Our Grantmaking
Growing, deepening, and building upon Minnesota’s rich heritage and shared humanity.
The Minnesota Humanities Center enjoys the incredible honor of being entrusted with funds to keep the humanities strong and vital in the state of Minnesota. We take this responsibility very seriously and relish the opportunity to award and administer grants to develop and support exemplary humanities programming within the state.
Questions?
Arts and Music Education Grant
Organizations are invited to apply for funding through our Arts and Music Education Grant to provide scholarships to underserved youth and adults to pursue music, visual arts, and performing arts throughout the state of Minnesota.
| Open To: | Grant Amount: | Application Opens: | Application Deadline: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organizations | Up to $75,000 | May 8, 2025 | June 23, 2025 |
Current Grantees
Congratulations to the 156 recipients of Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy) awards for the 2023-2025 Biennium, who have collectively been awarded more than $12 million in grant funding.
2023-2025 Grantee Resources
More About Our Most Recent Grant Cycle
During the 2023-25 legislative biennium, the Minnesota Humanities Center received an appropriation of $15.4 million, the largest amount of funding in its history for grants to be administered.
Cultural Heritage (91 Recipients)
- To preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota; provide education and student outreach; support the development of humanities programming; or empower communities in building and preserving their cultures.
Capacity Building (17 Recipients)
- Support to organizations to assist with training for staff on grant writing and grant reporting; consultation and training from experts in nonprofit management; and capacity building and fundraising capabilities for smaller organizations.
Children’s Museums (13 Recipients)
- To support arts and cultural exhibits and related educational outreach programs – with priority for youth education and new exhibits development and programming.
Civics (7 Recipients)
- To support programs and organizations providing civics education for youth on law, democracy, government, and debate; and conduct civics education programs.
Emergency Response (5 Recipients)
- To support urgent community needs for organizations; assist communities responding to crisis or major events; and/or facilitate the process of grieving, encourage healing, create memorials, or assist in recovery of the community.
Festival (16 Recipients)
- To support music and jazz festivals, cultural festivals, art installations, music, and other performances that support festivals and events.
Our Grantmaking Philosophy
We operate with transparency. We say what we mean, we do what we say, and we use clear, plain language. The MHC grants team is ready and eager to offer their support to individuals and organizations.
We integrate equity, inclusion, and diversity into our grantmaking work. In order to ensure all humanities stories are told, we are always seeking ways to improve access and outreach, reduce application barriers, and ensure participation of all communities in the funding process.
Applicants and grantees are important. We are committed to providing friendly and timely technical assistance before application submission and during grant administration.
Funding Sources and Applicant Support
We administer grants to communities, organizations, and individuals across Minnesota in three ways:
- MHC-designated opportunities via Legacy Amendment funds and/or NEH funds
- Legislatively Named (Legacy Amendment)
- Through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
The scope of the above funding opportunities is determined by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Minnesota Legislature.
Our staff provide technical assistance and support to make grant opportunities more accessible, particularly for first-time applicants and grantees.
Past Grantees
Explore the nearly 400 grants we have administered through our various funding streams and partnerships since 2019.
Grantmaking in Action
Discover the many ways Minnesotans leverage the humanities through our grantmaking to create connection, deepen understanding, and spark positive change.
“After taking this class, I felt more comfortable saying hello or smiling. Micro connections are easier. It helped me to overcome my own hangups about connecting.”
– A participant from grantee Unite Cloud’s Somali Language and Culture Class in St. Cloud
“MHC’s support allowed us to lead the creation of the first-ever Day of the Dead altar at the Minnesota State Capitol. This work was acknowledged by Governor Walz, who also acknowledged Day of the Dead in Minnesota, the first state in the country to officially do so.”
– Aaron Johnson-Ortiz, executive director of (Neo)Muralismos de México
