NEH Division of Public Programs: January 2024

As we embark on 2024, NEH is pleased to announce the inaugural class of our new Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations (PIPSO) awards. In conceiving of this program, we wanted a grant opportunity that would help small to medium-sized cultural organizations bolster their public programming. The response was enthusiastic: we received 110 eligible applications and we are pleased to be awarding 28 grants (a ~25% funding ratio). Applications came from museums, historical societies, and cultural organizations across the country, many of whom had not applied to NEH before. Proposed grant activities include updating interpretations to expand the stories traditionally told at the institution, providing professional interpreter training, conducting community consultations, holding onsite professional development, and developing new public programming. 

We could not have launched this program without the cadre of peer reviewers who stepped up to provide their expertise in evaluating these proposals, and we want to offer a special thanks to them. 

The next deadline for PIPSO is in June 2024, and we invite you to reach out to us directly (publicpgms@neh.gov) to discuss the ways that this program can help your organization more deeply engage your audiences in the humanities. 

We also have a new slate of Digital Projects for the Public grants. This program continues to provide opportunities to marry the newest technological innovations with high-quality humanities content. We are thrilled to support such an ambitious slate of projects, which include everything from digital recreations and games to walking tours and virtual reality. 

The humanities are essential tools that help us to understand and question our world and its multitudes of histories and cultures. As you continue to think about what your organization needs to foster humanities engagement with the public, our program officers are available to talk with you about our grant opportunities and offer ideas about the ways that NEH can support your work in the coming year (and beyond).

- M. Jeff Hardwick
Director, Division of Public Programs

These projects were required to focus on interpretation and public programming. The organizations also had to engage outside consultants, including at least one humanities scholar or public interpretive specialist, and at least one community expert such as a local historian, community elder, or knowledge bearer. NEH provided up $25,000 in support. 

Allen County Museum and Historical Society (Lima, OH)
Project Director: Christine Fowler Shearer
Title: Planning of Reorganization and Reinstallation of Permanent Collection Galleries and Development of an Interpretative Plan
Description: Development of an interpretive plan and public programming to tell a more comprehensive story of Allen County. ($25,000)

Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. (Arthurdale, WV)
Project Director: Elizabeth Satterfield
Title: Enriching Museum Interpretation for the Public in Arthurdale
Description: Creation of a new interpretative plan for a museum about the history of the nation’s first New Deal community. ($25,000)

Athens County Historical Society (Athens, OH)
Project Director: Brian Koscho
Title: Expanding Invisible Ground in Southeast Ohio
Description: Implementation of a multimedia project exploring the history of communities in southeast Ohio. ($25,000)

Ball and Socket Arts, Inc. (Cheshire, CT)
Project Director: Elizabeth Fox
Title: Strategic Planning for Historical Interpretation at the Ball and Socket Manufacturing Site
Description: Creation of an interpretive plan for the Ball & Socket Arts complex. ($25,000)

Cambridge Historical Society (Cambridge, MA)
Project Director: Marieke Van Damme
Title: History Cambridge Neighborhood Storykeeper Project
Description: Creation of a “Neighborhood Storykeeper” to develop co-curated humanities-based programs for underserved communities in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ($25,000)

Canterbury Shaker Village, Inc. (Canterbury, NH)
Project Director: Kyle Sandler
Title: Comprehensive Reevaluation and Update of Canterbury Shaker Village’s Interpretive Programming
Description: Reevaluation and updating of Canterbury Shaker Village’s site interpretation. ($24,000)

Castine Scientific Society (Castine, ME)
Project Director: Julia Gray
Title: Building Capacity for Community Engagement Through Facilitated Dialogue Training
Description: Facilitated dialogue training for staff and volunteers of local museums and development of a public program module exploring regional Indigenous history. ($19,354)

Cliveden of the National Trust, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)
Project Director: Carolyn Wallace
Title: Illuminating Hidden Lives: Bringing African American Stories to Life
Description: Support for continued efforts to reinterpret a historic house and its relationship to the African American story in Pennsylvania and beyond. ($25,000)

COSACOSA Art at Large, Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)
Project Director: GVGK Tang
Title: Kin/Folk/Lore
Description: To support an oral history collection project and a series of dialogues with scholars that examine the history of Philadelphia and identify humanities-based frameworks for understanding everyday stories. ($25,000)

County of Johnson (Buffalo, WY)
Project Director: Sylvia Bruner
Title: Native American Wisdom Council and Curated Exhibits
Description: Reinterpretation of the museum’s Native American gallery through collaboration and consultation with tribal representatives. (Outright: $10,000, Match: $15,000)

Feed the Second Line (New Orleans, LA)
Project Director: Tinice Williams
Title: The Kongo Ancestry of Mardi Gras Indian Performances
Description: New humanities-based programming on the history, culture, and global heritage of Mardi Gras Indian traditions in New Orleans. ($24,970)

Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, Inc. (Fredericksburg, VA)
Project Director: Gaila Sims
Title: Living Legacies: African American History in the Fredericksburg Area
Description: An exhibit on the history of African Americans in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, region. ($24,233)

Genesee Country Museum, Inc. (Mumford, NY)
Project Director: Mary Challman
Title: Redefining Rochester
Description: Reinterpretation of the Genesee Country Village & Museum historic sites to incorporate the deeper histories of African Americans in the region. ($25,000)

Gold Nugget Days, Inc. (Paradise, CA)
Project Director: Tamara Maxey
Title: Exhibition Development: Out of the Ashes
Description: Development of an exhibition on the history of wildfires in California. ($23,738)

Greensboro Historical Museum (Greensboro, NC)
Project Director: Carol Hart
Title: Voices of a City Exhibition Inclusion Project Beyond O. Henry: Gray Johnson, McAdoo, Faulkner, & Ragsdale
Description: Planning and implementation of an exhibition about historically significant residents from communities underrepresented in the historical narrative of Greensboro, North Carolina. ($25,000)

Laurel Historical Society, Inc. (Laurel, MD)
Project Director: Ann Bennett
Title: Strengthening Interpretation and Public Programs at the Laurel Museum
Description: Program evaluation and audience outreach leading to the development of more inclusive interpretive strategies to meet the needs of residents of Laurel, Maryland. ($25,000)

Oklahoma Museums Association (Oklahoma City, OK)
Project Director: Brenda Granger
Title: Improving Interpretation for 20 Small Humanities-based Museums along Historic Route 66 in Oklahoma
Description: Assessment of interpretive needs at 20 small museums located along Route 66.

Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Inc. (Brookneal, VA)
Project Director: Hope Marstin
Title: Staff and Volunteer Training and Mentoring in the Humanities
Description: Staff and volunteer training on best practices for interpreting the history of the enslaved residents of Patrick Henry’s home, Red Hill. ($25,000)

Poudre Heritage Alliance (Fort Collins, CO)
Project Director: Darien Ellis
Title: Interpretation Guru: Building Capacity for Effective Interpretation Across Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area
Description: Training four staff members in public interpretation and development of new interpretive content on Indigenous history. ($25,000)

Rhode Island Black Heritage Society (Providence, RI)
Project Director: Aileen Rodriguez-Jimenez
Title: Through My Eyes
Description: Creation of programming tied to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society’s archive of African American history. ($20,650)

Roebling Main Gate Museum (Roebling, NJ)
Project Director: Lynne Calamia
Title: Steel Stories in New Spaces: Bringing the History of Black and Immigrant Steel Workers to Life Outside of Museum Galleries
Description: The creation of an interpretive site plan for the Roebling Museum. ($25,000)

Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation (Gettysburg, PA)
Project Director: Peter Miele
Title: Investigating the Legacy of Slavery on Gettysburg’s Seminary Ridge
Description: An interpretive plan on the history of the African American experience at United Lutheran Seminary Gettysburg campus. ($19,000)

Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson Associates (Eugene, OR)
Project Director: Leah Murray
Title: Shelton McMurphey Johnson House Skinner Butte Interpretive Project
Description: New interpretive signage and a web-based audio tour for a historic site to tell the story of Native American displacement, early European settlers, the rise of recreation culture, and KKK protest. ($25,000)

United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee (Tahlequah, OK)
Project Director: Marilyn Craig
Title: Kituwah: A Place, A People, A Way of Being
Description: The creation of a new interpretive plan for the John Hair Cultural Center in Oklahoma that would preserve and interpret the histories of the People of Ki Tu Wah. ($24,995)

Virginia Union University (Richmond, VA)
Project Director: Mark DeYoung
Title: The Legacy at Lombardy and Leigh
Description: Development of an exhibition on the history of Black women’s higher education and related interpretive training for staff. ($24,836)

Wake Forest College Birthplace Society (Wake Forest, NC)
Project Director: Sarah Soleim
Title: Improving Public Interpretation at the Dr. Calvin Jones House
Description: Evaluation of current interpretive offerings at the Dr. Calvin Jones House and development of a new interpretive plan for the museum. ($25,000)

Western Illinois Museum (Macomb, IL)
Project Director: Sue Scott
Title: Discovering the Stories of West Central Illinois Changemakers
Description: Development of an interpretive plan to expand the museum’s narrative to tell a more comprehensive story of communities within the region. ($25,000)

University of Puerto Rico, Cayey University College (Cayey, PR)
Project Director: Rosa Ficek
Title: Children’s Programming for the Collective Care Project on Disasters in Puerto Rico
Description: The documentation, preservation, and interpretation of stories from Puerto Rican communities impacted by recent natural disasters. ($24,888)

Projects supported through this grant program interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats for non-specialist audiences. 

DISCOVERY: To conduct preliminary research and initial consultations between humanities and digital teams. Up to $30,000.

Historic Hudson Valley (Pocantico Hills, NY)
Project Director: Elizabeth Bradley
Title: Seen and Heard: Women's Stories of Enslavement and Resistance at Van Cortlandt Manor
Description: Development of an immersive, digital experience examining the story of five enslaved women at Van Cortlandt estate and their quest for freedom. ($29,700)

Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum (New York, NY)
Project Director: Jessica Williams
Title: Intrepid Museum: Digital Interpretation of the Historic Sick Bay
Description: Development of a digital installation on the history of the USS Intrepid’s medical department and how it delivered care to 3,000 sailors. ($30,000)

Miami Dade College North Campus (Miami, FL)
Project Director: Jose Vazquez
Title: Going Overtown Digital Project for Miami
Description: Planning an immersive virtual reality experience and a website examining the history of vanished African American neighborhoods of Miami. ($30,000)

Naperville Heritage Society (Naperville, IL)
Project Director: Jeanne Schultz Angel
Title: Tall Grass Prairie to Technoburb: Digital Exhibition Experience
Description: Development of digital formats and humanities content for an immersive visitor experience on the history of Naperville, Illinois. ($30,000)

New America Foundation (Washington, DC)
Project Director: Lisa Guernsey
Title: The Library Sit-In of 1939: An Immersive Learning Space
Description: An online exhibition exploring the 1939 civil rights protest by five African American men against the segregated policies of the public library in Alexandria, Virginia. ($30,000)

PROTOTYPING: To design and create a working prototype. Up to $100,000.

Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA)
Project Director: Katey Roden; Gregory Gordon (co-project director)
Title: Finding Our Way: Digital Deep Mapping to Foster a Sense of Place for Underrepresented Communities
Description: Prototyping of a website connected to interpretive signage examining the history and culture of the people who have lived along the Children of the Sun Trail in Spokane, Washington. ($99,997)

Louis Armstrong House Museum (Corona, NY)
Project Director: Regina Bain
Title: From Jazz to Hip-Hop in Queens
Description: Prototyping of a digital mobile experience exploring the history of hip-hop in Queens, New York. ($100,000)

SUNY Research Foundation, College at Old Westbury (Old Westbury, NY)
Project Director: Laura Chipley; Samara Smith (co-project director)
Title: Virtual Aquapolis
Description: Prototyping of a virtual reality experience and an interactive web documentary depicting the cultural and ecological impact of humans on New York Harbor over 400 years. ($100,000)

PRODUCTION: To produce the final version of the project. Up to $400,000.

Blavatnik Archive Foundation (New York, NY)
Project Director: Julie Reines Chervinsky
Title: Postcards of the Siege
Description: Production of a curated digital website of postcards published and mailed during the Siege of Leningrad (1941–44). ($297,288)

Catticus Corporation (Berkeley, CA)
Project Director: Richard Wormser
Title: The Barbara Johns Project
Description: Production of an interactive website about the student movement to desegregate Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia. ($400,000)

Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations and Digital Projects for the Public are part of the $33.8 million in new grants NEH recently announced. Other grant awards support documentation of community heritage, conservation research and training, humanities initiatives at college campuses, and new research and digital resources in the humanities. Learn more here. 

Program officers are available to talk about your idea, how to strengthen your humanities content, figure out the best funding level, and more! To request a consultation, send an email to publicpgms@neh.gov or your current program officer. Here are our next deadlines:  

Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations: June 2024

Small and mid-sized cultural organizations are keepers of history and culture, sources of lifelong learning, and community place makers. Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations grants seek to assist you in meeting your community’s needs by expanding the scope, reach, and excellence of your public programs. 

Digital Projects for the Public: June 2024

The Digital Projects for the Public program supports projects that interpret and analyze humanities content in primarily digital platforms and formats, such as websites, mobile applications and tours, interactive touch screens and kiosks, games, and virtual environments. 

Public Humanities Projects: August 2024

The Public Humanities Projects program supports projects that bring the ideas of the humanities to life for general audiences through public programming.  Projects must engage humanities scholarship to analyze significant themes in disciplines such as history, literature, ethics, and art history. 

Media Projects: August 2024 

The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, documentary films, and documentary film series that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways.