The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 33 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $281,675 in 23 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 June 23, 2022.

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 spring 2022 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.

Anoka County Historical Society, Anoka, $10,000
To digitize the Olson Family Collection, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Brown County Historical Society, New Ulm, $7,742
To improve collections care and management through proper storage.

Building Remembrance for Reconciliation, Hastings, $9,781
To document in 11 oral history interviews the early history of Black community members in Hastings, circa 1880-1910.

Carlton County Historical Society, Cloquet, $10,000
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Chaska Historical Society, Chaska, $8,400
To hire qualified professionals to edit and format a book on the history of the City of Chaska.

City of Hackensack, Hackensack, $8,675
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the 1936 Hackensack Conservation Building.

City of Winona, Winona, $4,000
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the 1924 Lake Park Bandshell in Winona.

Clearwater County Historical Society, Bagley, $8,220
To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Cottonwood County Historical Society, Windom, $10,000
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Firefighter's Hall and Museum, Minneapolis, $4,691
To hire a qualified consultant to monitor and assess the museum's environment and write an environmental monitoring plan.

Friends of the Museum, Perham, $508
To convert printed materials into searchable pdfs, allowing for greater public access to historic resources.

Giants of the Earth Heritage Center, Spring Grove, $10,000
To hire qualified professionals to edit a documentary script on the history of life on Norwegian Ridge in Houston County.

Golden Valley Historical Society, Golden Valley, $9,993
To provide Golden Valley Historical Society with professional continuing education through a national museum training program.

Jackson County Historical Society, Lakefield, $9,600
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Le Sueur Theatre Historic Preservation Corporation, Le Sueur, $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 Le Sueur Theatre.

Minnesota Discovery Center, Chisholm, $10,000
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Minnesota Lakes Maritime Society, Alexandria, $9,478
To provide appropriate storage materials for museum collections.

Minnesota State University, Mankato (EARTH Systems Lab), Mankato, $9,846
To hire a qualified archaeologist to catalog and review collections from the Vosburg site in order to learn more about the Blue Earth Oneota in Minnesota.

Minnesota State University, Mankato (EARTH Systems Lab), Mankato, $9,987
To hire a qualified archaeologist to collect aerial thermographic imagery from three Silvernale phase sites in the Red Wing area and analyze the data for a comprehensive report.

Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, $10,000
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a structural study that will help preserve the Scriver Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, $9,600
To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

Pine County Historical Society, Askov, $9,824
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Polish Cultural Institute, Winona, $9,999
To hire qualified consultants to develop and install an exhibit on Polish and Kashubian heritage in Winona County.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $3,528
To digitize part of two collections of large-format prints and negatives, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Rice County Historical Society, Faribault, $9,950
To hire a qualified conservator to restore significant paintings in the museum’s collections.

Scandia Heritage Alliance, Scandia, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary source research on the history of indigenous peoples who lived along the St. Croix River around what is now Scandia and Marine on St. Croix.

Sisu Heritage Inc., Embarrass, $6,000
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the 1906 Finnish Apostolic Lutheran Church in Embarrass.

St. Olaf College, Northfield, $10,000
To hire a qualified professional to complete a manuscript on the history of Japanese American college students in World War II Minnesota.

Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, $9,655
To write a literature review of the Dakota and Ojibwe people in Stearns County.

The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, $2,400
To hire qualified historians to produce audio tour scripts on the history of The Bakken's 1930 West Winds mansion.

United Protestant Church, Duluth, $10,000
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for United Protestant Church in Duluth.

Washington County Historical Society, Stillwater, $10,000
To hire a qualified consultant to research the history of grocery stores in Washington County in preparation for a future exhibit.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $9,798
To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $33.085 million for the 2022-2023 biennium, including funding for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (“Legacy”) Grants: $5,892,000 for FY2022 and $7,000,000 for FY2023.

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. 14, 2022 and Jan. 13, 2023. 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.