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.
Central Conversations - Guards at the TajCentral Square Theatermore
Two symposia, one exploring contemporary connections to the history, politics, and meaning of great monuments, and the other exploring dynamics between the disciplines of history and theater.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Debra Wise
awarded on: 2017-11-06
amount: $3,000
Who Are We? Literature & Medicine at BaystateBaystate Health Systemsmore
A six-session reading and discussion series for health professionals to support the social and emotional aspects of patient care.
Springfield, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)
project director: Bridget Gunn
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $1,800
Evolution of American Music, Courage and Resistance: A Multi-generational ConversationBlues to Green, Inc.more
A panel discussion-on racial justice as it relates to the evolution of American music-at the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival that will be recorded and presented in local high schools.
Huntington, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Kristin Neville
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $3,000
Let Freedom Sing: The Songs and The Song-MakersThe Highlands Coalitionmore
A scholar-led discussion of civil rights, especially as reflected in American jazz.
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Michael Palter
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $500
Activating Communication through Public ArtPow! Wow! Worcestermore
A film screening and discussion event on Worcester's history and the role of public art in community development.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Che Anderson
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $3,500
Sustainable Oceans Open DiscussionSeaport Art Walkmore
A discussion program-taking place during New Bedford's Seaport Art Walk-on the history and future of sustainable fisheries, questions of ethical responsibility, and the role of art in prompting action.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Jessica Bregoli
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $850
"Sharing the Thronged and Common Road" - What Jane Addams Means TodayTraprock Center for Peace & Justicemore
A one-day public forum on the legacy and contemporary relevance of Jane Addams, social justice advocate and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Rutherford Platt
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $3,000
Documenting Art, Education, Cultural Heritage, and Community in BostonUniversity of Massachusetts Bostonmore
An inventory of the papers of Theresa-India Young, noted fiber artist, educator, community organizer, and activist.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Meghan Bailey
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $2,000
Medfield Slumbers: An Inventory of the 18th Century Gravestones in Vine Lake CemeteryVine Lake Preservation Trustmore
Photographing and inventory of 260 eighteenth?century gravestones in Medfield's Vine Lake Cemetery.
Medfield, MA, Norfolk County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Elise M. Ciregna
awarded on: 2017-07-17
amount: $2,000
On Equal Terms - VirtualBrandeis Universitymore
Creation and presentation of a web-based exhibition about gender-based segregation in the construction industry, a re-envisioning of the successful 2008 physical exhibition On Equal Terms.
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Susan Eisenberg
awarded on: 2017-06-18
amount: $15,000
Our Mockingbird Curriculum GuideDocumentary Educational Resourcesmore
Creation of a Teacher's Guide and three companion short films which tell the stories of Native child removal, forced assimilation, and the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Native Americans in the country. Creation of a curriculum to accompany the documentary film "Our Mockingbird," exploring individual and group identities, American history, jurisprudence, and ethics in Harper Lee's novel.
Watertown, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Sandra Jaffe
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $7,500
Dexter and the DinosaursFractured Atlasmore
An original history-based theatre production created and performed by students and residents of Greenfield in the context of a celebration of Greenfield's 19th-century history.
New York, NY, New York County
project director: Jonathan Mirin
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $4,750
The Downfall of Despots: Julius CaesarActors' Shakespeare Projectmore
A series of public educational programs for the upcoming all-female production of Julius Caesar.
Somerville, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Mara Sidmore
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $15,000
Museum of Russian Icons Audio Tour RevisionMuseum of Russian Iconsmore
A revamp of the museum's audio folklore tour with re-recorded content, new content, images, and professional translations in Russian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Clinton, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Tara Young
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $7,500
Exploring the Mill River Disaster, 1874 and TodayTown of Williamsburg - Woodland Trailsmore
Creation of three permanent low-profile interpretive wayside signs, a self-guided brochure, and a digital online "story map" for the site of the 1874 Williamsburg Reservoir Dam disaster.
Haydenville, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Paul Jahnige
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $7,500
Boston and the Irish Language: Fifty Years of Cultural Connection in Oral HistoryIrish Language Society of Bostonmore
Support for an oral history project exploring the importance of the Irish language among Irish immigrants in the Boston area.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Brian Frykenberg
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $7,500
Dawnland Teacher's GuideCenter For Independent Documentarymore
Creation of a Teacher's Guide and three companion short films which tell the stories of Native child removal, forced assimilation, and the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Native Americans in the country.
Walpole, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Adam Mazo
awarded on: 2017-06-16
amount: $15,000
Frederick Douglass Communal ReadingFuture Focus Mediamore
A scripted mock trial and post-performance discussion and the seventh annual communal reading of Douglass's 1852 speech on the Worcester Commons.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Cedric Arno
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $500
Reflections on Race in America: Then and NowUnitarian Universalist Urban Ministrymore
One a communal reading of Rev. Martin Luther King's Riverside Church speech, Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, and the other a screening of the documentary Passage at St. Augustine: The 1964 Black Lives Matter Movement That Transformed America to be followed by a discussion between filmmaker Clennon King and long-time civil rights leader Mimi Jones.
Roxbury, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Mary M. Earl
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $3,500
Hollis Watkins: Sankofa of a Movement ManUnion Capital Bostonmore
A presentation by Hollis Watkins, author, civil rights leader, and founder of Southern Echo, Inc., on the civil rights themes of the last 50 years and the challenges of today.
Roxbury, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Eric Leslie
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $450
Ta Voix Poete (Your VOice Poet), by Jean Dany JoachimSilverthorne Theater Company Inc.more
Two performances of Jean Dany Joachim's Ta Voix Poete and post-performance scholar-facilitated discussions.
South Hadley, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: J. Lucinda Kidder
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $2,275
Family Adventures in ReadingSharon Public Librarymore
A six-session Family Adventures in Reading series using the syllabus on Relationships with storyteller Karen Chace.
Sharon, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Jessica Henderson
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $3,000
Reading Frederick Douglass at High Rock TowerNew Lynn Coalitionmore
The 7th annual communal reading of "What is the Fourth of July to the Slave?" on July 4th. Evening entertainment will include musical and dance performances, spoken word, and fireworks.
Lynn, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Wendy Joseph
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $500
Reading Frederick Douglass in the Age of TrumpNew Bedford Historical Societymore
A facilitated reading of Douglass's speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" with poet Everett Hoagland as the discussion leader.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Loretta D. Blake
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $500
Inside the Porter & McLeod Machine Shop: Precision Manufacturing on Hatfield's Mill RiverHatfield Historical Societymore
Research on the Society's collection of business records, photos, and artifacts from the local machine shop to develop a better understanding of how and why a small precision manufacturing shop, with global connections, grew and prospered in a small agricultural community in western Massachusetts
Hatfield, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Kathie Gow
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $3,500
We Read Frederick Douglass Together as OneFrederick Douglass Neighborhood Associationmore
The third annual public reading and moderated discussion of Douglass's "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
Brockton, MA, Plymouth County (Southeast)
project director: Madeline M. Smith
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $500
Poetry and the Active CitizenEdith Wharton Restoration, Inc.more
A forum on the role of poetry during times of cultural and political crisis.
Lenox, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Abbie Wilson
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $3,000
No Human is Illegal: A Conversation on Immigrants and the American IdeaWorcester Interfaithmore
Part of the city's Clemente Course in the Humanities to sponsor a public poetry reading and conversation with poet Naomi Shihab Nye on defining the place of immigrants in the American idea.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Lucia Knoles
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $2,812
Our Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag HistoryAquinnah Cultural Centermore
A series of three discussions moderated by Linda Coombs and Paula Peters based on the interactive "Our Story" exhibit of Wampanoag history, along with the Mashpee Nine book/film.
Aquinnah, MA, Dukes County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Linda Coombs
awarded on: 2017-05-08
amount: $1,618
The New American SongbookThe Ground Truth Projectmore
A series of audio documentaries using live radio broadcasts and listening events provoking discussion on the value of immigrant music, culture, and experience for the social life of the Commonwealth.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Charles Sennott
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $15,000
Stories from New Voices: NEPR Media LabNew England Public Radiomore
Three sessions of a free after-school program in journalism, radio/web production, and storytelling for high-school students in Springfield and Holyoke.
Springfield, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Carlos McBride
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $15,000
A youth-led community development project investigating identities in Lawrence through research, photography, and documentation.
Lawrence, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Anna Elzer
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $6,095
Transforming this MomentCritical Connectionsmore
A series of conversations exploring threats to civil rights and liberties of vulnerable communities, effective responses, and how such threats affect the country's social fabric.
Longmeadow, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)
project director: Mehlaqa Samdani
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $5,000
Hip History NBCommunity Foundation of Southeastern MAmore
A local history and interpretation project using creative approaches like hip-hop for students at three area middle schools.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Candace L. Heald
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $9,115
Minds Made for Stories: Springfield Students Engage Local History Through Narrative WritingWestern Masssachusetts Writing Project at UMass Amherstmore
A project including a summer camp for middle-school students and professional development workshops for Springfield teachers,
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Bruce Penniman
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $7,500
The Robbins House, Inc.: The Long Civil Rights MovementThe Robbins Housemore
Development of a multimedia, interactive educational program about civil rights from slavery to the present day,
Concord, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Linda Ziemba
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $15,000
Life and Labor at The House of the Seven Gables Over Four CenturiesHouse of the Seven Gablesmore
An exhibition, a lecture series, and a series of Community Conversations related to the impact of labor, servitude, and slavery over four centuries.
Salem, MA, Essex County (Northeast)
project director: Julie Arrison-Bishop
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $5,000
Exploring Abolition, Activism and a Principled LifeRotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museummore
Research, historic documentation, interpretative writing about the house museum and its inhabitants.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Kate Corkum
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $5,000
International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its AbolitionMuseum of African American Historymore
A series of events in observance of the International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Marita Rivero
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $7,500
Loyalty By Another NameKartemquin Educational Filmsmore
Pre-production of the one-hour documentary Loyalty By Another Name.
Chicago, IL, Cook County
project director: David Washburn
awarded on: 2017-03-17
amount: $10,000