Wisconsin Humanities Council

THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL AWARDS GRANTS TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS IN LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, UNIVERSITIES, HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, SCHOOLS, AND OTHER NONPROFIT SETTINGS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL ALSO CREATES PROGRAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND PUBLICATIONS TO FULFILL ITS MISSION. THESE PROGRAMS INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY POWERED PROJECT AND A PERIODIC PUBLICATION CALLED "ON."

GRANT PROGRAM - THE WHC'S GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC HUMANITIES PROGRAMS THAT STRENGTHENS OUR DEMOCRACY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS THAT BUILD CONNECTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AND BELIEFS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. GRANTS ARE OFFERED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO SUPPORT LOCALLY INITIATED PUBLIC HUMANITIES PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE REFLECTION, DIALOGUE, AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION.FOR THIS TAX YEAR, 35 NEW GRANTS WERE AWARDED. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 250 GRANT RELATED EVENTS FUNDED, WITH A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 57,000 PEOPLE THIS PAST YEAR. IN ADDITION, WITH FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES AS PART OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021, THE WHC PROVIDED GRANT FUNDING TO NONPROFIT HUMANITIES AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE HUMANITIES PROGRAMMING AS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THEIR MISSION, TO HELP THEM "PREVENT, PREPARE FOR, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER" FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. A TOTAL OF 47 GRANTS WERE AWARDED IN TAX YEAR 2021 AND SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICANTS HAD RECEIVED $312,354 IN GRANT FUNDS BY THE END OF THE TAX YEAR.

COMMUNITY POWERED PROJECT PROGRAM- THE COMMUNITY POWERED PROGRAM LAUNCHED AS A PILOT IN FALL OF 2021, BUILDS RESILIENCE AMONG WISCONSIN COMMUNITIES BY HELPING THEM RECOGNIZE, COMMUNICATE, AND ACT UPON THEIR STRENGTHS, CHALLENGES, AND HISTORIES TO ENVISION A VIBRANT FUTURE. RESIDENTS OF 4 PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES WILL EXPERIENCE NEW WAYS TO UNEARTH AND TELL STORIES OF THEIR COMMUNITIES AND WILL TAKE CONCRETE STEPS TOWARD MAKING THEIR HOMETOWNS EVEN BETTER PLACES TO LIVE. INITIAL PROGRAMMING INCLUDED HIRING AND TRAINING OF FOUR RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES AND PAIRING THEM WITH LOCAL LIBRARIANS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE HOMETOWN COMMUNITIES OF APPLETON, RACINE, SPOONER, AND THE FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI TRIBAL COMMUNITY. WITH THE LIBRARY SERVING AS THE ANCHOR ORGANIZATION, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR LIBRARIAN PARTNERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN HUMANITIES AND DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS AND WILL BE SUPPORTED AS THEY COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESSES, AND CITIZENS TO CREATE LOCALLY MEANINGFUL PROJECTS. AT THE END OF THIS TAX YEAR, 18 HISTORY HARVEST, INTERVIEWING AND OTHER ASSET-MAPPING EVENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE, WITH A TOTAL OF 475 PEOPLE PARTICIPATING. MAJOR PROGRAMMING WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE SPRING OF 2023.

LOVE WISCONSIN PROJECT - THE LOVE WISCONSIN PROJECT "CELEBRATES OUR STATE, OUR LIVES AND OUR SHARED FUTURE" VIA A DIGITAL STORYTELLING PROJECT FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON FACEBOOK, USING THE FACEBOOK GROUPS PLATFORM. THIS PLATFORM HAS CREATED AN ONLINE COMMUNITY THAT STRIVES TO BRING ABOUT A MORE CONNECTED, COMPASSIONATE, AND ENGAGED WISCONSIN. THIS PAST YEAR, 47 STORIES HAVE BEEN SHARED, ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF INSTAGRAM POSTS AND TIKTOK VIDEOS PRODUCED, AND OVER 640,000 PEOPLE REACHED, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS DIGITAL CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING THOUSANDS OF PARTICIPANTS.