The Michigan Humanities Council (MHC), the state partner of the National Endowment the Humanities, fostered a more inclusive understanding of the state’s history and appreciation for community diversity through its Heritage Grants Program (HGP). From 2015–2017, MHC funded 54 documentaries, exhibitions, oral history projects, exhibitions, community dialogues, and other programs that told the stories of historically-underrepresented communities throughout the state. Each project was required to have a digital component, which MHC is preserving and sharing through a digital portal.
“This project has made me rediscover my roots, and has given me cause to take pride in my own accomplishments…I am proud to call myself Mexican American and can tell my children and grandchildren to be proud of who they are too.”
–Project participant
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Project directors of programs funded through Michigan Humanities Council’s Heritage Grants gather to network and discuss challenges and opportunities. Photo courtesy of Michigan Humanities Council.
Project directors of programs funded through Michigan Humanities Council’s Heritage Grants gather to network and discuss challenges and opportunities. Photo courtesy of Michigan Humanities Council.
Project directors of programs funded through Michigan Humanities Council’s Heritage Grants gather to network and discuss challenges and opportunities. Photo courtesy of Michigan Humanities Council.
Project directors of programs funded through Michigan Humanities Council’s Heritage Grants gather to network and discuss challenges and opportunities. Photo courtesy of Michigan Humanities Council.
The Heritage Grants Program reached communities across the state. For example, the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan celebrated the region’s rich Native American heritage. Libraries, schools, and other sites hosted presentations by tradition bearers and scholars followed by facilitated discussions about the histories of local tribes. In Flint, local African-American mentors worked with the Michigan State University School of Journalism to create Hubert: His-Story, a comic book that connects contemporary trends in the black community to historical roots. And in Coldwater, the local Arab-American Society partnered with the Tibbets Opera House—the small community’s most prominent venue and cultural institution—to host events and workshops promoting greater understanding of the town’s community of Yemeni Americans and recent Yemeni immigrants.
The Heritage Grant Program increased MHC’s presence in underrepresented communities and expanded the capacity of grassroots organizations to preserve their history. To reach new grant applicants, the council worked with statewide organizations to conduct outreach and evaluate grant proposals. The grant-writing process was also streamlined and supported to an unprecedented degree to maximize accessibility—MHC hosted 12 grant-writing workshops throughout the state and helped grantees develop evaluation plans for their projects. In recognition of the program’s impact, MHC’s Heritage Grant Program was awarded the 2016 Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for outstanding public humanities programs by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
