We are excited to announce the organizations who are receiving a total of nearly $12,000!
We have seven regular grant rounds in every typical year. Our regular Mini and Major grant program supports projects designed by communities and organizations around the state. These are projects that:
- reflect the interests or needs of a community.
- bring people together to explore and share ideas and to reflect on what we hold in common, as well as where we differ.
- foster observation, inquiry, analysis, and reflection.
- are firmly planted in the humanities and engage the skills of experts and community members in ways that promote insight and meaning, and it respects local knowledge and ways of knowing.
- promote Wisconsinites’ understanding of the character and conditions – past, present, and future – of our lifestyles and landscapes.
This year we are also awarding Recovery Grants, thanks to special funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
If you have questions about the WH Recovery Grants or our regular grant program, we are offering an online information session on September 21 from 3-4 pm. There will be an opportunity at the session for questions and answers in Spanish. Please register here.
Most Recent Mini Grants Awarded in Dane, Door, Milwaukee, St. Croix Counties and Washington Counties
NOTE: The next Mini Grant deadline is November 1st
UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics has been awarded $1,149 for Just Narratives: Covering the Criminal Justice System. This public event will bring together experts to discuss the role of journalism in exploring inequities and injustices in the criminal justice system. What are journalists’ roles in providing background and context for the calls for change in the criminal justice system? The event includes panelists Keri Blakinger, a formerly incarcerated journalist; James Causey, longtime Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter; and Keith Findley, UW–Madison professor of law and co-founder of the Innocence Project.
Slinger School District has been awarded $2,000 for a project called Finding Voice and Building Community in the Slinger Area with Art, Innovation, and Design. In the 2021-2022 school year, students from Slinger High School who are taking classes in sociology and history will interview artists, designers, and innovative community leaders. The students will be researching how these working creatives have developed their unique voices and how they intentionally build community through their work. Students will produce video and audio stories that will be shared in a culminating event: the annual Slinger Area History Culture Night in May 2022. This typically multi-generational public event will focus on the most innovative ideas for building community and will offer opportunities for audience interaction.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum has been awarded $2,000 for the Talking Spirits XXIII: Forest Hill Cemetery Tour. Wisconsin Humanities is proud to have funded this event in past years, and again for the fall 2021 event. The guided, 90-minute walking tour at Forest Hill Cemetery brings to life the site’s history by pairing informative dialogue with scripted vignettes written, directed, and performed by local artists. The characters are selected from the cemetery’s burial records and feature historic Madison residents with a connection to military service. This year’s Talking Spirits XXIII: Forest Hill Cemetery Tour has been themed “Wisconsin Women at War,” and will focus on female contributions to Wisconsin’s veteran history. The event is open to the general public and attracts school groups from all over the state.
Walnut Way Conservation Corp. has been awarded $2,000 for a performance of Oyotuniji, North America's Oldest Authentic Yoruba African Kingdom. Walnut Way is a resident-led neighborhood organization that is committed to sustaining an economically diverse community through civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and creating venues for prosperity. For 20 years, their Harvest Day Festival has been a vibrant celebration of the sights, sounds, and tastes of Lindsay Heights, a predominately African-American neighborhood on Milwaukee’s north side. As the largest family-friendly community gathering in the neighborhood, it features music, arts, food and, and other community resources. With a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, this year’s festival will feature Egbe Egungun Oyotunji, a group known internationally for their creative presentation of the traditional culture, music, visual art, and stories of the Yoruba people of West Africa. This program has been designed specifically to help Lindsay Heights residents who have been significantly affected by loss during the global pandemic.
Crossroads at Big Creek has been awarded $2,000 for a project called Sharing the Stories of the People and the Land. For a dozen years, Crossroads at Big Creek has sponsored archaeological digs to learn about the animals, plants, and lifeways of the people that occupied the three land preserves it manages. In its exploration, it hopes to learn more about land use and landscape both prior to and after European settlement. During the fall of 2021, Crossroads will use a Wisconsin Humanities grant to expand historical education programs by working with teachers and curriculum specialists in area schools. The findings and resources will be shared on their website, in online and in-person lectures, and through experience-based activities such as a week-long Archaeological Experience for school groups. The programs will be oriented toward students in grades 3-8.
Wisconsin Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies has been awarded $750 for Health, Equity, and Peacebuilding, a public conference that explores the intersections of health, equity, justice, and peacebuilding. The roots of health disparities stretch back in history and are laid bare again by COVID-19. A collection of public events will offer opportunities to discuss public health crisis points, including racism, economic disparity, and systemic inequalities. This conference is co-presented by The Peace & Justice Studies Association and Wisconsin Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Both organizations are rooted in interdisciplinary peace scholarship and conflict resolution practices, which will inform the conference offerings.
The Phipps Center for the Arts has been awarded $2,000 for the Rights of the Child Community Forum. In early 2022, a traveling exhibition called “Doublethink: Rights of the Child” will be on view at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson. The exhibit features the work of Duluth-based artist Moira Villiard. With Wisconsin Humanities support, The Phipps is organizing a community forum to bring people together for conversations inspired by the artwork. The forum is designed to help people explore complex issues of inclusivity, diversity, and core aspects of children’s rights.
Wisconsin Humanities grants help support cultural and educational programs around the state. 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. We may be able to help! It might be anything from helping to brainstorm an idea or connecting with a humanities expert.
