NEH Creates “Statehood Grants” of up to $30,000 for Humanities Projects Celebrating State History
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced a special grant opportunity for state history and heritage projects that commemorate the 150th and 200th anniversaries of statehood.
NEH Chairman’s Statehood Grants of up to $30,000 will be available to state humanities councils and partner cultural institutions for humanities-based exhibitions, public programs, and education initiatives to accompany—and add historical context to—state celebrations of entry into the Union.
Several U.S. states are currently marking, or will celebrate major anniversaries within the next few years. Alabama, Illinois, Maine, Mississippi, and Missouri each commemorate their state’s bicentennial between 2017 and 2021, while Nebraska began sesquicentennial celebrations in 2017.
“Our states are the keepers of the flame of the nation’s history,” said NEH Senior Deputy Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “By supporting projects that remind us of the history and ideals that made us ‘One out of Many,’ these grants are a down payment toward the commemoration of our 250th anniversary as a nation in 2026.”
The first NEH Statehood Grant will go to support the creation of a Mississippi Writers Trail that will introduce visitors to the achievements of writers such as Margaret Walker Alexander, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, and Richard Wright. The project is a partnership between the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and Visit Mississippi.
“Mississippi’s bicentennial continues to be an opportunity to highlight our state’s rich heritage. I encourage organizations in Mississippi and other states to apply for these statehood grants to help preserve and enhance our history,” said U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.
“For decades, the state humanities councils have worked to preserve and promote the history of their states,” said Esther Mackintosh, president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. “We are grateful to NEH for making it possible through these grants for councils to work with new and existing partners to tell their state’s stories, laying the foundation for a united commemoration of the 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026.”
Grant proposals must be submitted to NEH by the state humanities council. Interested applicants may direct questions to NEH’s Office of Federal/State Partnerships at @email or (202) 606-8254.