CT Humanities Awards $151,296 to 9 Connecticut Cultural Organizations for Project and Capacity Building Grants 

At their May 27, 2021, board meeting, CT Humanities (CTH) awarded $151,296 in Capacity, Planning and Implementation Grants to 9 humanities organizations in Connecticut.

“CT Humanities is proud to support organizations committed to connecting the threads of Connecticut’s diverse history and heritage – past, present, and future,” stated Dr. Jason R. Mancini, CTH Executive Director. “It is critical that we contextualize and expand exhibits and spaces to include a fuller accounting of the experiences of our state’s residents. This round of grant awards demonstrates a shared dedication to that work.”

Capacity Grant recipients:

Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution (Lebanon, $9,999), Governor Jonathan Trumbull House Interpretative Plan

East Haddam Historical Society (East Haddam, $8,425), Phase 1 / Interpretative Planning

Ellington Historical Society (Ellington, $4,905), Developing a Strategic Plan for the Ellington Historical Society

First Night Hartford (Hartford, $9,999), First Night Hartford Strategic Planning

Capacity Building grants support Connecticut organizations that bring the humanities to the public by helping them better understand their audiences, assets, and operations.

“The Gov. Trumbull House has completed over $1 million in restoration in the last 5 years and recently completed a new strategic plan. The CTH Capacity grant allows us to hire an experienced museum consultant to develop a new interpretative framework that will allow for telling a more truthful, honest story about the complexity of the Trumbull family’s life and the era they lived in including indigenous, African American and women’s history,” explained Patricia Buxton, Vice Regent, CT Daughters of the American Revolution. “This will help the CTDAR make connections between the site’s history and current events to increase the site’s relevance as well as to attract new audiences.”

Dianne Trueb, Vice President, Ellington Historical Society, said, “The Ellington Historical Society is very excited to move forward in developing a 3-year strategic plan, thanks to the support of CT Humanities. This capacity building grant allows the all-volunteer Ellington Historical Society to obtain critical professional guidance in mapping out steps and priorities toward creating a dynamic historical cultural center at the Nellie McKnight Museum.”

In a statement from their board of directors, First Night Hartford stated, “our board and staff are beyond excited to receive the support of the CT Humanities for strategic planning. In our organization’s 30-year history we have no record of having created a strategic plan, but it couldn’t be better timed. In the past two years we’ve gone from three board members and a marquee city event in trouble financially and with low attendance to an organization with a diverse board of 11 members looking to create an impact in the arts, culture and humanities realm. Among other things, this strategic plan will help us refine our focus as we consider additional cultural celebrations.”

Project Planning and Implementation Grant recipients:

Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford, $35,000), Common Struggle, individual Experience: An Exhibition about Mental Health

Connecticut Landmarks (Hartford, $24,650), Exhibit Planning at the Palmer-Warner House

Connecticut Public (Hartford, $35,000), Out of Reach? Inequity in Education – Sheff vs. O’Neill

University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford, $10,318), Painting and Performing Liberation; and

Connecticut Explored (West Hartford, $13,000), 20 for 20: A Critical Look at the Future of Connecticut History

Project Planning and Implementation grants support projects that help us understand and appreciate human history, culture, values, and beliefs. They allow us to analyze our complex society and to make thoughtful, reasoned decisions based on inquiry, evaluation, and empathy.

“We are grateful for support from CT Humanities, which allows the Connecticut Historical Society to present a groundbreaking and timely exhibition – Common Struggle, Individual Experience: An Exhibition about Mental Health, opening in November 2021,” said Robert A. Kret, Executive Director and CEO, Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library. “The individual stories and perspectives from both the past and today will help us understand people’s lived experience with mental illness and mental health care.”

Aaron Marcavitch, Executive Director, Connecticut Landmarks, stated, “We truly appreciate the partnership between Connecticut Landmarks and Connecticut Humanities. We are committed to exploring and telling the complex historical stories around our sites, including the story of a gay couple and their impact on the architecture and landscape of Connecticut. This grant award will allow us to extend and expand that process leading to exhibit development at the Palmer-Warner House.”

About CT Humanities
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH promotes civic engagement and connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations and gifts from private sources.

For more information on CT Humanities, please visit cthumanities.org or contact Aimee Cotton Bogush, Communications Manager, at abogush@cthumanities.org.

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