Indiana nonprofits receive over $23,000 in grants to develop humanities-based programs

Indiana Humanities has awarded grants of up to $2,000 each to 13 nonprofit organizations for projects that seek to engage the public in the humanities. The grant money will fund a variety of programs across the state, from South Bend to Madison. Funded projects include youth workshops, archaeological digs and Indiana Bicentennial celebrations of the state’s German heritage and the founding of Indiana state parks.

The Humanities Initiative Grant recipients are:

1860s Girls School ($1,400)

Historic Centerville, Inc., Centerville

A week of programs, July 18-22, 2016, at the Mansion House Museum will teach girls, ages 8-12, about life in the 1860s through hands-on activities appropriate to the period.

 A Conversation with Nanny Vonnegut ($1,980)

Indiana Medical History Museum, Indianapolis

This presentation is drawn from a memoir by Nanette Vonnegut’s grandmother, Riah Fagan Cox, which sheds light on life in Central State Hospital in the 1940s, mental illness and health care. The conversation will take place in September, 2016.

 Archaeology C.S.I., Cultural Scene Investigation ($1,290)

Friends of Angel Mounds, Inc., Evansville

Combining math, science and archaeology, this program will give 6th and 7th grade students the experience of working on an archaeological dig in this two-day exploration, May 12-13, 2016.

 Bicentennial Humanities at the Lanier Mansion ($1,998)

Lanier Mansion Foundation, Madison

The Lanier Mansion is planning a variety of events throughout September and November to accompany the 2016 Bicentennial Torch Relay, including first-person presentations of historical & literary characters and a writing workshop for students.

Connections North ($2,000)

Freetown Village, Inc., Indianapolis

A historical dramatization of a fugitive slave on the Underground Railroad will be presented by Freetown Village during the IndyFringe festival, May 6-7, 2016.

Future Presidents of America Youth Leadership Camp ($1,870)

Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis

This one-week summer program from June 27-July 1, 2016 will involve 20 students in a program centered on U.S. history and civic literacy at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.

Indiana’s Important Contribution to American Jazz ($2,000)

Elkhart Festivals, Inc., Elkhart

On June 22 and 23, 2016, Dr. John Hasse, Curator of American Music at the Smithsonian Institution, will offer workshops and lectures at Central High School on Indiana’s jazz history to students, ages 8-22.

People of the Grand Canyon ($2,000)

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis

Two guest speakers, Ed Kabotie & Stephen Hirsh, will help museum visitors learn about Native Americans of the Grand Canyon area, in conjunction with a major exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum on April 9, 2016.

Rev. M. Flournoy: Speaker LGBT Pride Celebration ($2,000)

Trustees of Indiana University, South Bend

The Rev. MacArthur Flournoy will visit the Civil Rights Heritage Center to present a lecture on the history of the LGBT movement and its relationship with the African American faith-based community in June, 2016.

Richard Lieber, Storyteller ($500)

Friends of the Limberlost State Historic Site, Geneva

A special Bicentennial program will focus on Richard Lieber, the founding of the state parks in 1916 and Lieber’s friendship with Gene Stratton-Porter in July.

Summer of Shakespeare ($2,000)

Community Theatre Guild, Inc., Valparaiso

Workshops for students ages 8-13 and 14-18 will precede the Chicago Street Theatre’s productions of The Tempest. Workshops will take place in June, 2016 and productions will take place in July, 2016. 

The Future is Now: Indiana Creative Writers Read ($1,997)

Franklin College, Franklin

Creative writers and scholars will explore the future of Indiana through readings and lectures offered to the Franklin community, taking place in September and November 2016 and in February 2017.

The German Voice in Indiana ($2,000)

Brick Street Poetry, Inc., Beech Grove

A bicentennial celebration of Indiana’s German heritage will be the aim of this project. Indiana and German poets and scholars will collaborate to produce historical research and original poetry for a fall 2016 debut.

Funding for Indiana Humanities grant programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Humanities Initiative Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that sponsor public humanities programs such as town hall meetings, panels, workshops, lectures, reading and discussion programs, and production of humanities resources. The next grant application deadline is Aug. 1.

Find more information at IndianaHumanities.org/grants contact Nancy Conner (nconner@indianahumanities.org or 317-616-9784).