Year of Transformation for Connecticut Arts & Cultural Organizations

Among an array of humanities organizations across Connecticut, 2022 will be remembered as a year when investment in Connecticut’s cultural sector was greater than at any other in Connecticut’s history.  That fact is the thread running through the Connecticut Humanities (CTH) 2022 Annual Report, released this fall, documenting what is described as a “Year of Transformation.”

“I am incredibly grateful to the Connecticut State Legislature and Gov. Lamont for entrusting CT Humanities to provide such an unprecedented level of funding for the biennium,” said Dr. Jason Mancini, executive director at CTH. “Through our partnership with the CT Office of the Arts, we are building a statewide cultural infrastructure and providing grantees the resources to create and deliver cultural programs and opportunities to all of Connecticut's residents.”

The report covers the work of CTH and contains financial statements for the fiscal year which ran from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. During that period Connecticut Humanities provided 832 grants totaling $20,957,578.86. Grants were awarded to organizations in 141 of CT’s 169 towns (83%).

The 12-page report also highlights the creation of their first-ever Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Commitment. The IDEA statement, adopted by the CTH Board of Directors on Feb. 24, 2022, is an important step in cementing CTH’s commitment to equitable giving, according to officials.

The statement reads in part: ”To build an equitable funding culture, we are committed to inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility as we support partners in generating humanities content that represents the breadth of Connecticut’s people and the range of their stories. Connecticut’s long and complicated history still influences us today. CT Humanities is a beneficiary of that complicated history as well as a contributor.”

“My decades of work for and collaboration with tribes and communities of color have taught me that many histories and cultures across Connecticut have been or remain invisible,” explained Mancini.  “Since joining CTH nearly five years ago, our team has prioritized building relationships, expanding funding opportunities, and sharing the voices and stories of those who have been excluded from Connecticut’s story. Our IDEA statement is the culmination of months of work and years of progress for CTH, in many ways this is just the start.”

During the fiscal year, 2021-2022 CTH also invested further in expanding and diversifying the content in Teach It and ConnecticutHistory.org, two signature programs of the organization, adding new articles and lesson plans. The report also notes that the 624 Connecticut statewide cultural organizations identified in the CTH cultural census directly employ more than 12,000 people in Connecticut. 

CTH is Connecticut's only statewide non-profit organization focused broadly on supporting access to and providing funding for public humanities through grant funding and capacity building. The grants have supported a variety of projects and organizations for more than four decades.

“CTH champions the enduring value of public humanities in our lives and civil society,” said Helen Higgins, CTH board chair. “We touch so many aspects of life in Connecticut and all people. It is important we maintain the public trust and share the work we do each year.”