$350,000+ in Legacy Small Grants Support History Projects Across Minnesota

The Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to announce 42 recipients of 43 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $355,383 in 26 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on November 27, 2018.

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 2018 cycle are listed in alphabetical order below. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and awarded according to program guidelines and criteria and professional standards.

Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm, $3,408

Establish an Environmental Monitoring Plan: To monitor, assess and make necessary changes to environmental controls at the museum.

Carleton College, Northfield, $10,000

A Biography of John William Nason, Writing Phase 3: To hire qualified professionals to produce five chapters of a manuscript on the history of former Carleton College president John William Nason.

Chippewa County Historical Society, Montevideo, $ 9,985

Update Collections Management System to CollectiveAccess: To update Chippewa County Historical Society's collections management software to provide better stewardship of the information.

Citizens for Backus AB, International Falls, $10,000

Condition Assessment for 1912 Alexander Baker School: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the 1912 Alexander Baker School, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Belview, $10,000

Historic Odeon Theatre Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to develop architectural roof drawings and a condition assessment for reuse of the historic Odeon Theatre, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Canby, $10,000

Historic Canby Theatre Plans and Specifications: To hire a qualified consultant to develop architectural drawings for the historic Canby Theatre, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Osseo, $9,500

Osseo Water Tower Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Osseo Water Tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Two Harbors (Public Library), $9,040

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

Dassel Area Historical Society, Dassel, $7,375

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

East Side Freedom Library, St. Paul, $9,777

Publication of Reinventing the People's Library: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of the Arlington Hills Public Library, now home to East Side Freedom Library.

Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, Excelsior, $9,557

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

Friends of Highland Arts, St. Paul, $5,000

Minnesota Peace and Justice History Project, Oral History Editing: To produce four demonstration videos of oral history interviews of Compassionate Rebels in Minnesota for review by teacher consultants to determine suitability for classroom use.

Heritage Group North Inc., Pine River, $9,750

Abe White Farm National Register Evaluation: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Abe White Farm for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hmong Cultural Center of Minnesota, St. Paul, $10,000

Exhibits Curriculum Planning: To create updated curriculum exhibit scripts to fit with Minnesota state standards in the arts and social studies.

Houston County Historical Society, Caledonia, $6,796

A History of Houston County: To hire qualified professionals to research and write a draft manuscript on the history of Houston County.

Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, Minneapolis, $10,000

Demographic Study of Jews of St. Paul: To hire a qualified historian to reassess and collect demographic and socioeconomic data on the Jewish population in St. Paul in the 20th century.

Kandiyohi County Historical Society, Willmar, $5,432

Albert H. & Jennie C. Sperry House National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Albert H. and Jennie C. Sperry House in Willmar.

Lake County Historical Society, Two Harbors, $9,833

Mold Abatement and Environmental Control: To monitor, assess and make necessary changes to environmental controls for mold remediation.

Lake of the Woods County Historical Society, Baudette, $4,500

Security Assessment: To hire a qualified security professional to develop a museum security plan.

Lind House Association Inc., New Ulm, $10,000

John Lind House Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the John Lind House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,853

Minnesota Historic Fishing Boats Analysis & 3D Scanning: To conduct primary source research on the history of fishing boats in Minnesota.

Martin County Historical Society, Fairmont, $4,553

Historical Articles Book, Publishing Phase: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of Martin County.

McLeod County Historical Society, Hutchinson, $10,000

Creating an Interpretive Plan: To hire a qualified consultant to write an interpretive plan for McLeod County Historical Society.

Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, Minneapolis, $9,925

Minnesota Modern Masters Oral History Project, Phase 3: To document in eight oral history interviews the history of Minnesota architects who have made significant contributions to the understanding of modernism in Minnesota.

Minnesota Lakes Maritime Society, Alexandria, $10,000

Wooden Boats Exhibit, Research and Planning: To conduct and prepare research for an upcoming exhibit on the history of wooden racing boats in Minnesota.

MLK Tennis Buffs, St. Paul, $10,000

A History of Tennis in St. Paul's Black Community: To document through oral history interviews the history and role of tennis in St. Paul's African American community, 1970s to present.

Murray County Historical Society, Slayton, $7,488

Murray County Agriculture Equipment Inventory: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Nobles County, Worthington, $9,900

Evaluation of Worthington Armory Mechanical System: To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system will provide appropriate controls for Nobles County Historical Society's museum environment.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9,527

Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 117 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

PACER Center, Minneapolis, $9,995

Edit and Publish History of Parent Involvement in Educating Minnesota's Children with Disabilities: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of parent involvement in educating Minnesota children with disabilities.

Pennington County, Thief River Falls, $6,730

City Auditorium National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for City Auditorium in Thief River Falls.

Plainview Area History Center, Plainview, $3,338

Acquire Elgin Monitor and Elgin Free Press Newspapers on Microfilm: To add 41 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Plymouth Historical Society, Plymouth, $9,961

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

Redwood Falls Public Library (Plum Creek Library System), Redwood Falls, $10,000

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

Rice County Historical Society, Faribault, $4,455

MNopedia Articles on Nerstrand: To create 11 entries about Nerstrand for the MNopedia project for online research.

Richfield Historical Society, Richfield, $1,278

Military Veteran Oral History Transcription Project: To hire professionals to transcribe oral history interviews with a military veteran from Richfield.

Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee, $7,204

Microfilm Two-year Backlog of Local Newspapers: 2015-2016: To microfilm Scott County area newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, $10,000

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

Steele County Historical Society, Owatonna, $8,440

American Legion Centennial Exhibit, Phase 2: To hire qualified consultants to develop a research report and exhibit script on the history of the American Legion in Steele County.

Taylor Township, Tintah, $10,000

District 44 School Artifact Analysis and Curation: To hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct an analysis of the artifacts found at District 44 School.

VocalEssence, Minneapolis, $9,840

50th Anniversary Digital Conversion: To digitize a collection of archival audio/video recordings, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $3,000

Creation of MNopedia Entries: To create four Winona County entries for the MNopedia project for online research.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $9,943

Photographic Print Backlog Project: To provide better organization of one of the museum's photograph collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

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 12, 2019. 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.

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 publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.

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