Legacy Amendment Supports $4,668,796 in Large Grants to History Organizations Throughout Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (February 19, 2026) – The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 38 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Large Grants ($20,000 and more), totaling $4,668,796 in 21 counties.

Large grants are awarded annually 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 11, 2026.

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 Large Grant Recipients
Recipients of large grants ($20,001 and more) from fiscal year 2026 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.

Beltrami County Historical Society, Bemidji, $74,556
To improve collections care and management through proper storage, and to provide appropriate storage materials for museum collections.

Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, Faribault, $265,000
To hire qualified contractors to rehabilitate the Addition and Apse Roof on the 1933 Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour's Chapel, listed in the National Register.

Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, $175,000
To hire qualified contractors for masonry rehabilitation, cast stone repairs, and sealant replacement for the 1909 and 1913 sections of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill (listed in the National Register of Historic Places), with a special focus on rehabilitation of the grand stairway and back entry portico.

City of Browns Valley, Browns Valley, $50,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the ca. 1862 Fort Wadsworth Agency and Scout Headquarters Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Canby, Canby, $98,400
To hire qualified professionals for the construction and installation of original replicates: ticket booth, exterior doors, and movie frames on the Historic Canby Theatre, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Madison, Madison, $37,720
To hire qualified professionals to install storm windows and door on the Madison City Hall (Firehouse), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Ramsey, Ramsey, $39,500
To hire qualified professionals to design a concrete path with an ADA ramp, heating and air conditioning system, and ADA compliant historic period bathroom for the 1892 School District No. 28, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Tower, Tower, $309,000
To hire qualified professionals for foundation and exterior rehabilitation on the 1915 Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Company Passenger Station, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Clearwater County Historical Society, Bagley, $25,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of Gran Church, built in 1897 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Fillmore County Historical Society, Fountain, $60,000
To hire a qualified consultant to design an appropriate heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a museum collections space.

Fridley Historical Society, Fridley, $70,000
To hire a qualified consultant to design an upcoming exhibit on the post-World War II suburban development of Fridley, MN.

Friends of Milwaukee Avenue Historic District, Minneapolis, $34,000
To hire qualified professionals to resurvey the Milwaukee Avenue Historic District, with the goal of updating contributing and non-contributing resources.

Harmony Area Historical Society, Harmony, $104,901
To hire qualified professionals to complete the stabilization construction phase of the 1879 McMichael Grain Elevator, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $34,162
To digitize a collection of archival scrapbook indexes, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Hmong Museum, St. Paul, $65,000
To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary and secondary source research on the history of Hmong in Minnesota.

Kittson County Historical Society, Lake Bronson, $99,838
To hire qualified technicians to upgrade Kittson County Historical Society's lighting system.

Minnesota Orchestral Association, Minneapolis, $130,250
To digitize fragile recordings of approximately 200 concerts, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Minnesota State University, Mankato (EARTH Systems Lab), Mankato, $62,413
To hire qualified professionals to develop a reference manual for charcoal remains of trees recovered from archeological sites in Minnesota.

Minnetonka Community Church, Minnetonka, $88,375
To hire qualified professionals to restore the building’s siding, primary windows, addition, and front porch on the 1906 Minnetonka Town Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, $300,000
To hire qualified professionals to restore the east exterior on the 1876 Scriver Block Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, $97,550
To digitize the American Relief for Norway, Inc. Papers, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Pipestone County Historical Society, Pipestone, $177,142
To hire qualified contractors and builders To repoint the exterior masonry of the east, west, and south walls of the 1898 Ferris Grand Block to stabilize the historic structure and eliminate water infiltration.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $28,980
To hire a qualified consultant to develop two new Interactive Learning Labs at Gibbs Farm, with a focus on Gibbs family farm life and agricultural history of the Twin Cities.

Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation, Red Wing, $47,940
To hire qualified professionals to develop construction documents for use in reconstructing the c. 1926 Harrop Kiln used by Red Wing Union Stoneware Company.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (College of Education and Human Development), Minneapolis, $22,503
To create content for a new academic conference that will explore the social and cultural impact of Prince’s legacy in Minnesota’s history.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (U of M Libraries), Minneapolis, $99,810
To provide better organization of the museum's human rights archival materials, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Rice County Historical Society, Faribault, $115,918
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Richfield Historical Society, Richfield, $26,134
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the 1852 Riley Lucas Bartholomew House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

River Bend Nature Center, Inc., Faribault, $50,227
To hire qualified consultants to develop label text and graphics for an interpretive trail.

Sacred Heart Area Historical Society, Sacred Heart, $170,015
To hire qualified professionals to restore the east side windows on the 1914 Hotel Sacred Heart, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, $99,887
To hire qualified professionals to inventory and digitize SMM’s Minnesota River Valley archaeological collections, conduct tribal interviews, and complete geophysical survey and testing of a newly discovered pre-contact MN Valley site in Nicollet County.

Sisu Heritage Inc., Embarrass, $176,026
To hire qualified professionals to restore the wood siding, hay barn doors and windows, privy footprint, cow barn floors and fixtures, horse barn floors, and root cellar hood and entrance on the Alex Seitaniemi Housebarn, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Stearns History Museum, St. Cloud, $118,042
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Tower-Soudan Historical Society, Tower, $280,000
To hire qualified professionals to restore the rear entrances on the 1895 Tower Fire Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

United Hmong Family Inc, Little Canada, $100,293
To hire a qualified consultant to develop planning documents for an exhibit focused on 50 years of Hmong performing arts in Minnesota.

Waterford Township, Northfield, $295,000
To hire qualified professionals to repair the structure, including additional gusset plates and railings, new concrete deck, and repainting on the 1909 Waterford Bridge, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

West Concord Historical Society, West Concord, $348,914
To hire qualified professionals to replace the roof to address the deteriorating conditions on the 1902 West Concord High School (1936 PWA Gymnasium/Auditorium), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $291,300
To hire qualified professionals to repair the water drainage systems including roof drainage, improved gutters, and as-needed repointing and brick replacement on the 1914 Armory, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the Winona Commercial Historic District.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants
The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $36.386 million for the 2026-2027 biennium, including funding for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) Grants: $6,093,000 for FY2026 and $6,858,000 for FY2027.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two funding tiers. Small grants of $20,000 or less are awarded quarterly. Large grants of more than $20,000 are offered once a year. The next large grant pre-application deadline is May 22, 2026. 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.