U.P. Agencies Receive Grant Money

LANSING— After reviewing an astounding 51 applications – 31 more than the previous grant cycle – the Michigan Humanities Council will award $350,850 in major grant monies to 30 Michigan nonprofits.

“We received an extraordinary number of very exciting, high-quality grant applications this spring and the Michigan Humanities Council has made the very bold decision to fund double the number of grants we usually fund this time of year as a result. This is more than double the amount of grant dollars we awarded in the fall cycle, but with such a large number of great projects on the table, we decided to get the funds out into the communities now when the need is so great,” said Council Board Chair Timothy Chester.

“On behalf of the Council board and staff, I want to congratulate those Michigan schools, communities and nonprofits that are really raising the bar in innovative programming to tell their local stories and elevate Michigan’s rich cultural heritage to a new level,” added Chester.

The grants will provide organizations with the funds needed to host cultural programming in their communities through exhibits, lectures, writing programs, festivals and more. Grantees are based in 16 of Michigan’s counties, and are listed below with their grant amount and project title.

Chippewa

Lake Superior State University – $2,930

Opening a Literary Dialogue in the Eastern Upper Peninsula

Houghton

Michigan Tech Archives – $14,500

Turning Point in History: The 1913 Copper Miners’ Strike

Marquette

Marquette Regional History Center – $3,714

From One World to Another: The History of the Canoe

The latest round of applications was partially submitted through the Council’s new online granting system. To ensure a complete transition to online granting and to provide ample time to update and realign grant criteria, the Council does not currently plan on offering a fall major grant cycle for 2012. However, please stay posted through the Council website as we explore new funding sources that would allow for additional grant opportunities in the fall of 2012.