CT Humanities’ Board of Directors recently approved 10 new Quick Grant awards totaling $46,563 in funding from the State of Connecticut.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cyndi Tolosa, ctolosa@cthumanities.org 860.986.6704
Middletown, CT (April 27, 2026) – On April 30, CT Humanities’ board of directors approved ten Quick Grants totaling $46,563 in Connecticut Humanities Funding provided by the State of Connecticut. This round of grants supports organizations across Connecticut that offer initiatives and projects rooted in community engagement, American history, and deepened commitments to reaching new audiences.
Several funded projects commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence including Windham, CT Celebrates America’s 250th featuring a town-wide public humanities, arts, & community day of activities on July 4, a new exhibition looking at Fairfield on the 250th, and a day-long celebration in Hartford on July 4 featuring music, arts, and culture. Other highlights inlclude a new Tuskegee Airmen Traveling Exhibition and a student-led oral history project amplifying Asian American voices.
“CT Humanities is pleased to uplift these timely programs about our country’s history,” said Jeanika Browne-Springer, Grants Officer at CT Humanities. “As we near the 250th anniversary of our nation, this round of programs acknowledges the truth of the past, explores the opportunity of the present, and gives a nod toward a future cultural sector that Connecticut can be proud of.”
The full list of funded programs are:
Fairfield Museum & History Center ($4,950)
QG-06026 Commemorating Fairfield 250: “Fairfield in 1776: Revolution & Resilience” and “Portraits of Fairfield.”
As the centerpiece of Fairfield, CT’s commemoration of the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary, Fairfield Museum will present two complementary exhibitions: “Fairfield in 1776: Revolution & Resilience” and “Portraits of Fairfield.” Both exhibitions will run from May 15 through September, 2026, and will explore how Fairfield navigated the American Revolution, and how the experiences of historical and contemporary residents have helped build community over the past 250 years.
First Night Hartford ($4,999)
QG-07426 Hartford Bonanza 2026 + 250 Capital Commemoration: Contextualizing & Celebrating Connecticut’s Monumental Music History
Hartford Bonanza, the capital’s Independence Day festival, offers visual & narrative storytelling and cultural history for the 250th by contextualizing the music, art & culture on our stages with a digital exhibition & collectible booklet that showcase Connecticut’s historic contributions to the American music canon through inter-generational collaboration & multi-genre cross-pollination. The project weaves photography, interviews, essays & cultural biographies in accessible, engaging design.
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center ($4,650)
QG-06326 6000+ Declarations of Independence: An America250CT Event
6000+ Declarations of Independence is a July 4th multigenerational, history- and literature-filled day to celebrate the long, strong tradition of literary activism to change hearts and minds represented by Black authors in response to the 1776 Declaration of Independence, which asserts universal human rights. This America250CT event focuses on the freedom narrative authors who inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe–Josiah Henson, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and Sojourner Truth, among others.
John Brown Project ($4,554) (Torrington)
QG-04826 Singing a Journey of Freedom: Songs of Slavery and Emancipation
Singing a Journey of Freedom uses historically recovered songs written and sung by enslaved people as primary-source evidence to explore freedom, resistance, and democratic ideals today. Led by music historian Dr. Kathy Bullock and documentarian/author Mat Callahan, the program combines live musical performance with contextual scholarship and facilitated audience discussion. Public event will take place on June 22, 2026.
New England Air Museum ($4,488) (Windsor Locks)
QG-06526 Tuskegee Airmen: Their Untold Stories — Traveling Exhibition
The Tuskegee Airmen Traveling Exhibition is a portable adaptation of NEAM’s permanent exhibit, The Tuskegee Airmen: Their Untold Stories. The exhibit is unique in the nation and was designated as a site on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. The grant will support transportation and travel costs associated with presenting the exhibition at three CT locations: East Hartford Public Library (Summer 2026), Central Connecticut State University (Fall 2026), and the CT Democracy Center (Winter 2027).
New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Inc. ($4,965) (New Haven)
QG-06426 Ideas Day: America 250: Democracy at a Crossroads
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas will present a series of Ideas keynotes, public discussions, and workshops around America250 and the Festival’s 2026 theme of Home & Belonging in late June 2026. We will present comprehensive programming including America250: Democracy in Practice. This dynamic day of civics discussion is deeply rooted in the humanities and seeks to create thoughtful discourse on Connecticut’s place in this country’s rich history.
Pequot Library Association ($4,999) (Fairfield)
QG-07326 Unfinished Revolution: 250 Years of Marking American Independence
Pequot Library presents Unfinished Revolution: 250 Years of Marking American Independence, a free exhibition on view June 10–September 26, 2026. Featuring rare materials from Pequot Library’s Special Collections, it explores how Americans across 250 years have celebrated, contested, and reinterpreted the Declaration of Independence in an ongoing struggle to realize its promises of liberty and equality.
Simsbury Public Schools ($4,999)
QG-05326 Make Us Count- Amplifying Asian American Voices Through Public Humanities
Our Make Us Count initiative is a student led oral history, podcast, and documentary project amplifying Asian American voices and addressing gaps in K-12 representation. The project culminates on May 22, 2026, at Simsbury High School with a student documentary premiere, a conversation with author Celeste Ng, and educator professional learning. The program will be livestreamed to expand public access, with student led book discussions hosted by the Simsbury Public Library.
Steep Rock Association, Inc. (Washington) $4,959
QG-06126 Creating the Holiday House Ruins Garden
From 1893 to 1918, Holiday House offered young working-class women the opportunity to find rest and relaxation in the natural landscapes of Washington. When Holiday House closed, it was dismantled, leaving nothing but a stone foundation. Steep Rock Association is activating this site once again by establishing the Holiday House Ruins Garden that will tell the story of the land, the women who found rest there, and how nature coexists with human experiences.
Willimantic Renaissance, Inc. ($3,000) (Windham)
QG-07026 Windham, CT Celebrates America’s 250th
Windham, CT Celebrates America’s 250th is a town-wide public humanities, arts, & community initiative highlighting many year-round fun & engaging history events surrounding AM250. On July 4th, we feature interactive historical vignettes, live music, and a reading from the Declaration, alongside spring & summer lectures, tours, and exhibits at local museums, libraries, and ECSU. We are partnered with local organizations, schools, museums, & more to create and identify robust public program offerings.
# # #
Connecticut Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
CTH 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. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
