Over $300,000 in Legacy Small Grants Go to History Organizations in 22 Counties

The Minnesota Historical Society announces 36 recipients of 38 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants (up to $10,000 each), totaling $324,149 in 22 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofit and educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on December 1, 2017.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grant Recipients

Recipients of small grants ($10,000 and less) from the October 2017 cycle are listed in alphabetical order below. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and are awarded according to program guidelines and criteria and professional standards.

Bird Island Cultural Centre, Bird Island, $5,000

Baker House National Register Evaluation: To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the Baker House.

Carver County Historical Society, Waconia, $9,782

Andrew Peterson Diary Translation: To hire a qualified professional to provide a new translation for the Andrew Peterson diaries.

City of Eden Prairie, $8,000

Riley-Jacques Farmstead Interpretive Signs, Phase II: To design, produce and install interpretive signs for the Riley-Jacques Farmstead.

City of Elk River, $7,250

Jackson Street Water Tower Architectural Drawings: To hire a qualified consultant to develop architectural drawings for the Jackson Street Water Tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Hokah, $5,750

Hokah City Hall/Auditorium Accessibility Assessment: To hire qualified consultants to conduct an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment at the Hokah City Hall/Auditorium, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Northfield - Northfield Hospital and Clinics, $10,000

Writing the Second Half of the History of the Northfield City Hospital: To hire qualified professionals to produce a manuscript on the history of the Northfield City Hospital.

City of Winona, $10,000

Winona Public Library Historic Structure Report: To hire a qualified consultant to develop a Historic Structure Report that will help preserve the Winona Public Library, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial Inc., Duluth, $3,300

Phase II Development of Content for Duluth African American History Project: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of African Americans in Duluth.

Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, $10,000

Plans and Specifications for Two Phases of DAI Lincoln Park Building Preservation: To hire a qualified consultant to develop architectural drawings for the Lincoln Center for Arts Education Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Friends of St. Rose Inc., Kenyon, $8,270

HVAC System Installation: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system at St. Rose of Lima, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $8,805

Redesigning HCSCC Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Independent School District #659, Northfield, $9,015

Design and Publication of a History of the Northfield Public Schools: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of Northfield Public Schools.

Itasca County Historical Society, Grand Rapids, $9,950

Picture "Grace" Oral Histories: To document in 15 oral history interviews the history and impact of the Minnesota State Photograph, "Grace," to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Lanesboro Historical Preservation Association, Lanesboro, $9,400

Tying it all Together, Collections Archives Inventory: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,208

Purpose-Built Watercraft Analysis & 3D Scanning Project: To conduct primary source research on the history of small watercraft in Minnesota.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,998

USS Essex Log Book Editing Project: To edit the USS Essex logbooks in order to make them more publicly accessible.

McLeod County Historical Society, Hutchinson, $9,993

AASLH StEPs Assessment Program: To provide McLeod County Historical Society with professional continuing education through a national museum training program.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, $7,750

Guitar Shop: Transcribing Knut Koupee's Oral History: To transcribe 30 hours of oral history interviews about the history of the Knut Koupee music store.

Minnesota Discovery Center, Chisholm, $6,400

Hill Annex Paleontology Project Inventory: To provide better organization and analysis of archaeological collections, allowing for greater public access to historic resources.

Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum, Bloomington, $9,999

Seeking Refuge in a New Land: A Pop-Up History of Refugees in Minnesota (1967-2017): To hire a qualified consultant to research the history of refugees in Minnesota, in preparation for a future exhibit.

Minnesota Transportation Museum, St. Paul, $10,000

Pullman Porters and Union Depot Red Caps Exhibit Plan: To hire a qualified consultant to write an exhibit plan from research completed on the Pullman porters and Union Depot Red Caps.

Montevideo Public Library, Montevideo, $10,000

New Microfilm Machine: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

New Brighton Area Historical Society, New Brighton, $5,000

Security Assessment of the New Brighton History Center: To hire a qualified consultant to perform an assessment of New Brighton Area Historical Society's security needs.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $5,401

Large Format Archival Storage Unit: To provide better organization of archival materials, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield, $9,600

Configuring and Editing Final Draft of Northfield Arts Guild History: To hire qualified professionals to edit a manuscript on the history of the Northfield Art Guild.

Pine County Historical Society, Askov, $9,377

Planning for Redesign of Museum Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Polish Cultural Institute, Winona, $8,669

Collections Storage: Rehouse Library Books, Artwork & New Acquisitions: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Polish Cultural Institute, Winona, $9,999

Visitor Experience Assessment with Exhibit Interpretive Planning Options: To hire a qualified consultant to conduct and develop a visitor experience assessment and plan.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Institute on Community Integration), Minneapolis, $9,953

Research Special Education Teachers: How the Field Evolved in Minnesota: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of special education teachers in Minnesota.

Renville County Historical Society, Morton, $9,879

Acquire a Microfilm Reader: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Roseau County Historical Society, Roseau, $8,524

Exhibit & Gallery Lighting Evaluation and Redesign: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Sacred Heart Area Historical Society, Sacred Heart, $10,000

Construction Documents for Hotel Sacred Heart, Phase I: To hire a qualified consultant to develop architectural drawings for reuse of Hotel Sacred Heart, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,969

Examining Space at the Burnside School Site, an Oneota Village in Red Wing: To provide better organization and analysis of archaeological collections, allowing for greater public access to historic resources.

Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee, $9,192

Microfilm Two-Year Backlog of Local Newspapers: To microfilm issues of Scott County-area newspapers, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

St. Olaf Heritage Association, Rochester, $2,495

Zion Cemetery Historical Marker: To design, produce and install a historical marker for Zion Cemetery in Olmsted County.

Wadena County Historical Society, Wadena, $9,380

Women's Voices in Rural Politics in Wadena County, an Oral History Project: To document in 20 oral history interviews the history of women in rural Wadena County politics.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $10,000

Conservation of Original Material from a Scrapbook: To hire a qualified conservator to restore a significant object in the museum’s collections.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants

The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $11 million for the 2018-2019 biennium for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (“Legacy”) Grants: $4,500,000 for FY2018 and $6,500,000 for FY2019.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next small grant application deadline is April 13, 2018. All grants are administered through a competitive process using professional standards and criteria.

For more information on the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, including application deadlines, visit legacy.mnhs.org/grants. Applications are accepted only through the MNHS grants portal.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.