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.
Her Story Is: The Effects of War on Collaboration Between Iraqi and U.S. Women WritersFort Point Theatre Channelmore
A moderated discussion as part of the Her Story project.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Jennifer Jean
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,000
Half-Hulls in Hanover: Inventorying One Town's Shipbuilding PastHanover Historical Societymore
Support for the production of an annotated catalog of documents and artifacts related to the history of shipbuilding on the North River.
Hanover, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: John Galluzo
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
Environmental Challenges in the Berkshires SymposiumBarrington Stage Companymore
A free symposium in conjunction with a performance of "Fall Springs," a dark musical comedy about environmental disaster.
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Martin Mansfield
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
Encountering History Using Innovative and Disruptive NarrativesHawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archivesmore
A series of scholar-led discussions, accompanying a performance that tells the story of one of the first Native Hawai'ian missionaries to travel to New England.
Honolulu, HI, Honolulu County
project director: Neal Hitch
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
Class and Culture in the Gilded Age Berkshires: Through the Early Lens of James VanDerZee and Pen of W.E.B. Du Bois.City of Pittsfield Office of Cultural Developmentmore
A lecture and moderated discussion that is part of The Mastheads 2019 season.
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Tessa Kelly
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
Building Bridges at the Great Falls: Native Roots and Current ChallengesInstitute for Environmental Awarenessmore
Funding for two events for participants to experience and reflect upon Native culture and presence in Western Massachusetts.
Petersham, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Elyssa Serrilli
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
Jack Kerouac Comes Home Again: Bringing Kerouac's Manuscripts Back to Lowell, MassachusettsUniversity of Massachusetts Lowellmore
Creation of a finding aid for a collection of Jack Kerouac's papers recently gifted to the University.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Michael Millner
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
Mansfield Public Library Local Newspaper Digitization ProjectMansfield Public Librarymore
Digitization of 30 reels of the Mansfield News, a local newspaper dating back to 1873.
Mansfield, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Whitney Brown
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
Lee Historical Society Archive Inventory and Finding AidLee Historical Societymore
Inventory and creation of a finding aid for Lee Historical Society's collection.
Lee, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Millard Eckert
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
Chester Theatre Company's 2019 Panel Discussion SeriesChester Theatre Companymore
A series of four scholar-led post-performance discussions.
Chester, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)
project director: Daniel E. Kramer
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,310
From the Declaration of Independence Through the Long Civil Rights MovementThe Robbins Housemore
A public reading and discussion of Frederick Douglass's speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July."
Concord, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Nikki A. Turpin
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $600
Reading Frederick Douglass and Founding Documents in Plainfield, 2019Shaw Memorial Librarymore
A reading and discussion of Douglass's speech on the meaning of the 4th of July, as well as a follow-up discussion of the Massachusetts State Constitution.
Plainfield, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Erik Burcroff
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,200
What to the Negro is the Fourth of July?Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Centermore
A reading and discussion of Douglass's speech on the meaning of the 4th of July.
Brewster, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Barbara Burgo
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $1,500
The Unfinished Agenda of Frederick Douglass in the 21st Century: Which Way is the Arc of Justice Bending Today?New Lynn Coalitionmore
A July 3rd reading and discussion of Douglass's speech on the meaning of the 4th of July, and a follow-up discussion in September.
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Wendy Joseph
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
The Eugene Tappan PapersSharon Public Librarymore
Reparation and digitization of the papers of Eugene Tappan (1840-1908), the town's first historian, and creation of a finding aid.
Sharon, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Lee Ann Amend
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
New Bedford LGBTQ Winter Film SeriesSouth Coast LGBTQ Networkmore
A series of 4 films at the New Bedford Whaling Museum followed by a panel discussion and conversation with the audience.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Paul Cassidy
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $3,500
We Read Frederick Douglass as a Community: One Voice, Many LanguagesFrederick Douglass Neighborhood Associationmore
Join us for a community reading and discussion of Douglass's speech on the meaning of the 4th of July.
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: Madeline M. Smith
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $500
Preservation of Auburn's Winfried P Sommerfeld Photographic ArchivePhotographic Preservation Centermore
Inventory, organization, and digitization of items from the collection of photographer Winfried Sommerfeld.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Fred Mirliani
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $2,000
Reading Frederick Douglass TogetherOld Parish Preservation Volunteers, Inc.more
A community reading and discussion of Douglass's speech on the meaning of the 4th of July.
Norwood, MA, Norfolk County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Patricia Fanning
awarded on: 2019-05-13
amount: $500
To do the good I expected: Robert Roberts - Domestic Servant, Author, AbolitionistGore Placemore
Development of a tour focused on the life, writing, and activism of Robert Roberts, a leader in Boston's free black community and a servant at Gore Place. The tour emphasizes the value of labor over the denigration of service and explores the relationship between work, life, and activism, and the challenge of trying to change the world while also surviving in it.
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Susan Robertson
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $7,000
The Story of the First Encounter at Eastham: from Conflict to CommunityEastham Public Librarymore
For research and writing of a revised history of the first encounter between Pilgrim settlers and Native people that will be used as the basis for web-content and programming leading up to 400th anniversary commemorations in 2020. Project programs will make the public narrative newly relevant by connecting it to crises and challenges faced by Cape residents today.
Eastham, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Debra Dejonker-Berry
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $15,000
The Chinese and the Iron RoadLeominster Public Librarymore
Funding to host a traveling exhibit created by the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Stanford University in addition to public programs refocusing commemorating the transcontinental railroad on the experience of Chinese workers who did much of the labor.
Leominster, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: May Lee Tom
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $4,950
Roxbury Strong: A Story of Emergence, Performance and Discussion SeriesBoston Public Schoolsmore
Support for BPS and BHCC students to engage in the history and culture of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood through researching, rehearsing, performing, and leading community discussions of "Roxbury Strong," a play based on archival research and oral histories with residents.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Ron T. Jones
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $14,500
Cross-Cultural Perceptions vs. Reality Through Global ConversationsMartha's Vineyard High Schoolmore
Funding for a project engaging the island in cross-cultural conversations, with a thematic focus on the experiences of immigrants and refugees and an interest in teaching cultural literacy by having students actually converse with people from other countries.
Oak Bluffs, MA, Dukes County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Kevin McGrath
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $9,250
"Lucio" Documentary Film Treatment and TrailerWarren Plaut Charitable Trustmore
Production of a treatment and trailer to aid in production of a feature-length documentary film exploring U.S. immigration from Central America and the current sanctuary movement through the story of Lucio, an immigrant from Guatemala who came to the U.S. illegally and who entered sanctuary in the First Congregational Church in Amherst in 2017 after receiving deportation orders.
Granby, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Kate Way
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $15,000
Sweet Souls: Voices from the Margaret Fuller House in CambridgeCambridge Historical Societymore
Funding to conduct and interpret 12 oral histories with affiliates of Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, a 112-year-old settlement house, adding under-documented narratives into the archives that address the relationship between providers and patrons in the settlement house movement, and reflect on how such settlement houses were transformed by patrons who became providers.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Marieke Van Damme
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $7,500
Making Lowell's Immigration and Refugee History Accessible in the ClassroomUniversity of Massachusetts Lowellmore
Completion of a digital site on the history of immigration to Lowell, with a particular emphasis on immigration since 1965 to make often scattered information publicly available.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Ingrid Hess
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $12,500
Camera Kids - Genocide Victims and Genocide PerpetratorsThe Ground Truth Projectmore
Production of a multimedia project for the 25th Anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year in addition to creation of the trailer in for a film featuring three three men orphaned by the Rwandan genocide who teach photography as a healing practice to vulnerable children around the world, including at the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Beth Murphy
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $15,000
What Our Voices CarryHispanic Resource, Inc.more
A collaboration between formerly incarcerated women, a scholar, facilitators, and a playwright to create a performance exploring the history of incarceration and its connection to the women's personal experiences.
West Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)
project director: Gretchen Krull
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $15,000
Orchestrating ChangeMe2/Orchestramore
Support for the distribution phase of a feature-length documentary film about the Me2/Orchestra in which half the musicians are diagnosed with mental illness.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Margie Friedman
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $14,795
America Transformed: Mapping Land and Dispossession in the 19th CenturyNorman B. Leventhal Map Centermore
Public programming, a teacher institute, and interpretive materials to accompany a two-part exhibit using maps to examine the history of U.S. expansion and Native American dispossession in the 19th and 20th century.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Michelle LeBlanc
awarded on: 2019-03-15
amount: $14,817
Words from the Street: Readings and Conversation with the Black Seed WritersCathedral Church of St. Paulmore
Writing workshops with those who are homeless, transitional, and recently-housed, culminating in publication of their works in The Pilgrim magazine and four public reading and discussion programs.
boston, MA
project director: Ali White
awarded on: 2019-01-06
amount: $3,500
Ripples: Through a Wampanoag LensNew Bedford Whaling Museummore
Two events interpreting Indigenous history, culture, and environmental perspectives connected to the art exhibit "Ripples."
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County
project director: Akeia Benard
awarded on: 2019-01-06
amount: $3,500
Gaining the Vote; The Road to Women's SuffrageFalmouth Historical Societymore
Lectures with historians and authors on the history of women's political participation.
Falmouth, MA, Barnstable County
project director: Mark Schmidt
awarded on: 2019-01-06
amount: $2,500
Boston Through a Wider Lens: Communities of Color and the Narrative of FreedomUMass Boston CANALA Institutesmore
Support for a five-day summer teacher workshop highlighting historic sites in Boston where communities of color struggled for recognition and inclusion in the social contract.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Elena Stone
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $14,047
100 Years Later: THe Great Molasses Flood RevisitedOld South Meeting Housemore
A series of three panel discussions exploring Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919, on its 100th anniversary.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Erica B. Lindamood
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $3,000
Radical Interconnectedness Festival Follow-up Public Panel ConversationEggtooth Productionsmore
Support for historical, contextual, and interpretive conversations between scholars, artists, and participating audience on art expressing the stories of marginalized social groups.
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Linda McInerney
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $7,500
Isaiah Thomas - Patriot PrinterAmerican Antiquarian Societymore
Support for the final planning stages of an interactive educational website on Isaiah Thomas that will introduce children, particularly high school students, to archival material.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: James D. Moran
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $14,935
Beyond the Stage: Post-Production Discussions of Patrick Gabridge's Mount Auburn PlaysMount Auburn Cemeterymore
Support for moderated conversations following a series of one-act plays written by Patrick Gabridge.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Jennifer Gilbert
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $3,000
For the Record: LGBTQ+ WorcesterWorcester Historical Museummore
Support for a project that will fill a gap in Worcester Historical Museum's collections and result in an exhibition and related programming during 2019, the 50th anniversary of New York's Stonewall Uprising.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Bill D. Wallace
awarded on: 2018-12-14
amount: $15,000