Indiana Humanities awards 15 nonprofits with more than $40,000 in grants

More than a dozen cultural institutions, libraries, universities and other nonprofit organizations across the state have received grants from Indiana Humanities to provide public humanities programs in their communities.  

Projects supported by Indiana Humanities funding include a free five-day civics day camp that provides youth with an opportunity to learn how to make a difference in their school, neighborhood and community; a panel discussion exploring Free People of Color (FPOC) who came to Indiana during the early pioneer period (1820–1849) and established communities such as Roberts Settlement in Hamilton County; a regional literary festival that celebrates reading, writing, authors and readers; and more. 

“The grants we’ve awarded during the first quarter of 2023 will support new programs and projects that bring Hoosiers together across the state for critical discussions about a wide range of topics,” said George Hanlin, director of grants at Indiana Humanities. “From projects about Black Hoosier History to civic engagement, we’re excited to help bring to life diverse public humanities programs.” 

From January through March 2023, Indiana Humanities awarded ten Action Grants and five Historic Preservation Education Grants totaling $42,328.  

Action Grants (up to $3,000) support nonprofit organizations that sponsor public humanities programs such as exhibitions, workshops, lectures and reading and discussion programs. 

Historic Preservation Education Grants (up to $3,000, offered in partnership with Indiana Landmarks) fund public programs that educate Indiana citizens about historic places and properties—and particularly about the need to preserve and protect them. 

The following are the 15 organizations that received grants (full descriptions of the projects follow): 

Action Grants 

• Roberts Chapel Church and Burial Association, Noblesville 
• Calumet College St. Joseph, Whiting 
• Friends of the Frankfort Public Library, Frankfort 
• Trustees of Indiana University/Indiana University Kokomo, Kokomo 
• Quilters Hall of Fame, Marion 

• Center for Independent Documentary, Boston 
• Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee, Lafayette 
• Indiana’s Historic Pathways, New Albany 
• Trustees of Indiana University/Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, Columbus 
• Valparaiso University, Valparaiso 

Historic Preservation Education Grants 

• Ball State University, Muncie 
• Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis 
• Franklin County Community Foundation, Brookville 
• Richmond Columbian Properties, Richmond 

• South Bend TradeWorks, South Bend 

Here are descriptions of the projects: 

Action Grants 

Let’s Talk Black Pioneers: North Carolina Roots to Indiana Shoots 

Roberts Chapel Church and Burial Association, Noblesville 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: June 2023 

The Roberts Chapel Church and Burial Association will host a panel of history scholars for a wide-ranging discussion about Free People of Color (FPOC) who came to Indiana during the early pioneer period (1820–1849) and established communities like Roberts Settlement in Hamilton County and other places in the state. Topics will include the Virginia and North Carolina beginnings, migration, settlement in Indiana, and the legacy and footprints left by the descendants of these early pioneers. This program is part of the 2023 Hamilton County bicentennial celebrations. 

Humanities Fest 2023: Bridges 

Calumet College St. Joseph, Whiting 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: March 2023 

Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) hosted “Humanities Fest 2023: Bridges,” this year’s entry in an annual series of festivals, begun in 2011, that has promoted the relevance of the humanities to the lives of CCSJ’s students and community members. At a moment when the politics and popular culture of the United States seem more divided than ever, CCSJ’s annual Humanities Fest explored how the metaphor of the bridge illuminates what brings us together but also what keeps us apart. The 2023 festival featured fifteen events over four days in March, with eight presentations, including a keynote by a prominent scholar and sessions hosted by faculty, that were open to the public and broadcast via livestream. 

The Thrill of Victory: America’s History Revealed through Baseball 

Friends of the Frankfort Public Library, Frankfort 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: May 2023 

The Friends of the Frankfort Public Library will host “The Thrill of Victory: America’s History Revealed through Baseball,” a series of programs celebrating the heritage and traditions of our national pastime. Activities will include author talks (exploring the history of the Indianapolis Indians minor-league team and the biography of Lou Gehrig); a presentation of baseball artifacts in the Indiana State Museum; and an exhibition featuring collections from the National Archives, the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana State Museum.  

Nikki Returns: Poetry and Conversation with Nikki Giovanni 

Trustees of Indiana University/Indiana University Kokomo, Kokomo 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: March 2023 

Indiana University Kokomo (IUK) welcomed author, poet and seven-time NAACP Image Award winner Nikki Giovanni to campus for a conversation and book signing. Giovanni read from her literary works, discussed her lifetime achievements and challenges, and provided inspiration in a free public presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. During her time on campus, Giovanni also presented a masterclass for IUK students, other invited local students and IUK’s English and Language Studies faculty. 

1876 Centennial Quilt Project 

Quilters Hall of Fame, Marion 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: May–July 2023 

The Quilters Hall of Fame will offer educational programming around what is known as the  
E. M. C. quilt, a uniquely constructed quilt that an unknown person created in the 1870s in honor of the United States centennial. The Hall of Fame will display the quilt along with contemporary versions made from a pattern developed by master quilter Anne Dawson. Dawson will curate the exhibition and present a talk about the E. M. C. quilt’s background, legacy and impact on today’s quilters, while Grant County historian Bill Munn will add historical context. 

Walkable USA: Full Version 

Center for Independent Documentary, Boston 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: December 2023 

In 2020, the Center for Independent Documentary produced Walkable USA, a short documentary about the efforts to reinvigorate historic downtown Hammond, Indiana, through walkable urban design and historic preservation. This Action Grant will allow the Center to expand the content into a 56-minute version that it will screen at public events in Hammond as well as broadcast on Lakeshore Public Media. 

Hidden: 42nd Annual Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Conference 

Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee, Lafayette 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: April 2023 

The Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Committee hosted its annual Greater Lafayette Holocaust Remembrance Conference. Grant funds supported two events: a Zoom presentation and live Q&A with Dr. Rebekah Klein-Pejŝová and Holocaust survivor Dr. Ilana Blum, and an opening reception at the West Lafayette Public Library for a photography exhibition called Stars without a Heaven: Children in the Holocaust. The exhibition, produced by Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the Holocaust, will be on display for six weeks and then tour on loan. 

Getting from Here to There Teacher Workshop 

Indiana’s Historic Pathways, New Albany 

Awarded: $1,278 

Program Date: October 2023 

Indiana’s Historic Pathways, a National Scenic Byway focused on Indiana history, will hold the ninth installment of a teacher workshop called “Getting from Here to There” in Paoli, Indiana. The workshop will introduce elements of southern Indiana history centered on the Buffalo Trace, a historical path carved by bison and used by Native Americans and early settlers. Attendees will learn about history topics through scholarly lectures, lesson plans and a teacher panel about innovative classroom learning ideas. 

iEngage Indiana Civics Institute: A Civics Summer Camp for Rising 5th- to 9th-Grade Youth 

Trustees of Indiana University/Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, Columbus 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: June 2023 

Indiana University Purdue University Columbus will host iEngage Indiana, a free five-day civics day camp that provides youth with an opportunity to learn how to make a difference in their school, neighborhood and community. iEngage will focus on developing young people’s civic and political competence and strengthening their community and political engagement through inquiry-based civics projects in which they research and act upon local community issues. 

Dunes Lit Fest 

Valparaiso University, Valparaiso 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: May 2023 

Valparaiso University, in partnership with the Porter County Public Library, will host the Dunes Lit Fest, a regional festival that celebrates reading, writing, authors and readers, as well as the power of books, ideas and imagination. The festival will promote and celebrate literature through visits by well-known and local authors/illustrators and will bring awareness to literacy resources in the community. 

Historic Preservation Education Grants 

Preserving Historic Places: Muncie Walking Tour 

Ball State University, Muncie 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: September 2023 

In conjunction with the Preserving Historic Places Conference, which takes place in Muncie in September 2023, public-history students at Ball State University will develop a walking tour of downtown Muncie. The tour will highlight the architectural and historical significance of 23 buildings. Project directors will make the tour available to conference attendees and provide digital files to the public library and historical society for further dissemination.  

Delaware Street Walking Tour Brochure Reprint 

Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: April 2023 

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site used grant funds to reprint its “Historic Walking Tour of Delaware Street” brochure, which tells the stories of the buildings that still stand—and used to stand—on Indianapolis’s Delaware Street between 12th and 16th Streets. The four-color brochure is available for free at the presidential site and other locations throughout Indianapolis’s Old Northside neighborhood. 

Metamora Historic Walking Tour 

Franklin County Community Foundation, Brookville 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: February 2024 

The Franklin County Community Foundation will produce a brochure that maps a walking tour through historic Metamora, Indiana, and provides historical and anecdotal information on approximately 30 historic buildings. The tour will also share information via YouTube videos accessed using QR codes. 

2023 Quality of Place Conference 

Richmond Columbian Properties, Richmond 

Awarded: $2,050 

Program Date: May 2023 

Richmond Columbian Properties will host a Quality of Place Conference to present to the public information on how to organize a neighborhood Community Development Corporation (CDC) and a community Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Speakers will explore the importance of CDCs and HPCs, why preservation is a viable development tool and how neighborhoods can influence development in a way that preserves architectural heritage. 

TradeWorks Field School 

South Bend TradeWorks, South Bend 

Awarded: $3,000 

Program Date: June 2023 

TradeWorks Field School will provide regional high-school students with a one-week introduction to historic preservation–related traditional trades. Participants will learn about preservation trades and connect with employers looking to fill apprenticeships in preservation trades. 

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For more information about Indiana Humanities’ grants, contact George Hanlin, director of grants, at ghanlin@indianahumanities.org.