Missouri Humanities Council

TO ENRICH LIVES AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES BY CONNECTING MISSOURIANS WITH THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND IDEAS THAT SHAPE OUR SOCIETY.

MISSOURI HUMANITIES (MH) OFFERED 195 PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN 2021, ENGAGING OVER 155,000 MISSOURIAN STATEWIDE. GRANTS: IN FY21, MH AWARDED $988,937 IN SUBAWARDS STATEWIDE, SUPPORTING SEVERAL MISSOURI NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. OF THIS AMOUNT, $135,741 WAS ADMINISTERED IN THE COUNCIL'S TRADITIONAL MINI AND MAJOR GRANTS PROGRAM. PROJECTS FUNDED BY THESE AWARDS REACHED 74,214 PARTICIPANTS. THE COUNCIL ALSO ADMINISTERED $853,196 IN SUBAWARDS VIA THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, ALSO SUPPORTING SEVERAL MISSOURI NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. THE PARTICIPANT IMPACT OF THESE AWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FY22. COMMUNITY: IN FY21, MH CONTINUED TO CREATE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL SPACES FOR MISSOURIANS TO DISCUSS CURRENT SOCIAL ISSUES. OUR WHY IT MATTERS INITIATIVE HOSTED PROGRAMS ADDRESSING POLARIZATION AND THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY WITH VIRTUAL AUDIENCES IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. EVENTS INCLUDED A Q&A WITH ROBERT D. PUTNAM AND SHAYLYN ROMNEY GARRETT, AUTHORS OF THE UPSWING. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KCUR, WE DEBUTED THE HUNGRY FOR MO PODCAST, CELEBRATING HOW LOCAL CUISINE CONNECTS US AS A COMMUNITY AND SHAPES OUR REGION'S IDENTITY. 1,528 MISSOURIANS PARTICIPATED IN OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, AND PROGRAM RECORDING HAVE REACHED OVER 103,000 VIEWS POST-EVENT.FAMILY: OUR FAMILY PROGRAMS SUPPORT EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT BY PROVIDING FREE PUBLIC EVENTS THAT EMPOWER PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TO READ TO THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN. PROGRAMS OUR READ FROM THE START PROGRAM EMPOWER PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS TO READ TO THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN REGULARLY- HELPING THEM FORM EARLY HABITS THAT FOSTER A LIFELONG LOVE OF READING. IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ALL FY21 RFTS PROGRAMS WERE HELD VIRTUALLY.VETERANS: IN FY21, MH PRESENTED 4 VETERANS WRITING PROGRAMS, PUBLISHED VOLUME 9 OF PROUD TO BE: WRITING BY AMERICAN WARRIOR, AND RELEASED A NEW PODCAST. IN TOTAL, WE REACHED 293 VETERANS, CIVILIANS, AND MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS IN AND OUTSIDE OF MISSOURI PROVIDING AN OUTLET FOR SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH WRITING WORKSHOPS AND LIVE OR RECORDED READINGS. EDUCATION: WE PROVIDED 78 EDUCATION PROGRAMS THAT SAW 3,025 PARTICIPANTS STATEWIDE. THE SHOW-ME MISSOURI SPEAKERS BUREAU HOSTED 66 EVENTS IN 28 MISSOURI COUNTIES, WITH A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF 1,800. THE 4TH ANNUAL HUMANITIES SPRING SYMPOSIUM CONVENED STUDENTS, SCHOLARS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO EXAMINE THE FUTURE OF WORK IN THE FACE OF COVID-19 AND RAPID AUTOMATION. WE HELD OUR SUMMER TEACHERS ACADEMY VIRTUALLY OVER THREE DAYS, PRESENTING 13 SESSIONS INVESTIGATING THE THEME OF CONTESTED ELECTIONS, ELECTORAL CALAMITIES, AND CONTROVERSIAL TRANSITIONS IN PRESIDENTIAL POWER WITH HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT TEACHERS THROUGHOUT MISSOURI. IN OUR MO HUMANITIES OUTDOORS PROGRAMS, WE CONTINUED TO EXPLORE MISSOURI'S NATURAL LANDSCAPE, PRESENTING EVENTS SUCH AS GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY OF MISSOURI'S ORIGINAL PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE AND FOREST AND FARMS.THE 2021 ANNUAL MOMENTUM GALA FEATURED LILLIAN CUNINGHAM, WASHINGTON POST JOURNALIST AND CREATOR AND HOST OF THE POST'S CONSTITUTIONAL PODCAST. MS. CUNNINGHAM AND GUESTS EXPLORED THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND "THE PEOPLE WHO FRAMED AND REFRAMED IT REVOLUTIONARIES, ABOLITIONISTS, SUFFRAGISTS, TEETOTALERS, PROTESTERS, JUSTICES, PRESIDENTS IN THE ONGOING STRUGGLE TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION ACROSS A VAST AND DIVERSE LAND" IN HER KEYNOTE REMARKS. HERITAGE: MH CONTINUED TO OFFER VIRTUAL PROGRAMS ON VARIOUS TOPICS AIMED AT PROMOTING HERITAGE TOURISM, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES, AND HIGHLIGHTING STORIES THAT HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS STATE'S HISTORY AND OUR PLACE WITHIN IT. THIS YEAR, WE DEBUTED THE SMALL TOWN SHOWCASE PROGRAM, OFFERED VIRTUAL CULTURAL HERITAGE WORKSHOPS, RELEASED THE EXPLORE MISSOURI'S GERMAN HERITAGE PODCAST, HOSTED THE 8TH ANNUAL U.S. GRANT SYMPOSIUM, AND CONTINUED PROGRAMS SHARING NATIVE STORIES REACHING OVER 12,000 PEOPLE.DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SOME REGULAR EVENTS WERE CANCELLED, AND OTHERS WERE MOVED TO A VIRTUAL PLATFORM.