CT Humanities Issues Grants to Support Initiatives Across State

CT Humanities recently awarded $199,174 to nine Connecticut organizations to support capacity building, program implementation, planning, and partnerships.  The locations of the organizations receiving grants included Bridgeport, Hartford, Litchfield, Middletown, New Canaan, New Haven, Norwalk and West Hartford.

Connecticut Humanities is “rooted in the fabric of our communities as we help seed and support local organizations and outreach efforts that grow our understanding, connection and awareness,” the organization’s website explains. Connecticut Humanities, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, supports cultural and historic organizations that tell the state’s stories, build community and enrich lives.

The grant awards were in response to applications submitted at the November 1, 2019 deadline for the grant lines to support initiatives and programs in the humanities.  The grant recipients were:

•   Russell Library Company (Middletown, $9,800), Future-Ready for Middletown: A Strategic Planning Process for the Russell Library; 

•   Silvermine Guild of Artists, Inc. (New Canaan, $25,000), The Golden Door: Exploring the American Experience of Immigration and Migration; 

•   Norwalk Historical Society (Norwalk, $35,000), Norwalk’s Changing Communities Before 1835: An Exhibition That Explores the Norwalk Community; 

•   Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum (Norwalk, $20,000), Health, Healing, & Addiction in 19th Century America; 

•   Connecticut Forum, Inc. (Hartford, $25,000), Debating Immigration; 

•   The Barnum Museum (Bridgeport, $24,999), Creating the Online Exhibition, New Ways to Face History: An Egyptian Mummy and Coffin Reveal Their Stories; 

•   New Haven International Festival of Arts & Ideas (New Haven, $25,000), International Festival of Arts & Ideas – IDEAS on Democracy; 

•   Litchfield Historical Society (Litchfield, $25,000), “To Come to a Land of Milk and Honey”: Litchfield and the Connecticut Western Reserve; 

• Elizabeth Park Conservancy (West Hartford, $9,375), Preparing Historical and Humanities Content for the New Elizabeth Park Visitors’ Center.

Each year, CT Humanities receives hundreds of grant applications from Connecticut museums, cultural organizations, historical societies, and libraries for exhibits, programs, and capacity building initiatives.  CT Humanities generally receives 50% more in requested funds than can be funded, based on available resources.

CT Humanities, in addition to the grants that are the lifeblood for organizations across the state, is perhaps better known to the public for the programs it offers – all homegrown initiatives: the ConnecticutHistory.org website; Teach It, which brings Connecticut history to classrooms; CT Center for the Book, and ConnTours, the most recent program developed.  CT Humanities also offers the Book Voyagers program for school children in Hartford, New Haven and New London, designed to promote the joy of reading and encourage families to create literature-rich home environments.