Legacy Amendment Supports $610,846 in Small 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 42 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($20,000 and less), totaling $610,846 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 December 11, 2025.

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 ($20,000 and less) from the fiscal year 2026 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.

Carleton College, Northfield, $5,360
To write content for 10-12 audio tours on the history of the Cowling Arboretum in Northfield, MN.

Carlton County Historical Society, Cloquet, $5,849
To hire a qualified historian to conduct primary and secondary source research on the history of World War II veterans in Carlton County.

Cass County Historical Society, Walker, $2,532
To add 28 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, $9,230
To hire a qualified conservator to restore two significant drawings of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Center for Policy Design, St. Paul, $19,500
To hire qualified professionals to produce a script on the history of John Thomas, a Minnesotan who played a seminal role in the development of international migration and refugee assistance after WWII.

City of Litchfield, Litchfield, $20,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and home of the Meeker County Historical Society.

City of Madison, Madison, $17,500
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Madison Carnegie Library, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Osseo, Osseo, $20,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Osseo Water Tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Red Wing (Cannon Valley Trail), Cannon Falls, $14,050
To hire qualified professionals to write and edit a manuscript on the history of the Cannon Valley Trail.

City of St. Paul (Parks and Recreation), St. Paul, $10,000
To hire a qualified conservator to restore a significant monument in the City of St. Paul.

City of Winona, Winona, $14,200
To hire a qualified consultant to write an update of Historic Contexts (post WWII to 1991) for the City of Winona.

Delano Franklin Township Area Historical Society, Delano, $10,866
To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of Delano, MN.

Dodge County Historical Society, Mantorville, $20,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the 1858 Wasioja Free Will Baptist Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure in the Wasioja Historic District, Mantorville, MN.

Douglas County Historical Society, Alexandria, $20,000
To provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

East Polk Heritage Center, Fosston, $15,500
To hire a qualified consultant to write an exhibit plan for a collection of original artwork created by early Fosston resident Esten Moen, an artist, engineer, inventor, and author.

Edina Historical Society, Edina, $19,500
To hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct a survey of the 1916 Birch Family Fruit Farm in Edina, MN.

Faribault County Historical Society, Blue Earth, $19,420
To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner and 97 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, $19,500
To hire qualified professionals to publish an updated American Indian Marriage Record Directory.

Global Minnesota, Minneapolis, $20,000
To hire a qualified historian to research and write the history of Global Minnesota for their 75th anniversary.

Goodhue County Historical Society, Red Wing, $12,540
To hire a professional to assess and write a collections storage plan for Goodhue County Historical Society, which will allow greater public access to their resources.

Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis, $11,150
To provide access to important primary source material by digitizing and making publicly available the Civil War pension files of Minnesota’s African American Civil and Indian War veterans.

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $7,950
To hire a qualified conservator to restore a significant painting in the museum’s collections by Sarah Ambs Moody.

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre, Minneapolis, $14,280
To document in 12 oral history interviews the history of puppeteering in the Twin Cities.

Lac qui Parle County Historical Society, Madison, $11,640
To develop a plan to digitize a large collection of photo negatives, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Le Sueur County Historical Society, Le Center, $11,094
To improve collections care and management through an updated collections management system.

Luther Memorial Church, South St. Paul, $19,000
To hire a qualified architect to conduct a conditions assessment of the Luther Memorial Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Minnesota Discovery Center, Chisholm, $9,480
To transcribe oral histories that were collected shortly after the Iron Range Interpretive Center (now Minnesota Discovery Center) was founded in 1977.

Morrison County Historical Society, Little Falls, $20,000
To improve public accessibility of the restrooms at the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum and better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Murray County Historical Society, Slayton, $14,040
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a Collections Storage Plan to help the museum best utilize their collections storage areas and make the items more accessible.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $6,667
To provide appropriate storage materials for a collection of bound newspapers.

Northeast Community Development Corporation, Minneapolis, $8,620
To document in 12 oral history interviews the history of the art scene in Minneapolis in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $17,658
To provide better organization of the museum's archival collections, allowing for greater public access to the community’s historic resources.

Red Wing Public Library, Red Wing, $4,200
To hire qualified professionals to update and edit a manuscript on the history of the Red Wing Public Library.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Morris Campus), Morris, $19,775
To provide appropriate storage materials for significant archival collections.

Rushford Area Historical Society, Rushford, $20,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the Southern Minnesota Depot, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and used by the Rushford Area Historical Society.

Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, $19,996
To hire a qualified archaeologist to analyze and inventory archaeo-botanical materials collected during excavation of an archaeological earth oven feature at the Pedersen site (21LN2).

Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, $7,293
To hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct a survey of and radiocarbon date fossil horse teeth to potentially confirm the co-existence of horses and humans in the Late Pleistocene of Minnesota for a broad portion of the state.

St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, $18,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of the 1911 St. Olafs Norwegian Lutheran Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Red Wing, $20,000
To contract with qualified professionals to prepare construction documents for the preservation of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure in the Red Wing Historic Mall District.

St. Peter's AME Church, Minneapolis, $14,456
To hire a qualified historian to complete the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for St. Peter's AME Church in Minneapolis.

Three Rivers Park District, Plymouth, $20,000
To hire a qualified consultant to write an interpretive plan for Richardson Nature Center.

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, White Bear Lake, $20,000
To hire qualified historians to research and write the history in the areas around the Lake Links Trail in White Bear Lake, MN.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two funding tiers. Small grants of $20,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next small grant application deadlines are April 10, 2026 and July 10, 2026. Large grants of more than $20,000 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.