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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.  

 
 

A convention of Native groups in Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod Islands, South Coast, and Amherst in roundtable discussions envisioning a new social contract between the Commonwealth and its Native peoples.

Institute for New England Native American Studies
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Cedric Woods
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000

A conversation between jazz legend Archie Shepp and students from Science and Technology of Springfield and Holyoke High Schools on how social and political current events impact the direction of contemporary music.

Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts
Holyoke, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)

project director: Stephen Burrell
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
Lawrence, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

Reel Talk Film SeriesLawrence Community Worksmore

A three-part moderated film-and-discussion program with underserved Lawrence youth.

Lawrence Community Works
Lawrence, MA, Essex County (Northeast)

project director: Jared Ravreby
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $4,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Provincetown, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

Provincetown Theater, Then and Now - Centennial Humanities ProgramProvincetown Theater Foundationmore

Multi-lingual playbill essays and study for local high schools and community college classes illuminating the relationship between the Provincetown Playhouse's famous founders and the Portuguese fishing community on the theater's 100th anniversary.

Provincetown Theater Foundation
Provincetown, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

project director: Margaret Van Sant
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Williamstown, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

Project eLEVateMCLA Foundationmore

Support for a summer youth program as part of the Biannual Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival, focused on African-American identity in the Berkshires as well as the history and question of civil rights.

MCLA Foundation
Williamstown, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

project director: Don Q. Kelley
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

Civic Awareness and Opportunities for Young Males of Color to Refine 21st Century SkillsFletcher Maynard Academymore

A program engaging 25 young black men from grades three through five in nominating the home of local hero Suzanne Revaleon Green for inclusion on the African American Heritage Trail in Cambridge.

Fletcher Maynard Academy
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Robin Harris
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Project Grant
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

Digging Northampton's History - A Community Archaeology ProjectHistoric Northamptonmore

An archaeological dig at the 1719 Parsons House, to which area third and fourth grade students and the public will be invited.

Historic Northampton
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

project director: Linda Ziegenbein
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Taunton, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)

A Most Commodius Store: N.H. Skinner and CompanyOld Colony Historical Societymore

Support for an exhibit to focus on the Skinner department store in downtown Taunton at the turn of the twentieth century as part of the Society's revitalized community engagement efforts.

Old Colony Historical Society
Taunton, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)

project director: Katie MacDonald
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Social Media Outreach Grant
Melrose, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

Touching Home in China: in search of missing girlhoodsFilmmakers Collaborativemore

Support for a social media campaign to launch a multimedia electronic book depicting the history of China's One-Child Policy and the experiences of two adopted Chinese-American girls who visited their place of birth.

Filmmakers Collaborative
Melrose, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

project director: Melissa Ludtke
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

Sharing Our Stories: Sharing Our LivesThe Literacy Projectmore

Memoir writing workshops for 75 adult basic education students in five western Massachusetts classrooms.

The Literacy Project
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: Judith Roberts
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $9,750
Project Grant
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

Mill Girls of Lowell Photovoice ProjectGirls Incorporated of Greater Lowellmore

Support for programs for girls 10 and older learning about the famous Lowell Mill Girls through history lessons, site visits, and walking-and-photography tours.

Girls Incorporated of Greater Lowell
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

project director: Jennifer Demers
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Negotiating Social Contract Grant
Athol, MA, Worcester County (Central)

Farm Values: Civic Agriculture at the CrossroadsMount Grace Land Conservation Trustmore

Support for the development of an educational and informational program focusing on the economic and civic history of local agriculture by telling the stories of 6 farms in 6 towns in the region served by the Trust.

Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Athol, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Jamie Pottern
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Making History on the CommonFriends Of Public Gardenmore

Support for the annual history day on Boston Common, in which more than 1,000 fifth grade students participate.

Friends Of Public Garden
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Elizabeth Vizza
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $8,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Great Barrington, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

South County StoriesMahaiwe Performing Arts Centermore

A gathering of local oral histories from members of multi-generational working families in the Berkshire County area and the subsequent creation and performance of four short plays based on their stories.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Great Barrington, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

project director: Beryl Jolly
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
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
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)

"Stride Toward Freedom" Together: Connecting Brockton's Diversity by Exploring Our Common GroundCity of Brocktonmore

A community conversation on historic approaches to social contract negotiation and achieving citizen rights and freedoms, and signage marking approaches to the subject by notable historical figures.

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

project director: Lynn Smith
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000

11th graders' dramatic reading of the voices of selected human rights leaders in a theatrical performance of "Voices From Beyond the Dark" by Ariel Dorfman.

Four Rivers Charter School
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: Susan Durkee
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $2,500
Project Grant
Charlemont, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

Immigration: Proud Past, Troubled PresentCharlemont Federated Churchmore

A series of summer lectures offered by scholars, legal experts, and city officials, with contributions from recent immigrants to the Commonwealth on the history of immigration in the United States.

Charlemont Federated Church
Charlemont, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: Susan S. Purdy
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Crisis, Community, & Civic Culture Grant
San Francisco, CA, San Francisco County

Community Bonds: Life Inside Immigration Detention in MassachusettsCommunity Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinementmore

Documentation of the stories of detained immigrants in six short audio/video pieces and to present those in four moderated community film-and-discussion programs.

Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement
San Francisco, CA, San Francisco County

project director: Christina Mansfield
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000
Project: Media Grant
Dennis Port, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare's ShipwreckCape Cod Community Media Centermore

Preproduction of "Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare's Shipwreck," a film project that will trace the life of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins as part of the Center's "Hit and Run History" series.

Cape Cod Community Media Center
Dennis Port, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

project director: Andrew G. Buckley
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000

Development of a trailer and a written treatment for a documentary about the security measure in American public schools of arming teachers.

Insight Productions
Marlboro, VT, Windham County

project director: Kate Way
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000

A one-day conference for staff members of New England's literary house museums, entitled Creative Spaces: The Preservation, Interpretation, and Future of Historic Literary Sites.

Emily Dickinson Museum
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

project director: Cindy Dickinson
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $4,695

An exhibition timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Boston's resistance to the British Stamp Act of 1765, as well as a summer teachers' institute for teachers in the Boston Public School district.

Norman B. Leventhal Map Center
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Michelle LeBlanc
awarded on: 2014-12-12
amount: $9,700
Project Grant
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

The Health of DemocracyCambridge Forummore

A series of six public conversations, entitled The Health of Democracy, that examine the proper role of government in promoting the general welfare of its citizens as well as shaping and overseeing the nation's social contract.

Cambridge Forum
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Patricia Suhrcke
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
Newton, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)

The Great War Theatre Company: Messengers of a Bitter TruthTC Squared Theatre Companymore

Performances of the play, "The Great War Theatre Company: Messengers of Bitter Truth," at Boston area high schools.

TC Squared Theatre Company
Newton, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)

project director: Susan Werbe
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $3,500
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

The Mr. g ProjectCentral Square Theatermore

Community humanities programming to complement the play, "Mr g," for underserved youth and young and working adults, including faith-based communities of color.

Central Square Theater
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Debra Wise
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $10,000

Development and implementation of an exhibit with programming focusing on Portuguese immigration to Lowell, beginning in the early twentieth century.

Saab-Pedroso Center for Portuguese Culture and Research
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)

project director: Frank Sousa
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $5,000
Discussion: Reading Grant
Barnstable, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

Shaking Two Nickels Together: A Literary Perspective on Impoverishment and Income InequalitySturgis Librarymore

Reading and discussion group centered around the theme of income inequality.

Sturgis Library
Barnstable, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)

project director: Antonia Stephens
awarded on: 2014-12-02
amount: $1,000
Research Inventory Grant
Charlestown, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

Appalachian Mountain Club Historical Photograph Digitization ProjectAppalachian Mountain Clubmore

Scanning and inventory 1,000 photographic prints of New Englanders enjoying the outdoors between 1930-1950.

Appalachian Mountain Club
Charlestown, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Rebecca Fullerton
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
Research Inventory Grant
Northborough, MA, Worcester County (Central)

Proctor Comb and Button Manufacturing InventoryNorthborough Historical Societymore

Inventory of 12 boxes of artifacts and records from the Proctor Comb and Button Manufacturing Company, a significant industry in the town from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s.

Northborough Historical Society
Northborough, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Ellen Racine
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
Research Inventory Grant
Westminster, MA, Worcester County (Central)

Gardner's Colony for the Insane: A Story to TellWestminster Historical Societymore

Inventory of negatives and photographs taken at Gardener's Colony for the Insane during the 1950s and 1960s and reproduce them in print for researchers and online for the public.

Westminster Historical Society
Westminster, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Elizabeth Hannula
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
Project Grant
Foxborough, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)

Family Reading ProgramFoxborough Regional Charter Schoolmore

A reading and discussion series for fathers and their five-to-nine year olds based on our Family Adventures in Reading program.

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

project director: Karen Harris
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $3,160

Research, design, and installation of Work + House, an exhibit focused on workers' housing in the city's industrial past that began with the paper and textile mills.

City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)

project director: Megan Whilden
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
Project: Engaging New Audiences Grant
Florence, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

Sojourner Truth's FlorenceCommittee for Northampton, Inc.more

Transportation of 75 Commonwealth Academy students to Sojourner Truth's Florence abolition and slavery walking tour, which will also be overhauled with streamlined, age-appropriate educational materials and online resources.

Committee for Northampton, Inc.
Florence, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)

project director: Terrence O'Toole
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $9,248
Project: Crisis, Community, & Civic Culture Grant
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)

Worcester Revolution 1774Worcester Historical Museummore

A county-wide reenactment of the events of September, 1774, when the local British government was overthrown by weaponless militiamen.

Worcester Historical Museum
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)

project director: Bill D. Wallace
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $10,000
Project: Crisis, Community, & Civic Culture Grant
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

The A.R.T of Human RightsAmerican Repertory Theatremore

An extensive collaborative program exploring art and human rights, to be held as interactive seminars, theatrical productions and public conversations at the Loeb Drama Center and participating schools and organizations.

American Repertory Theatre
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)

project director: Timothy P. McCarthy
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $10,000
Project Grant
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

The Golden DoorIn Good Companymore

Performances of a new musical play on the immigration history of Boston and honoraria for a humanities scholar and panelists for post-performance talk back in three communities.

In Good Company
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)

project director: Kay Dunlap
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $3,970

A summer school for budding archaeologists from underserved area high schools.

Sons and Daughters of Hawley, Inc.
Hawley, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: John F. Sears
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $4,334
Project Grant
Deerfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" in a new adaptation.Old Deerfield Productions, Inc.more

Production of two performances of an adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" with performances at Springfield Historical Museum and including an educational outreach component to include Springfield youth participants and play development workshops in Greenfield.

Old Deerfield Productions, Inc.
Deerfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)

project director: Linda McInerney
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
Project Grant
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)

Multi-Sensory Interpretation at Gore PlaceGore Placemore

Finalization of improvements to their accessibility measures for sight-impaired visitors, including experiential interpretation, and for a workshop sharing best practices learned from this project.

Gore Place
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)

project director: Thom Roach
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000

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