880 in Major Grants awarded to organizations in Barron, Eau Claire, Marathon, Milwaukee, Walworth, Washington, and Winnebago Counties! Scroll down to read about these outstanding public humanities projects!
NOTE: The next Major Grant deadline is April 15th. We are also hard at work preparing to launch our new Opportunity Grant Program. Information will be made available on our website in mid-April, with the first deadline on July 1st. Opportunity Grants of up to $4,000 are designed to open the door for smaller organizations that are building resiliency, connections, and curiosity in their communities. Similar to our past Mini Grant Program, an award decision will be made about a month after the deadline.
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Wisconsin Mariachi’s Academia Popular: Building Community Through Mexican American Cultural Appreciation (WisMAP)
$9,999.00 to UW-OSHKOSH
A Major Grant supports the Chicana/o & Latinx Studies program at UW-Oshkosh to connect artists, youth, world-class musicians, academics, and the community at large around the growing influence of Mariachi folk music in the state of Wisconsin. Nine free and public events at multiple locations in Oshkosh and Appleton will explore and celebrate the local histories and multinational histories of Mariachi musicians, the influence of Mariachi music in film and language instruction, and the multiple ways in which Mariachi music has brought about cultural awareness, social inclusion and improved communication within multicultural communities.
#LanguageBack: Poetry as a Tool of Indigenous Language Revitalization
$9,888.00 to INDIGENOUS NATIONS POETS (IN-NA-PO)
As part of a proactive, intentional effort to reclaim Indigenous languages, Indigenous Nations Poets (IN-NA-PO) will use a major grant in support of a series of writing workshops centered on creating poetry, often collaboratively. The day-long workshops will take place across the state at various educational venues, in collaboration with tribal communities and Indigenous language teachers in the Anishinaabe, Menominee and Ho-Chunk traditions. The classes will serve local participants in local Indigenous language classes, language table learners and immersion school students, as well as educators who work in tribal communities. An online chapbook of the newly created writing will be published.
Hmoob Zaj Dab Neeg aka The Hmong Story
$10,000 to HMONG AMERICAN CENTER, INC
A Major grant supports a range of critical programming that reintroduces cultural pride while imparting knowledge of Hmong history and traditional roles. Classes will allow Hmong youth and adults to explore the skills needed to be a wedding facilitator, funeral coordinator, or player of the Qeej, a traditional Hmong instrument made of six reeds. Language classes and traditional dance classes will also be offered. To increase broader cultural awareness of the local Hmong population in Wasau, the Hmong American Center will coordinate tours of the exhibit, “From Laos to America,” for schools, professional organizations and community partners.
Interwoven Roots and Routes: Somali and Scandinavian Heritage Events in Barron County
$10,000 to BARRON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
A Major Grant supports a cross-cultural collaboration to highlight connections and build relationships between Scandinavian-American and Somali-American neighbors in Barron County. Pioneer Village, partnering with the nearby Somali Museum of Minnesota, will host school field trips where students can experience a traditional portable nomadic hut, called an Aqal Soomaali, and discuss stories and artifacts from both immigrant groups. A craft workshop at Barron Public Library will feature Somali kebed finger weaving styles alongside Scandinavian finger weaving styles. Lastly, a summer cultural festival will feature various dance, craft, music, storytelling, and food traditions from both cultures and feature discussions of how these two ethnic communities are coming together to make Barron their unique home.
Ho-Chunk Black Ash Basketry
$10,000 to MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
The Museum of Wisconsin Art will use a Major Grant to present a groundbreaking exhibition on the art, history, and enduring relevance of Ho-Chunk black ash basketry. Featuring over seventy-five Ho-Chunk artists and two hundred baskets representing the earliest works to modern works, the exhibit raises questions about historical and gender-based injustices, the cultural impact of tourism, and the future of basket-making in a warming world. A full calendar of public programs will engage audiences through presentations on the exhibition themes, a Makers Fair to support contemporary basket makers, and craft demonstrations with ash splint.
Flores Nocturnas (Blooming at Night)
$9,993.00 to UW-EAU CLAIRE
UW-Eau Claire's Ruth Foster Gallery, with the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, will exhibit Chicago/Mexico City-based artist Sofia Moreno’s Flores Nocturnes (Blooming at Night). The exhibit will cultivate awareness and public discussion on trans histories, experiences, and human rights in the Chippewa Valley. Flores Nocturnas includes drawings, paintings and lush mixed media that reclaim Mesoamerican art and images while centering the agency of diverse trans femmes. The public programming, in partnership with The Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Center, includes panel discussions, a lecture, and two pop-up libraries that aim to grow LGBTQ+ communities, resources, and allies while promoting deeper understandings of how race and migration shape trans lives.
Growing Older in a Rural Wisconsin County
$10,000 to RURAL WISCONSIN
A major grant will support Rural Wisconsin’s filming of a documentary that explores the lives of seniors in Waushara County and their challenges to access quality healthcare and meaningful social networks in an isolated area. The film strives to show this population not as a homogenous group, but as a demographic with many lived experiences, including elderly and retired Latino agricultural workers. Their relationship with work, volunteerism, and day-to-day joys and obstacles informs the many benefits an aging population can bring to a rural community. Partnering with the local Aging and Disability Resource Center and other community organizations, the film will be accompanied by discussions about how to better face the challenges of aging in a rural county.
