Legacy Amendment Supports $315,731 in Small Grants to History Organizations Throughout Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn (January 19, 2024) – The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 36 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $315,731 in 20 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units, and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on December 14, 2023.

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 fiscal year 2024 October 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.

American Indian Family and Children's Services, St. Paul, $6,500
To hire qualified professionals to replace wood siding on the circa 1891 Pattern Shop, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the St. Paul Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company Shops Historic District.

Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm, $9,609 
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Centro Tyrone Guzman, Minneapolis, $10,000
To hire qualified professionals to produce two scripts exploring the history of Latine elders' experiences in Minnesota.

City of Afton, Afton, $10,000
To hire qualified professionals to evaluate the current level of museum accessibility, per Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and provide recommendations for accessibility improvements.

City of Browns Valley, Browns Valley, $10,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the circa 1861 Sam Brown/Fort Wadsworth Cabin, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Clarkfield, Clarkfield, $9,150
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the 1910 Clarkfield State Bank.

Cultural Archive of Modern Paganism, Eagan, $9,830
To document in 15-20 oral history interviews the history of the Wiccan Church of Minnesota.

Dodge County, Mantorville, $7,410
To fabricate and install seven historical markers in the Wasioja National Register Historic District, Dodge County, MN.

Dodge County Historical Society, Mantorville, $10,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the 1858 Wasioja Baptist Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

East Side Freedom Library, St. Paul, $10,000
To research the history of housing inequality and activism in Minnesota in preparation for a future exhibit.

Faribault County Historical Society, Blue Earth, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for Walter Mondale's boyhood home in Elmore, Minnesota.

First Baptist Church, Battle Lake, Battle Lake, $6,880
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the 1893 First Baptist Church, Battle Lake, MN.

Friends of Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne, $10,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the 1895 Maplewood Cemetery Chapel in Luverne, MN, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Gammelgarden Museum, Scandia, $5,975
To hire a qualified museum consultant to conduct a general preservation needs assessment survey and long range collections preservation plan.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $10,000
To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of two female Clay County painters whose pioneer families' histories were preserved in their writings and artwork.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $3,367
To design, produce, and install interpretive markers on the life of formerly enslaved Civil War veteran Felix Battles who became the pioneer barber of the Red River Valley. 

Mahnomen County, Mahnomen, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the 1920 Rainbow Theater in Mahnomen, MN.

Maplewood Area Historical Society, Maplewood, $9,500
To digitize a collection of archival photo negatives, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Martin County, Fairmont, $2,475
To hire a qualified consultant to conduct a conservation assessment on historic early 20th century paintings in the Martin County Courthouse dome.

Minnetonka Community Church, Minnetonka, $10,000 
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the circa 1906 Minnetonka Town Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9,995
To improve collections care and management through proper storage.

Olivet Congregational Church, St. Paul, $6,250
To hire a qualified conservator to restore significant objects in the museum’s collections.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $10,000
To document in oral history interviews the history of Engineering Research Associates (ERA), a business formed in St. Paul in 1946.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $10,000
To provide better organization of an archival collection from the St. Paul Art Collective, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Minnesota Veterinary History Museum), St. Paul, $9,950
To improve public accessibility with new tactile and audio components that will complement permanent exhibit displays and meet current industry standards and DEAI practices.

River Bend Nature Center, Inc., Faribault, $10,000
To hire a qualified consultant to write an interpretive plan for the River Bend Nature Center in Rice County, MN.

Robbinsdale Historical Society, Robbinsdale, $9,900
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Roseau County Historical Society, Roseau, $7,363
To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Scandia Heritage Alliance, Scandia, $10,000
To hire a qualified consultant to conduct an audience analysis for an interpretive plan for a proposed museum in Scandia.

Scott County Historical Society, Shakopee, $9,470
To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Sibley County Historical Society, Henderson, $10,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the 1884 August F. Poehler House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and home of the Sibley County Historical Society. 

St. Louis Park Historical Society, St. Louis Park, $7,017
To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Twin City Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul, $6,900
To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum exhibit gallery lighting plan.

Upper Mississippi Academy, St. Paul, $8,190
To add Indigenous Minnesota history educational items and books to Upper Mississippi Academy's holdings to make this information more accessible to the public.

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, White Bear Lake, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary source research on the history of gangsters in 1920s-1930s White Bear Lake.

Zeitgeist Center for Arts and Community, Duluth, $10,000
To document in 8-12 oral history interviews the history of the Hillside neighborhood of Duluth.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $36.981 million for the 2024-2025 biennium, including funding for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage ( Legacy ) Grants: $8,677,000 for FY2024 and $7,035,000 for FY2025.

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 April 12 and July 12, 2024. 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.

About the Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit 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.