$300,000+ in Legacy Small Grants Support History Projects Across Minnesota

The Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to announce 35 recipients of 37 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $305,877 in 21 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 February 25, 2019.

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 January 2019 small grants 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.

Afton Historical Society and Museum, Afton, $9,950

HVAC Renovation - Replace Trunk Lines: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade the HVAC system for the museum collections area.

Afton Historical Society and Museum, Afton, $9,977

Clean and Seal Artifact Storage Area Floor: To hire qualified technicians to improve Afton Historical Society’s collections storage area.

Atwater Area Historical Society, Atwater, $8,952

Acquire Primary Sources on Microfilm: To add 99 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Becker County Historical Society, Detroit Lakes, $9,500

What a Beautiful Detroit, Rough-Cut Documentary: To hire qualified professionals to produce a rough-cut documentary on the history of Detroit Lake.

Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm, $9,220

Update to Collections Management Policy and Collections Survey: To hire a qualified consultant to prepare an updated collections management policies and procedures document and collections survey.

Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault, $10,000

Roof Construction Documents: To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Eagan - Eagan Television, $8,750

Eagan Television Video Collections Archiving and Preservation Planning: To hire a qualified consultant to conduct a needs assessment and write a digitization plan for Eagan Television's analog video collections.

City of Excelsior, $10,000

Eligibility Study to List Excelsior's Downtown on the National Register of Historic Places: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the City of Excelsior's downtown area for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Gaylord, $9,250

Historic Structure Report for Oaks Lakeside Pavilion: To hire a qualified consultant to develop a historic structure report that will help preserve the Oaks Lakeside Pavilion, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Plymouth, $5,000

Evaluation of Building Mechanical System: To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

Dodge County Historical Society, Mantorville, $8,600

Bourdon House Phase II, Construction Documents: To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Bourdon House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Edina Morningside Community Church, Edina, $9,986

Inventory of Books & 3D Objects: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Hibbing Historical Society, Hibbing, $5,685

Textile Inventory Project: To provide better organization of the museum's textile collection, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Jewish Community Action, St. Paul, $9,270

Jewish Community Action 1995 to Present: 25 Years of Jewish Minnesotans Organizing for Racial and Economic Justice: To document in oral history interviews the institutional history of Jewish Community Action.

Lake of the Woods County Historical Society, Baudette, $9,800

Interpretive Report: To hire a qualified consultant to write an interpretive report for Lake of the Woods County Historical Society.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,988

Lake Minnetonka Targeted Sonar Survey & Underwater Anomaly Assessment: To conduct marine archaeology investigation of additional anomalies found in Lake Minnetonka.

Meeker County Historical Society, Litchfield, $9,879

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

Meeker County Historical Society, Litchfield, $9,947

Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 78 rolls of microfilmed Meeker County newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Midway Chamber of Commerce Foundation, St. Paul, $5,400

Midway Chamber of Commerce: 100 Years of History Research/Writing: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of the Midway Chamber of Commerce.

Military Historical Society of Minnesota, Little Falls, $7,040

Care and Cataloging of the General John W. Vessey Collection: To provide better organization of the Vessey Collection, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Minnesota Discovery Center, Chisholm, $9,750

Ordovician Collection Inventory: To provide better organization and analysis of archaeological collections, allowing for greater public access to historic resources.

Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum, Bloomington, $6,718

Publication of "Scholars Without Walls: The History of the Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum (1983 - 2018)": To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of the Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum.

Minnesota Museum of Mining, Chisholm, $10,000

Museum Security, Link Fence Replacement: To hire qualified technicians to install a security fence to protect large outdoor collections pieces from vandalism.

Murray County Historical Society, Slayton, $1,975

Museum Bookshelf: To add 22 museum studies books to Murray County Historical Society's holdings to make this information more accessible to the public.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9,770

Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 120 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, $9,430

Raid Exhibit Graphic Design Project: To hire a qualified consultant to develop graphic design panels for an upcoming exhibit.

Rockford Area Historical Society, Rockford, $4,462

Effects of the 1965 Crow River Flooding on the Rockford Business Community: To document in 8-12 oral history interviews the history of the 1965 Crow River flood on Rockford businesses.

Rushford Area Historical Society, Rushford, $10,000

Southern Minnesota Depot Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Southern Minnesota Depot, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Olaf College, Northfield, $6,800

Preparing for the Future - A Long-Range Preservation Plan for the College Archives and Special Collections: To hire a qualified museum consultant to conduct a general preservation needs assessment survey and long-range collections preservation plan.

Steele County Historical Society, Owatonna, $4,891

Fire Hall Collection Processing: To provide better organization of a discrete part of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

The Association of Chinese Americans For Social Justice, Plymouth, $9,980

Struggling to Find a New Home - Chinese Immigrants in Minnesota: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of Chinese immigrants in Minnesota.

Tower-Soudan Historical Society, Tower, $7,500

Tower Historic Fire Hall Preservation, Stabilization Phase I: To hire qualified professionals to repair original windows and doors in the Tower Fire Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Virginia Area Historical Society, Virginia, $2,792

Historical Markers at the Virginia Area Historical Society: To design four markers at the Virginia Area Historical Society to augment the area's historical information for visitors.

Wadena County Historical Society, Wadena, $8,455

Back to the Land - Oral Histories from the “Dreamers” of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s: To document in 19 oral history interviews the history of immigration to Wadena County in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Westonka Historical Society, Mound, $8,960

Inventory of Collection, Phase 1: Storage/Workroom: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, White Bear Lake, $10,000

White Bear Town Hall Historical Markers: To design, produce and install five historical markers about White Bear Township.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $8,200

Conservation of Blueprints for the National Guard Armory: To hire a qualified conservator to restore several significant objects 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 July 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.