Since 2014, more than 25 Minnesota scholars have been able to delve deeply into our state’s history, thanks to the Legacy Research Fellowship program at the Minnesota Historical Society, funded through the Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

The fellowship provides researchers a year of funding to support work that advances or fills gaps in Minnesota history knowledge. Research projects rely heavily on Gale Family Library resources and MNHS’s extensive collections, which include hundreds of thousands of manuscripts, records, artifacts and more documenting the state's history.

While researchers' final goals for their work might vary from a full-length book to an academic article, fellows also share their research by contributing articles to MNopedia, the ever-growing online encyclopedia of Minnesota history. Past fellows’ research has focused on everything from Krista Finstad Hanson’s work on Japanese-American resettlement in Minnesota during WWII to Katherine Goertz examining Minnesota’s legacy of visual artists, like Clara Mairs and Elof Wedin.

The Legacy Research Fellowship program is currently accepting applications for 2019 with Oct. 8, 2018 as the deadline.

Each fellow will receive a $3,500 award, and eligibility is open to any post-collegiate Minnesota scholar who is engaged in Minnesota-related research/scholarship. Independent scholars and scholars, including graduate students, not eligible for funding through employment at academic institutions are especially encouraged to apply.

About 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 book 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.