Minnesota Humanities Center

Sparking positive change,
creating a more unified society

Join us in unleashing the power of the humanities.

Our Work Fostering Curiosity, Connection, and Compassion

Programming

We curate and co-create thought-provoking conversations, traveling exhibits, books and films, and other offerings that examine our society, institutions, cultures, and what it means to be human.

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Grantmaking

We grant funds to individuals, nonprofits, schools, museums, and organizations across the state who leverage the humanities to deepen connection and understanding in their communities.

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Open Applications and Opportunities

Host Spark! Places of Innovation

Apply by May 31, 2026
Spark! Places of Innovation is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program. The exhibit dives into innovation and invention happening in rural America.

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Host We Are Water MN

Apply by May 31, 2026
We Are Water MN deepens connections between the humanities and water through a network of partnerships, a traveling exhibit, and public events.

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Request for Proposals – Voices Forward Poetry Mentors

Proposals due by May 8, 2026

Voices Forward is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of programs created by humanities councils and local partners.

MHC invites proposals from working Minnesota poets, individuals, or organizations currently mentoring youth in the arts to serve as Poetry Mentors for Voices Forward, a youth poetry and public humanities initiative commemorating America’s Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary.

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“We should not permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.”

Booker T. Washington

Join Us in Creating a More Unified Society

Learn more about yourself, our communities, and our society or share your unique vision about the human experience or our world.

Get Involved

Attend an Upcoming Event

Apr
25
St. Paul – Learning from Place: Bdote for Educators

Learning from Place: Bdote is an immersive, place-based learning experience that brings participants to sites of deep significance to Dakota people in the Twin Cities. Through stories shared by Dakota community members, educators will engage with histories and perspectives that are often absent from our state’s narrative.

Apr
25
Online – Youth Poet Laureate Commencement Live Stream

Join us for the Youth Poet Laureate livestream. The Minnesota Youth Poet Laureate will be announced, and you can watch with us as we celebrate this powerful moment for young voices across the country.

Apr
29
Online – Project Citizen Info Session

Join us for a one-hour Project Citizen Info Session for educators, potential judges, and community members interested in learning how Project Citizen works and how to support student teams.

Apr
30
Breezy Point – Minnesota Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) Spring Conference

The Minnesota Humanities Center will be at the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English (MCTE) Conference this year. This year’s theme, Every Voice, invites us to embrace dialogue, diverse perspectives, inclusivity, and the joys and challenges of teaching ELA.

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The humanities remind each and every one of us that we are not alone here…When we truly look at what we’re asking and who we are, we can see the beauty that is all around us.

– Dr. Shelly C. Lowe, former Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities

Host Your Event

We help groups convene and connect around their own programming through rental of our full-service event center in St. Paul.

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