The Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to announce 42 recipients of Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $367,711 in 22 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on August 22, 2019.

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 July 2019 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.

African American Registry, Minneapolis, $8,793
Preserving Voices That Guide Us, Oral History Digitization: To digitize a collection of oral history recordings of African American elders and community representatives, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Afton Historical Society and Museum, Afton, $9,778
Install LED Linear Lighting: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade Afton Historical Society and Museum's lighting in the collections storage area.

Afton Historical Society and Museum, Afton, $9,135
HVAC Renovation: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade Afton Historical Society and Museum's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Alano Society of Minneapolis, $9,750
National Register Evaluation: To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine if the Minneapolis Alano Society, housed in the former 1887 home of Washburn-Crosby Company flour milling executive John Washburn, is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bird Island Cultural Centre, Bird Island, $4,750
Tinnes-Baker House National Register Nomination Project: To hire a qualified historian to complete the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Tinnes-Baker House, a distinctive local example of the Craftsman/Bungalow architectural style.

Calvary Baptist Church, Minneapolis, $7,650
National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Calvary Baptist Church, established in 1883 in the Whittier neighborhood.

Caponi Art Park, Eagan, $9,775
Research Phase of Exhibition Development: To hire a qualified consultant to write a research plan for upcoming exhibits.

Carleton College, Northfield, $9,666
Seeking "A Better Chance:” African American Students in Northfield, MN 1968-1973: To document in oral history interviews the experiences of African American students in Northfield from 1968 to 1973 through the "A Better Chance" program.

Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault, $9,500
Guild House Four Chimneys Construction Documents: To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, built in the 1860s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Adams, $10,000
First National Bank of Adams Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the 1924 First National Bank of Adams, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and used as the Adams Area History Center.

City of Birchwood Village, $9,900
Birchwood Village Hall National Register Evaluation: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the 1931 Birchwood Village Hall in Washington County for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Clements, $10,000
State Bank of Clements Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the 1902 State Bank of Clements, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently housing City of Clements offices.

City of Dayton, $9,437
Stephens Farm National Register Evaluation: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Stephens Farm Park for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Stillwater, $9,375
Lowell Park Pavilion and Levee Historic Structure Report: To hire a qualified consultant to develop a historic structure report that will help preserve Lowell Park Pavilion and Lowell Park Levee, built circa 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Winona, $6,500
Winona Athletic Club National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the 1930 Winona Athletic Club.

Clearwater County, $1,009
Levorsen Mill Site Marker: To design, produce, and install a historical marker for the site of the Levorsen Mill, a former sawmill in Clearwater County that operated from 1932 to 1957.

Dodge County Historical Society, Mantorville, $9,998
Wasioja School Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Wasioja School, built in 1858 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ernest C. Oberholtzer Foundation, Koochiching County, $9,170
Rainy Lake Wilderness Ethic Oral Histories: To document in 10-15 oral history interviews the history of “wilderness ethic” at Rainy Lake.

Franconia Township, $9,999
History of Franconia Township Scholarly Research Project: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of the Franconia Township area.

Historic Saint Paul, $10,000
Public Archaeology Program Using 412 Goodrich Artifacts, Phase 2: To organize and catalog a collection of over 1000 artifacts collected during a 2018 archaeological dig of a historic privy at 412 Goodrich Avenue.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $5,660
CollectiveAccess Conversion: To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Jewish Community Action, St. Paul, $9,940
Preserving the Founding Years of Jewish Community Action: Organizing for Racial and Economic Justice: To provide better organization of archival materials, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Jordan Area Historical Society, Jordan, $9,608
Acquire Historical Jordan-Area Newspapers on Microfilm: To add 118 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to the organization’s collection to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,999
Suburban Lakes Underwater Archaeology Project: Anomaly Assessment: To conduct marine archaeology investigation of anomalies found in Prior Lake, Medicine Lake and Lake Johanna.

Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, Chisago City, $2,787
Oral History Transcribing Project 2: To transcribe nine oral history interviews about the history of the Minnesota Supreme Court to make them more publicly accessible.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9,689
Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 119 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield, $10,000
60-Year History Publication: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of the Northfield Arts Guild.

Plainview Area History Center, Plainview, $9,879
Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Polish Cultural Institute, Winona, $4,515
Transfer of Database to New Collections Management Software: To hire qualified technicians to transfer collections data to a new collections database.

Proctor Area Historical Society, Proctor, $9,500
DM&N Car Shop Superintendent's Office Building National Register Evaluation: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the 1927 Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railway Car Shop Superintendent's Office Building for possible inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

Prospect House Museum, Battle Lake, $10,000
Development of Curriculum on Industrialization and Minnesota: To develop curriculum on industrialization in Minnesota for use in Minnesota classrooms.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $7,194
Digitize Everett Kroeger Photography Collection: To digitize a St. Paul portrait and art photographer's collection of photographs and negatives from the 1940s to the 1970s, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Glensheen), Duluth, $10,000
Stained Glass Conservation, Main Staircase Landing - West Window Set: To hire a qualified conservator to restore stained glass at the Glensheen mansion.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Morris Campus), Morris, $10,000
Digitizing the Oral History Collection at the University of Minnesota Morris: To digitize a collection of oral history recordings that document West Central Minnesota history and the history of the University of Minnesota Morris, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Rice County Historical Society, Faribault, $3,245
Environmental Monitoring System: To monitor and assess environmental controls at the historical society.

Richfield Historical Society, Richfield, $9,989
Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Rollingstone Luxembourg Heritage Museum, Rollingstone, $4,500
Rollingstone Village Hall National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Rollingstone Village Hall, which dates to 1899-1900.

Roseau County Historical Society, Roseau, $9,990
Collection Inventory Phase 2: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee, $8,873
Upgrade Collections Management Software from PastPerfect 5 to CollectiveAccess: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade the organization to a new collections database.

Sleepy Eye Area Historical Society, Sleepy Eye, $9,879
Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Sleepy Eye Area Historical Society, Sleepy Eye, $10,000
Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 159 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to the organization’s collection to make primary records more accessible to the public.

St. Clement's Episcopal Church, St. Paul, $10,000
Church Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of St. Clement's Episcopal Church, an 1895 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis, $3,779
Creating a Disaster Plan: To develop a disaster plan for The Museum of Russian Art.

West Concord Historical Society, West Concord, $4,500
West Concord High School National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the 1902 West Concord High School.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $12.85 million for the 2020-2021 biennium for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (“Legacy”) Grants: $5,846,000 for FY2020 and $7,004,000 for FY2021.

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 Oct. 11, 2019 and Jan. 10, 2020. 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.

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.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partner: Explore Minnesota Tourism.