Over $300K in Emergency Relief awarded to 49 nonprofits by Wisconsin Humanities Council

Over $300K in Emergency Relief awarded to 49 nonprofits by Wisconsin Humanities Council

MADISON, WI, June 15, 2020 – From Beloit to Superior, 49 libraries, historical museums, community centers, and other organizations recently received Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grant emergency funding to help support their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act economic stabilization plan appropriated by the U.S. Congress.

“We put great care into reviewing the 111 applications received, weighing factors such as need, location, strength of their public humanities work, and audience,” says Dena Wortzel, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Humanities Council. “From paying the salaries of furloughed employees to Plexiglas barriers and protective equipment necessary for safe re-opening, we saw so much need.”

The 49 grants awarded are the first grant round of the Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grant program. The second application period is scheduled to open June 15^th with a deadline of July 15. Emergency relief grants provide funds immediately to Wisconsin nonprofit organizations that support humanities and cultural programs.   The grants help these nonprofits maintain their essential functions and retain core staff during the public health crisis.

“Many of these organizations have vastly reduced revenue due to cancelled fundraisers, lost ticket sales, and loss of donations from supporters who can’t afford to give now. This is a small step to alleviate the pain the creative and cultural sector of Wisconsin is feeling as we face the challenges ahead,” says Wortzel.

Wisconsin Humanities Cares Relief Grants are intended for organizations with annual expenses of $500,000 or less and support nonprofits’ general operating costs rather than specific projects or initiatives. For more details on eligibility and for notification when the application process opens, interested organizations should go to WisconsinHumanitiesCares.org.

Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grants have been awarded to the following organizations:

• Barron County Historical Society
• Bayfield Heritage Association
• Beloit Historical Society
• Black Arts MKE Inc.
• Black Earth Public Library
• Buffalo County Historical Society, Inc.
• Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac
• Chippewa Valley Museum
• Door County Historical Society
• Douglas County Historical Society
• Dunn County Historical Society
• Eager Free Public Library
• Eagle River Historical Society
• Ephraim Historical Foundation
• Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County/Literacy Council of Sheboygan County
• Farnsworth Public Library/Oconto
• Folklore Village Farm, Inc
• Friends of the Lodi Public Library
• Friends of the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums/Platteville
• Historic Indian Agency House (National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Wisconsin)
• Historic Milwaukee, Inc.
• History Museum at the Castle
• Jane Morgan Memorial Library/ Cambria
• Kenosha County Historical Society
• Kewaunee Public Library
• La Crosse County Historical Society
• Lake Mills Aztalan Historical Society
• Manitowoc County Historical Society
• Marinette and Oconto Counties Literary Council, Inc.
• Mount Horeb Are Historical Society, Inc.
• Neenah Historical Society
• Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center/Coon Valley
• North Freedom Public Library
• New Richmond Preservation Society/ Heritage Center
• Ozaukee County Historical Society
• Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum/Wisconsin Logging Museum
• Redgranite Library
• Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center
• Sauk County Historical Society, Inc.
• Sheboygan County Historical Research Center
• Sheboygan County Historical Society
• Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library/ Hayward
• Sturm Memorial Library – City of Manawa
• Superior Public Museums, Inc.
• Vang Council of La Crosse, Inc.
• Vernon County Historical Society
• Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
• Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum
• Wyocena Public Library

About the Wisconsin Humanities Council…

The Wisconsin Humanities Council is a leading statewide cultural organization founded in 1972 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mandate is to support and create local and statewide public humanities programs of all kinds, and to help Wisconsin residents use the tools of the humanities to thoughtfully discuss public policy issues. For more information about the WH CARES Relief Grants go to https://wisconsinhumanitiescares.org/

In addition, the WHC’s regular matching grant program awards close to $200,000 annually for locally-designed humanities projects developed by libraries, museums, and other community institutions for their communities. The WHC also periodically develops its own programs, such as Beyond the Headlines and Immigrant Journeys from South of the Border, to address topics of statewide interest. The WHC is a partner in producing Love Wisconsin, the acclaimed digital storytelling platform. For more information Wisconsin Humanities Council, visit http://wisconsinhumanities.org or connect on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wihumanities/.

For more information about this initiative, please contact Dena Wortzel, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Humanities Council, at (608) 265-5593 or dena.wortzel@wisconsinhumanities.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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