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Storytelling grants offer $2,000 to support events where people can tell their stories, learn from each other, and share new narratives about the Commonwealth.
#MH50: A Year of Storytelling – Event Sponsorship grants offer $2,000 for free public storytelling or story-sharing events in six cities across Massachusetts:
Mass Humanities will award approximately 3 sponsorships in each city.
Eligible events will highlight voices and experiences of Massachusetts residents, with an emphasis on communities that have gone unrecognized, or have been excluded from public conversation.
Applicants and events must be based in one (or more) of the following cities: Pittsfield, Holyoke, Worcester, Lawrence, Brockton, and Roxbury-Dorchester.
Events must:
Applicants must: be a 501(c)(3) non-profit, fiscally sponsored project or individual, public library, or state or federally recognized tribe. Based in eligible cities.
See the Grant Guidelines document linked above for more information on eligibility.
March 11, 2024: Applications open
April 19, 2024: Applications due
May 24, 2024: Awards announced
Approximately 15-18.
new perspectives while connecting with others in your community.
experiences and stories about life in the Commonwealth.
new ideas about the importance of storytelling.
free public events such as story circles; sharing creative non-fiction, memoir, or poetry; personal story sharing for a group or audience; storytelling performances on stage; or other forms of creative expression that share personal narratives about life in the Commonwealth.
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.
Mass Humanities hosts periodic webinars and workshops to support you and set the stage for a successful funded project.
Mass Humanities
66 Bridge Street,
Northampton, MA 01060
Mass Humanities
66 Bridge Street,
Northampton, MA 01060