MNHS Announces Latest Round of Legacy Small Grants

The Minnesota Historical Society announces 36 recipients of 38 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants (up to $10,000 each), totaling $319,726 in 19 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofit and educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on Nov. 29, 2016.

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 (up to $10,000) from the October 2016 cycle are listed by county, in alphabetical order below. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and are awarded according to program guidelines and criteria and professional standards.

Blue Earth County, Mankato, Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, $10,000
Development and Graphic Design of Mni Wiconi Interpretive Graphics: To hire a qualified consultant to write an exhibit plan on the importance of water in Dakota history in Minnesota.

Chisago County, Chisago City, Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, $9,237
Court of Appeals Oral History Project: To document in eight oral history interviews the history of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Clearwater County, Bagley, Clearwater County Historical Society, $9,385
Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Cottonwood County, Mountain Lake, Heritage Village, $3,584
Krieser Home National Register Evaluation: To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for a structure in Mountain Lake.

Fillmore County, Lanesboro, Lanesboro Historical Preservation Association, $8,900
Progress and Discovery, Collection Inventory III: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Hennepin County, Bloomington, Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum, $9,557
Oral History of the Salvation Army's Booth Memorial Hospital: To document in nine oral history interviews the history of the Salvation Army's Booth Memorial Hospital.

Hennepin County, Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University, $1,435
Digitize Student Yearbooks: To digitize the student yearbooks, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Hennepin County, Eden Prairie, City of Eden Prairie, $9,650
Cummins-Phipps-Grill House Plans & Specs for Upstairs Repair Project: To contract with qualified professionals to prepare planning documents that will help preserve the Cummins-Phipps-Grill House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hennepin County, Golden Valley, Golden Valley Historical Society, $9,986
Collections Inventory: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Hennepin County, Hanover, North Hennepin Pioneer Society, $7,500
National Register Eligibility for the Burschville School: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Burschville School in Corcoran for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, $9,700
Rise and Fall of Minnesota Ombudsman for Corrections: To document in 10-15 oral history interviews the history of the Minnesota Ombudsman for Corrections.

Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Regents of the University of Minnesota (Institute on Community Integration), $9,960
Publish Evelyn Deno's Anthology of the 1957 Minnesota Law Requiring Special Education: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of Minnesota's law requiring special education.

Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Regents of the University of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press), $10,000
Border Country: The Northwoods Canoe Journals of Howard Greene, 1906-1916: To hire qualified professionals to publish Howard Greene's journals about the north woods of Minnesota.

Hennepin County, St. Louis Park, Beth El Foundation of Minnesota, $9,940
Beth El Synagogue 1920-Present: Jewish Tradition Enriching Minnesota Life, Phase 2 Exhibit Planning: To hire a qualified consultant to write an exhibit plan on Jewish tradition in Minnesota.

Kittson County, Bagley, Minnesota's Historic Northwest. $7,800
WWI MNopedia Entries from Northwest Minnesota: To create 30 entries on World War I in Northwest Minnesota for the MNopedia project for online research.

Lyon County, Balaton, Balaton Area Historical Society, $8,458
Museum Lighting Redesign, Preserving and Protecting Our Heritage for Future Generations: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Lyon County, Marshall, Lyon County Historical Society, $10,000
Natural Disasters Oral History Project: To document in 10 oral history interviews the histories of two major natural disasters in Lyon County.

Marshall County, Warren, Marshall County Historical Society, $8,800
HVAC System Evaluation: To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

McLeod County, Hutchinson, Historic Hutchinson, $8,540
The Writing on the Wall, Historic Graffiti at the Depot: To hire a professional to assess and write a report for historically significant depot graffiti, which will allow greater public access to this resource.

Nobles County, Worthington, Nobles County Historical Society, $6,000
National Guard Armory National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the National Guard Armory in Worthington.

Otter Tail County, Henning, City of Henning, $8,588
Trinity Lutheran Church National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Trinity Lutheran Church.

Ramsey County, Maplewood, City of Maplewood, $10,000
Gladstone Savanna Interpretive Signs: To hire qualified consultants to research and develop interpretive signage on the Gladstone Savanna in Ramsey County.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Capitol Region Watershed District, $9,150
Capitol Region Watershed District Oral History: To document in 15-20 oral history interviews the history of the Capitol Region Watershed District.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Macalester College, $10,000
Acquire Microfilm Reader/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Maritime Heritage Minnesota, $8,196
Minnesota Small Craft Project: To conduct a survey of rare Minnesota-produced watercraft to allow for greater public access to these historic resources.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Minnesota Museum of American Art, $10,000
Digital Conversion of Collection Images: To convert analog slides of collections images to digital, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Minnesota Territorial Pioneers Inc., $3,581
Collections and Inventory Assessment: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Ramsey County, St. Paul, Minnesota Transportation Museum, $9,960
Pullman Porter Exhibit Research: To hire qualified consultants to conduct research for an exhibit on Pullman porters in Minnesota.

Ramsey County, White Bear Lake, White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, $10,000
White Bear Lake Armory HVAC Design Services: To contract with qualified professionals to prepare HVAC design documents that will help preserve the White Bear Lake Armory.

Ramsey County, White Bear Lake, White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, $1,550
White Bear Township Historical Marker Project: To hire qualified consultants to research and develop interpretive signage on the historic White Bear Town Hall.

Rice County, Northfield, Northfield Historical Society, $9,952
Textile Storage and Catalog Record Improvement, Phase 1: To provide better storage conditions, allowing for greater public access to objects in the collection.

Stearns County, St. Cloud, City of St. Cloud, $10,000
Southeast St. Cloud Local Historic District Designation Study: To hire a qualified historian to complete local historic designations for four sites in St. Cloud.

Stearns County, St. Cloud, St. Cloud State University, $9,000
Investigating the Cultural Geography of St. Cloud State University: To hire a qualified historian to research the cultural history of St. Cloud State University.

Steele County, Owatonna, Steele County Historical Society, $10,000
Daniel S. Piper House Engineering Report for Stabilization: To hire a qualified engineer to develop an engineering report for the Daniel S. Piper House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Washington County, Afton, Afton Historical Society and Museum, $4,375
Create Disaster Recovery Plan: To hire a qualified museum consultant to develop a disaster plan for the Afton Historical Society and Museum.

Winona County, Winona, Polish Cultural Institute, $9,990
Collections Inventory Phase 7: To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Wright County, Buffalo, Wright County Historical Society, $7,938
WCHS Planning for Redesign of Museum Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Wright County, Buffalo, Wright County Historical Society, $9,014
Acquire Digital Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $11.525 million for the 2015-2017 biennium for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (“Legacy”) Grants: $5,525,000 for FY 2016 and $6,000,000 for FY 2017.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next two small grants deadlines are January 13, 2017 and April 14, 2017. 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 legacy.mnhs.org/grants. Applications are accepted only through the MNHS grants portal.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment 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.

About the 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.