Legacy Amendment Supports $294,976 in Small Grants to History Organizations Throughout Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (August 12, 2024) – The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 33 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $294,976 in 18 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 10, 2024.

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 fiscal year 2024 April 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, as well as professional standards.

Caponi Art Park, Eagan, $5000
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Caponi Art Park, Eagan, MN.

Carlton County Historical Society, Cloquet, $9767

To provide Carlton County Historical Society with professional continuing education through a national museum training program.

City of White Bear Lake, White Bear Lake, $6644
To design, produce, and install interpretive panels in the City of White Bear Lake pertaining to the history of public safety.

City of Winona, Winona, $10,000
To hire a qualified consultant to write an update of Historic Contexts for the City of Winona.

Clearwater County Historical Society, Bagley, $9500
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Gran Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Clearwater County Historical Society, Bagley, $9997
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Cook County Historical Society, Grand Marais, $8300
To hire a qualified technician to generate transcripts from previously completed oral history interviews and digitize VHS tapes for better public accessibility of the museum collections.

East Central Regional Library, Cambridge, $6840
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public at the new Sandstone library branch.

Edina Morningside Community Church, Edina, $9994
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Face to Face Health & Counseling Service, Inc, St. Paul, $10,000
To hire qualified consultants to research the history of Face to Face in preparation for a future publication.

Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis, $9900
To document in ten oral history interviews the history of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre's 1980s Circle of Water Circus performances.

Inver Grove Heights Public Schools (ISD #199), Inver Grove Heights, $7900
To hire a qualified consultant to research the history of the Inver Grove Heights school district, in preparation for a future exhibit.

Islamic Center of Winona, Winona, $7750
To hire qualified professionals to repair the roof monitor on the Second National Bank (Islamic Center of Winona), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, Minneapolis, $4500
To document in five oral history interviews the history of Sharei Shomayim, an Orthodox synagogue in St. Paul in the mid-20th century.

Kittson County Historical Society, Lake Bronson, $9770
To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Lower Sioux Indian Community, Morton, $9700
To hire a qualified conservator to restore the Wabasha Roadside Marker.

Melrose Area Arts Council, Melrose, $4719
To design, produce, and install a historical marker near the Edwin Clark Memorial Bridge in the City of Melrose.

Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community, Mendota Heights, $10,000
To provide better organization of the organization's archival collections, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Nautilus Music-Theater, St Paul, $10,000
To digitize a collection of 190 archival videos of Nautilus Music-Theater's work, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Ness Church Preservation Foundation, Litchfield, $10,000
To hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct a survey of the Ness Church Cemetery to locate and verify burial sites.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9999
To provide appropriate processing space for incoming museum collection items.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9997
To digitize part (1960-1962) of a large collection of photo negatives, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, $10,000
To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, $5117
To provide better organization of the museum's archival collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, $10,000
To design historical markers for the George Stoppel Farmstead, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Prospect House and Civil War Museum, Battle Lake, $10,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Prospect House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Sacred Heart Area Historical Society, Sacred Heart, $9995
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

St. Peter's AME Church, Minneapolis, $9977
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for St. Peter's AME Church in Minneapolis.

Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, $9655
To hire a qualified historian to conduct research on the colonial history of Stearns County, in preparation for future historical society projects.

Twin Cities Cable Arts Consortium, Minneapolis, $9980
To provide better organization of an important media collection, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Twin City Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul, $10,000
To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, White Bear Lake, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to research the history of streetcars in White Bear Lake.

Woodbury Heritage Society, Woodbury, $9975
To hire a qualified professional to assess the historic collections held by Woodbury Heritage Society.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $36.981 million for the 2024-2025 biennium, including funding for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) Grants: $8,677,000 for FY2024 and $7,035,000 for FY2025.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two funding tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next small grant application deadlines are October 11, 2024 and January 10, 2025. Large grants of more than $10,000 are offered once a year. 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 www.mnhs.org/preservation/legacy-grants. Applications are accepted only through the MNHS grants portal.

About the Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit 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.