Legacy Amendment Provides $432,940 in Small Grants to Support History Projects Statewide

The Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to announce 52 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $432,940 to organizations in 24 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on June 24, 2021.

This state-funded program is 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 most recent small grants cycle are listed in alphabetical order by county. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and awarded according to program guidelines and criteria, as well as professional standards.

Beltrami County Historical Society, Bemidji, Beltrami County, $3,734

To digitize a collection of archival reel-to-reel recordings, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Red Lake Nation College, Red Lake, Beltrami County, $9,989

To provide better organization of the college's archival collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

New Ulm Public Library, New Ulm, Brown County, $4,671

To add 16 rolls of microfilmed city newspapers to the library's holdings, making primary records more accessible to the public.

City of Hackensack, Hackensack, Cass County, $8,525

To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Hackensack WPA Log Cabin, currently in use as a public library, for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, Clay County, $5,785

To document in 15 oral history interviews the early history of same-sex marriage in Minnesota.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, Clay County, $8,020

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

Caponi Art Park, Eagan, Dakota County, $10,000

To hire qualified consultants to evaluate Caponi Art Park in Eagan, MN for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Dakota County Historical Society, South St. Paul, Dakota County, $10,000

To improve collections care and management through proper storage.

Dakota County Library, Eagan, Dakota County, $9,879

To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Dakota County Library, Farmington, Dakota County, $9,879

To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Fillmore County Historical Society, Fountain, Fillmore County, $5,300

To hire a qualified museum consultant to conduct a general preservation needs assessment survey and long range collections preservation plan.

City of Goodhue, Goodhue, Goodhue County, $10,000

To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Duluth Red Wing Southern Railroad Depot in Goodhue, MN for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Red Wing, Goodhue County, $10,000

To hire professionals to restore painted designs on the knee wall and balcony slab underside of the water tower balcony at Tower View to their 1915-1921 appearance.

City of Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County, $10,000

To create several updated tour curricula for the Historic Eidem Farm in Brooklyn Park, MN.

Afton Historical Society Press, Edina, Hennepin County, $10,000

To hire qualified professionals to produce a manuscript on the history of Latin art in Minnesota.

Afton Historical Society Press, Edina, Hennepin County, $10,000

To hire a qualified professional to produce a manuscript on the history of art in Minnesota.

Edina Morningside Community Church, Edina, Hennepin County, $9,933

To provide better organization of archival materials, allowing for greater public access to the community's historic resources.

African American Registry, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $6,303

To digitize a collection of oral history video recordings, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Black Men Teach, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $10,000

To document in 15 oral history interviews the history of African American educators in Minnesota.

Firefighter's Hall and Museum, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $9,973

To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system and pilot inventory project.

India Association of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $6,750

To document in 10-15 oral history interviews the history of the Guyanese Indian community in Minnesota.

Linden Hills Neighborhood Council, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $5,250

To hire qualified professionals to produce an updated manuscript on the history of Linden Hills neighborhood in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Annual Conference United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $7,835

To digitize issues of the Annual Conference Journal, 1850-1994, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Tangletown Neighborhood Association, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, $3,375

To design, produce, and install a historical marker about the Washburn Water Tower in Minneapolis.

Minnetonka Community Church, Minnetonka, Hennepin County, $10,000

To hire a qualified historian to complete an updated nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the historic Minnetonka Town Hall, now owned and used by Minnetonka Community Church.

La Crescent Area Historical Society, La Crescent, Houston County, $5,676

To design and install interpretive signage about the first land survey in Houston County in 1832.

Le Sueur County, Le Center, Le Sueur County, $9,000

To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the circa 1870 Geldner Saw Mill, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Minneota, Minneota, Lyon County, $10,000

To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the 1901 Big Store, Minneota, MN, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Mahnomen, Mahnomen, Mahnomen County, $10,000

To hire qualified professionals to bring the front entry door of the Mahnomen City Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Fairmont Opera House, Inc., Fairmont, Martin County, $9,200

To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents to stabilize the balcony railing of the circa 1902 Fairmont Opera House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Murray County Historical Society, Slayton, Murray County, $7,600

To provide better organization and storage of the museum's oversized collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, Nobles County, $8,997

To digitize part of a large collection of photo negatives, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, Nobles County, $9,163

To provide appropriate storage materials for museum collections.

Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, Olmsted County, $8,124

To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system

Friends of the Museum, Perham, Otter Tail County, $9,495

To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Sand Hill River Watershed District, Fertile, Polk County, $8,000

To hire qualified consultants to evaluate a 1913 bank building in Polk County for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Cathedral Heritage Foundation, St. Paul, Ramsey County, $6,770

To provide appropriate storage materials for historic collections items at the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, Ramsey County, $9,974

To conduct a marine archaeology investigation of anomalies found in Lake Minnetonka.

Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul, Ramsey County, $10,000

To document in 10-20 oral history interviews the generational knowledge about treaties from Dakota first language speakers and heritage language learners.

Minnesota Quilters, Inc., St. Paul, Ramsey County, $4,145

To digitize part of a large collection of oral histories, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, St. Paul, Ramsey County, $10,000

To hire qualified historians to research the early history of the Black Baptist Church in Minnesota.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, Ramsey County, $9,972

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

Minnesota Discovery Center, Chisholm, St. Louis County, $1,890

To develop and install exhibit panels at the Minnesota State Fair about the Hill Annex Paleontology Project.

Minnesota Museum of Mining, Chisholm, St. Louis County, $9,950

To hire qualified professionals to replace the roof on the 1906 Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway caboose, part of the museum's collection.

North Star Foundation of the Mesaba Incorporated, Hibbing, St. Louis County, $10,000

To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of Mesaba Cooperative Park, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Northern Ice Ties, Embarrass, St. Louis County, $9,955

To document in 15-20 oral history interviews the history and communities of the South Kawishiwi River in northern Minnesota.

Tower-Soudan Historical Society, Tower, St. Louis County, $10,000

To hire qualified professionals to replace the roof on the 1895 Tower Fire Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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

To design, produce, and install historical markers for National Register properties in the City of Birchwood Village.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, Winona County, $10,000

To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the 1914 Winona Armory, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Cokato, Cokato, Wright County, $9,394

To hire a qualified consultant to develop a new design for Cokato Historical Society's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Wright County Historical Society, Buffalo, Wright County, $2,985

To add 33 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Yellow Medicine County Historical Society, Granite Falls, Yellow Medicine County, $7,440

To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two funding tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. Large grants of more than $10,000 are offered once a year. All grants are administered through a competitive process based on program guidelines, and professional standards and criteria.

For more information on the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, including application deadlines, visit http://www.mnhs.org/preservation/legacy-grants.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

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.