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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minnesota’s $349,104 History Grant Round Will Preserve Community Stories, Public Records and Local Institutions
Twenty-one awards include research into Minneapolis settlement houses, Saint Paul oral histories and a searchable Minnesota audiovisual archive.
SAINT PAUL, MN (October 26, 2026). A newly announced Minnesota Historical Society grant round will support projects documenting how communities organized, cared for residents and recorded public life, with $349,104 awarded to 21 projects in 11 counties.
The society announced the awards on October 23. Its Executive Council approved the fiscal year 2027 July small-grant cycle September 10.
Among the recipients are Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development, receiving $15,000 for settlement-house history research, and Saint Paul’s Face to Face Health & Counseling Service, receiving $16,589 for 10 oral-history interviews.
The Trust for Public Land will receive $17,750 for 15 interviews about Central Village Park, a neighborhood developed after Interstate 94 was built through Rondo. Maplewood-based TCMediaNow will receive $20,000 for a public website and searchable audiovisual archive.
Other awards include $20,000 to Global Minnesota for a book marking its 75th anniversary and $19,900 to the University of Minnesota for research into Minnesota civic leadership from 1945–2025 in preparation for a future exhibition.
Project Funding With Defined Purposes
The awards support specific historical work rather than unrestricted operating budgets.
The grant program’s application guidance requires a direct connection to Minnesota history or cultural heritage. Eligible costs can include work essential to a project and equipment needed to carry it out, such as recording equipment for oral histories.
General organizational operating expenses, tuition and certain ongoing costs fall outside the program’s eligible expenses. Projects also must be ready to begin after an award, with necessary organizational permissions in place.
For the public, the announced awards identify work being funded. They do not establish that the resulting interviews, books, databases or exhibitions have already been completed.
How the Program Works
Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are financed through the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, supported by sales-tax revenue authorized by voters in 2008.
Small grants cover requests of $20,000 or less and are awarded quarterly. The next published small-grant deadlines are January 8 and April 9, 2027. Larger requests follow a separate annual process.
Eligible applicants include Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, government entities, federally recognized Tribes and educational institutions. Individuals cannot apply.
The society says small-grant projects generally should be achievable within 12 months. Matching funds are encouraged but are not required. Organizations must establish that both the applicant and proposed project qualify before submitting.
Organizations considering a future request can review the program overview and application guidance, then contact grant staff before developing a submission.
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