For Immediate Release
October 25, 2022
Contact: Aimee Cotton Bogush | abogush@cthumanities.org | 860-937-6648
Download Release Here
In the Fiscal Year, ‘21-’22, CTH provided 832 Cultural and Arts grants totaling $20,957,578.86
MIDDLETOWN, CONN (October 25, 2022) – Connecticut Humanities (CTH) today released its 2022 Annual Report documenting a “Year of Transformation,” when investment in Connecticut’s cultural sector was greater than at any other time in Connecticut’s history.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Connecticut State Legislature and Gov. Lamont for entrusting CT Humanities to provide such an unprecedented level of funding for the biennium,” said Dr. Jason Mancini, executive director at CTH. “Through our partnership with the CT Office of the Arts, we are building a statewide cultural infrastructure and providing grantees the resources to create and deliver cultural programs and opportunities to all of Connecticut’s residents.”
The report covers the work of CTH and contains financial statements for the fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. During that period, Connecticut Humanities provided 832 grants totaling $20,957,578.86. Grants were awarded to organizations in 141 of CT’s 169 towns (83%).
The 12-page report also highlights the creation of their first-ever Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Commitment. The IDEA statement, adopted by the CTH Board of Directors on Feb. 24, 2022, is an important step in cementing CTH’s commitment to equitable giving.
The statement reads in part: ”To build an equitable funding culture, we are committed to inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility as we support partners in generating humanities content that represents the breadth of Connecticut’s people and the range of their stories. Connecticut’s long and complicated history still influences us today. CT Humanities is a beneficiary of that complicated history as well as a contributor.”
“My decades of work for and collaboration with tribes and communities of color have taught me that many histories and cultures across Connecticut have been or remain invisible. Since joining CTH nearly five years ago, our team has prioritized building relationships, expanding funding opportunities, and sharing the voices and stories of those excluded from Connecticut’s story. Our IDEA statement is the culmination of months of work and years of progress for CTH; in many ways, this is just the start,” said Mancini.
In the fiscal year 2021-2022, CTH also further expanded and diversified the content in Teach It and ConnecticutHistory.org, adding new articles and lesson plans. Both programs are projects of Connecticut Humanities. CTH is Connecticut’s only statewide non-profit organization focused broadly on supporting access to and providing funding for public humanities through grant funding and capacity building. The grants have supported a variety of projects and organizations for more than four decades.
“CTH champions the enduring value of public humanities in our lives and civil society,” said Helen Higgins, CTH board chair. “We touch so many aspects of life in Connecticut and all people. It is important we maintain the public trust and share the work we do each year.”
To receive updates and learn more about the grant process, subscribe to CTH’s newsletter at https://cthumanities.org/e-news-subscribe/.
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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.
