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Grants

Past Grants Awarded

Did your organization receive a relief grant from Mass Humanities? Click on the buttons below for relief grant recipient lists.

Explore the Mass Humanities funded projects awarded from 2000 to the present.  Browse by grant type, city, region or keyword.  Subscribe to our newsletter and receive news when grants are awarded.  

 
 
Research Inventory Grant
Gloucester, MA, Essex County

Squam: An Intimate HistoryAnnisquam Historical Societymore

Funding to inventory, photograph, and index 39 family albums and scrapbooks made by village residents from pre- civil war time on. Selected albums will be featured in an upcoming exhibit about what life was like for families in the village during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Annisquam Historical Society
Gloucester, MA, Essex County

project director: Mary Ellen Lepionka
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $1,500
Project: Media Grant
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

The Philadelphia ElevenDocumentary Educational Resourcesmore

Funding to conduct and film interviews and to perform archival research for the documentary film, "The Philadelphia Eleven," about the women who were ordained as priests in 1974 as an act of civil disobedience within the Episcopal Church.

Documentary Educational Resources
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Margo Guernsey
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $10,000

Planning and implementation of a one-day symposium on the effects of federal and state urban renewal programs on Lawrence and other industrial cities.

Lawrence History Center / Immigrant City Archives
Lawrence, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

project director: Susan Grabski
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
New York, NY, New York County

Olde Colraine: A Musical Hilltown HistoryFractured Atlasmore

Performer Jonathan Mirin's expansion and development of a new version of "Mill, Mountain, River: A Child's Eye View of Older Colraine," a local history theatre piece adapted to different communities which share Coleraine's mill history and to be performed at the SYRUP Festival in Shelburne Falls.

Fractured Atlas
New York, NY, New York County

project director: Jonathan Mirin
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $4,500
Project: Media Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

CopingEmerson Collegemore

Initial filming, research, and the creation of a project website and plan for a documentary that follows prisoners as they work with programs intended to help them establish a foothold in society after being released from incarceration.

Emerson College
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Robert Nesson
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $10,000
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

History Theater at the Old State House: Blood on the SnowBostonian Societymore

Educational programming in conjunction with the production of "History Theater at the Old State House: Blood on the Snow," a collaborative theatre project with educational components surrounding the aftermath of the Boston Massacre.

Bostonian Society
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Nathaniel G. Sheidley
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $10,000
Project: Social Media Outreach Grant
New York, NY, New York County

GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War IICityLoremore

Design and building of an interactive educational website in order to publicize and foster discussion around the feature-length documentary film "GI JEWS: Jewish Americans in WWII."

CityLore
New York, NY, New York County

project director: Lisa Ades
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $10,000
Project Grant
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

New Rep Spotlight Symposium SeriesNew Repertory Theatremore

A symposium series in conjunction with theatrical productions that explore the connections between religion, science, and identity.

New Repertory Theatre
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Adrienne Boris
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $5,000

Support for the Family Festival & 15th Annual International Film Series, featuring international film and documentary premiers and focusing on international cultural understanding.

Belmont World Film
Sudbury, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)

project director: Ellen Gitelman
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

Spirit Voices: Pacific Northwest Native MythsBerkshire Museummore

A five-month exhibition that explores and dramatizes the cultural heritage of various Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest through myths and stories embodied in art, artifacts, and performances.

Berkshire Museum
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

project director: Maria Mingalone
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $4,680
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Boston's Colonial Religious History Tour AppCongregational Library and Archivesmore

Development of a walking tour mobile application explores Boston's early religious history, with a particular focus on the decision-making practices and contentious issues that characterized life in seventeenth-century Boston.

Congregational Library and Archives
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Carolyn Hewitt
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $7,000

A program for 36 students in the school's Advanced Digital Photography program to create a town-wide large-scale photo installation of the historic places, people, and culture of the town.

Somerset Berkley Regional High School
Somerset, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)

project director: Virginia Troutman
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $5,000
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Somerville, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

Long Road to Justice: The African American Experience in the Massachusetts CourtsGeorge Lewis Ruffin Societymore

Expansion and updating of the exhibit Long Road to Justice: The African American Experience in the Massachusetts Courts, a chronicle of the legal struggle for civil rights of African Americans in Massachusetts.

George Lewis Ruffin Society
Somerville, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Julian Houston
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $10,000
Project Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Boston Live Theater ProjectThe Boston Live Theater Projectmore

A program to introduce 36 high school juniors and seniors from nine public charter schools to live theater through six live shows and post-performance discussions.

The Boston Live Theater Project
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Eleanor Devens
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $5,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Foxborough, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)

Pre-Teen Reading ProgramFoxborough Regional Charter Schoolmore

A reading and discussion program for pre-teens and their caregivers, particularly focused on participation by male caregivers.

Foxborough Regional Charter School
Foxborough, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)

project director: Karen Harris
awarded on: 2015-12-11
amount: $4,047

Production of an 80-minute documentary featuring footage from more than 50 oral-history interviews of elderly Lenox residents to mark the town's 250th anniversary.

Lenox Library Association
Lenox, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

project director: Judy Seaman
awarded on: 2015-06-20
amount: $3,542
Reading Frederick Douglass Together Grant
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

5th Annual Reading Frederick Douglass at High Rock Tower ParkNew Lynn Coalitionmore

Support for a public reading of Frederick Douglass' famous Fourth of July oratory as part of the Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass program.

New Lynn Coalition
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

project director: Wendy Joseph
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $500
Project: Media Grant
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

Techung: Bone of the Heart documentary filmDocumentary Educational Resourcesmore

Preproduction work on a documentary covering the role of music in the maintaining of cultural identity among Tibetan exiles.

Documentary Educational Resources
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Marilyn D. Pennell
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $9,310
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Holyoke, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

Nuestras Abuelas - Our GrandmothersWistariahurst Museum Association, Incmore

A bilingual exhibit on Latino heritage created in consultation with Holyoke residents and focused on the relationships of the subjects with their grandmothers.

Wistariahurst Museum Association, Inc
Holyoke, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

project director: Penni Martorell
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $6,200
Project Grant
Shelburne Falls, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

Hilltowns History Conference and Fair - Hooked on HistoryMary Lyon Foundation, Inc.more

A local history day at Mohawk Trail Regional High School uniting teachers, students, and the public with local history organizations.

Mary Lyon Foundation, Inc.
Shelburne Falls, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: Sheila Damkoehler
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Research Inventory Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Harry H. Dow Legal Case FilesChinese Historical Society of New Englandmore

Inventory, translation, and assessment of client files from the Harry H. Dow papers archived at the Suffolk Law School Library.

Chinese Historical Society of New England
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Susan Chinsen
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $1,500
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Domestic Workers and Employers: Exploring the Realities of Work, Family, Care and CommunityMataHari: Eye of the Daymore

A multimedia oral history project with workers and employers about the MA Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, including two public events.

MataHari: Eye of the Day
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Moniqe Nguyen
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $10,000
Project Grant
Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

2015 Speaker SeriesSpringfield Public Forummore

Support for the 80th season of the speaker series, consisting of five free public lectures.

Springfield Public Forum
Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

project director: Michelle Morash
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Project: Media Grant
Wellesley, MA, Norfolk County (Metrowest Boston)

VIETNAM: Not the War - The Post WarIndochina Arts Partnershipmore

Creation of a trailer, script, and fundraising plan for a one-hour documentary film by Bestor Cram about the post-war realities in Vietnam and American veterans' ongoing involvement there.

Indochina Arts Partnership
Wellesley, MA, Norfolk County (Metrowest Boston)

project director: C. David Thomas
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $10,000

A four-day themed film festival on intergenerational immigrant experiences.

Asian American Resource Workshop
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Susan Chinsen
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
South Hadley, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New WorldSilverthorne Theater Company Inc.more

Production of a play by Yussef El Guindi, post-performance talks with the playwright, and a free, public symposium on the role of the arts in challenging stereotypes.

Silverthorne Theater Company Inc.
South Hadley, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

project director: J. Lucinda Kidder
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $2,900
Project: Media Grant
Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

The Portuguese KitchenWGBY TV 57more

Creation of a five-to-twelve minute pilot video about Portuguese cuisine and its history hosted by Manny Lopes of "Cooking with Dad TV."

WGBY TV 57
Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

project director: Harold Wolfe
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Driving to the American Dream: Citizenship at the WheelWilliam Monroe Trotter Center for Black Culture and Historymore

A reading, discussion, and performance program for Boston cab drivers based on Dmitry Samarov's Where To?

William Monroe Trotter Center for Black Culture and History
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Barbara Lewis
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $9,848
Project Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Stem to Stern: Building CONSTITUTIONUSS Constitution Museummore

A short film featuring an animation of the 1790s building of the USS Constitution, to be shown while Old Ironsides is in dry dock and can be seen in her entirety.

USS Constitution Museum
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Robert Kiihne
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000

A community art and discussion project that will engage former chair manufacturing workers in producing 400 copies of eleven oral histories recorded in 2009, after the closing of the city's last chair manufacturer.

The Gardner Museum, Inc.
Gardner, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Tracie Pouliot
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $4,000
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

Lowell's Irish Problem: The Town Vote to Establish a School for the IrishTsongas Industrial History Centermore

Production of a 3-minute film that is to provide background for Tsongas Center interactive civic activity that focuses on immigration.

Tsongas Industrial History Center
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

project director: Kristin Gallas
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Salem, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

Exploring Effective Interpretation of Northern Slavery and its LegaciesEssex National Heritage Commissionmore

A one-day symposium familiarizing regional historic and cultural resource organizations with the history and legacy of slavery in the north and helping them develop programming and materials.

Essex National Heritage Commission
Salem, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

project director: Beth Beringer
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $4,630
Project Grant
Oak Bluffs, MA, Dukes County (Cape & Islands)

1854...a folk operaU.S. Slave Song Projectmore

Writing of the libretto of a "folk opera" about the mid-nineteenth-century African American experience on Martha's Vineyard.

U.S. Slave Song Project
Oak Bluffs, MA, Dukes County (Cape & Islands)

project director: Jack Schimmelman
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

earth.sky mobile exhibitionMount Auburn Cemeterymore

Creation of two short films by Roberto Mighty featuring historical figures, their monuments, and the cemetery landscape, to be included in a series of twenty shorts that will be the basis of a walking tour mobile app.

Mount Auburn Cemetery
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Bree Harvey
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $5,000

Research and fabrication of six historical plaques, to be awarded to property owners for their efforts in maintaining the historical integrity and condition of their property.

The Preservation Society of Fall River
Fall River, MA, Bristol County

project director: Jim Soule
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $2,500
Project: Media Grant
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)

DAWNLAND short filmsCenter For Independent Documentarymore

Short-film social media efforts to support the creation and distribution of the full-length documentary film DAWNLAND, about the Maine Wabanaki-State Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission.

Center For Independent Documentary
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)

project director: Adam Mazo
awarded on: 2015-06-19
amount: $10,000

Development of an educational website about the history of the commercial fishing industry in New Bedford, providing online access to oral histories and other materials gathered by the Working Waterfront Festival.

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Inc.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)

project director: Laura Orleans
awarded on: 2015-06-16
amount: $5,000
Reading Frederick Douglass Together Grant
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)

Frederick Douglass Communal ReadingWorcester Roots Projectmore

Support for a public reading of Frederick Douglass' famous Fourth of July oratory as part of the Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass program.

Worcester Roots Project
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Cedric Arno
awarded on: 2015-06-03
amount: $500
Reading Frederick Douglass Together Grant
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)

Many Languages, One Collective Voice: We Read Frederick Douglass as One CommunityCity of Brocktonmore

Support for a public reading of Frederick Douglass' famous Fourth of July oratory as part of the Mass Humanities Reading Frederick Douglass program.

City of Brockton
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)

project director: Lynn Smith
awarded on: 2015-05-19
amount: $500
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Pirates, Shipwrecks and Ghosts of Boston HarborSave the Harbor/Save the Baymore

Training of the summer program staff to engage new audiences in humanities storytelling about Boston Harbor and its historical denizens.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Bruce Berman
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000

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