Expand Massachusetts Stories: Promises of the Revolution

This grant offers up to $20,000 for projects that collect, interpret and/or share narratives about the commonwealth, with an emphasis on the voices and experiences that have gone unrecognized, or have been excluded from public conversation. This year, our theme focuses on legacies of the American Revolution.

Application materials

Letter of Inquiry Opens
March 10, 2025
Letter of Inquiry Deadline
June 9, 2025

As we prepare for the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we invite you to explore how people, past and present, responded to the promises of the American Revolution. Applicants are encouraged to shine a light on untold histories and make space for new stories.

“Promises of the Revolution” is intended to add context and insight to the history of the American Revolution and the core promises made by the Declaration of Independence: equality for all; the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and the belief that the power of any government rests on the consent of the people.

Grant DETAILS

Applicant organizations must:

  • Be a 501(c)(3), non-profit, fiscally-sponsored association or filmmaker (see below), state or federally recognized tribe, or non-federal government organization.
  • Serve Massachusetts residents.
  • Be in compliance with state and federal regulations which bar discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, or sexual orientation, and which require accessibility for persons with disabilities.

See the Grant Guidelines document linked above for more information on eligibility.

The Advancing Equity Cohort offers an early guarantee of funding, and 1-on-1 project development support, for a select group of up to 15 applicants who demonstrate interest and need. Applicants will describe their interest in the cohort in the LOI. Mass Humanities will consider organization size, staffing, development capacity, community served in considering selection, and potential to benefit, when selecting applicants into the cohort.

  • March 10, 2025–Letter of Inquiry window opens
  • June 9, 2025–Letter of Inquiry deadline
  • July 7, 2025-Applicants notified of LOI status; Application window opens
  • September 2, 2025-Full proposal deadline
  • October 31, 2025-Awards made and applicants notified
  • November 1, 2025-Grant period begins
  • Re-examinations of well-known stories of the American Revolution from new perspectives.
  • Oral histories by immigrant communities seeking freedom from oppression or living through revolutionary change in their home countries.
  • Programs exploring independence movements inspired by, or responding to, American Independence.
  • Exhibits or programs sharing stories of Indigenous self-determination and cultural reclamation.
  • Facilitated discussions about what the anniversary of the American Revolution means to a community, using texts from the revolutionary era and today, focused on untold stories or previously excluded communities.
  • Community-based exhibits focused on the meaning of freedom for Massachusetts communities.
  • Short documentary film (15-30 minutes) exploring how artists or musicians have inspired, or responded to, movements for equal rights.
  • K-12 curricula exploring under-recognized communities’ roles in the American Revolution through their work, labor, and material culture.

creating lowell's first latinx archive

Description

wITH this
GRANT, you can...

participate

in vital conversations about making a free and equitable society in the commonwealth.

QUESTION

the status quo and shed light on untold histories of individuals and communities.

Spark

new ideas about the importance of storytelling and connect with your neighbors about current issues.

CREATE

exhibits, oral histories, teaching materials, documentary films, community programs, and more.

Where it
all began

Inspired by a visit to a correctional facility in 1995, writer Earl Shorris started a course with faculty of fellow scholars at the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center in the city’s Lower East Side neighborhood. Graduates of that first course went on to become dentists, nurses, fashion designers, and drug counselors with two participants later earning their PhDs. Since 1996, over 10,000 students have benefited from the Clemente Course in the Humanities. Classes continue to take place across the U.S., and around the world.

In 1999, we brought the Clemente Course to Massachusetts to give everyone, regardless of race, income and educational background, the opportunity to enrich their lives through the humanities. Overcoming formidable obstacles such as economic instability, health challenges, family responsibilities and disability, we have seen over 750 Massachusetts residents graduate from the program.

past grantees

Learn about past projects completed by grantees.

grant webinars
& workshops

Mass Humanities hosts periodic webinars and workshops to support you and set the stage for a successful funded project. 

Al and Sally Griggs
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, through the Federation of State Humanities Councils
The Beveridge Family Foundation, Inc.
F. Roscoe and Vila B. Webber 1985 Charitable Trust
Marcia Butzel Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Paul and Edith Babson Foundation
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Wells Fargo Foundation

Let’s do more good
work together

The work we do wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of donors like you. Make a donation today and help build a better Massachusetts.

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connected

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Grant Program
  • READING FREDERICK DOUGLASS TOGETHER
  • 2020 SUPPORT GRANTS
  • BRIDGE STREET SPONSORSHIPS
  • DIGITAL CAPACITY GRANTS
  • DISCUSSION
  • EXPAND MASSACHUSETTS STORIES
  • RESEARCH INVENTORY GRANT
  • MAJOR
  • MASS HUMANITIES CARES ACT
  • MASS HUMANITIES SHARP GRANTS
  • MINI
  • MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET (MOMS) CROSSROADS
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  • PUBLIC SQUARED
  • RESOURCE CENTER
  • SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE
  • STAFFING RECOVERY
  • STAFFING THE HUMANITIES
  • STAFFING THE HUMANITIES - YEAR 2
Amount
  • < $2,000
  • $2,000 - $7,500
  • $7,500 - $20,000
  • > $20,000