(Trenton, NJ) – The New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) recently awarded $236,107 in Incubation and Action Grant funding to seventeen organizations. Incubation Grants help organizations plan, research, develop, and prototype public humanities projects and events. Action Grants help organizations implement a wide array of humanities-based projects, including public programs, exhibitions, installations, tours, and discussion groups.
Public humanities programming allows individuals to engage in lifelong learning and share in the exploration of history, values, cultures, and beliefs. NJCH supports and acts as a resource for cultural and service-oriented nonprofit partners as they bring the public humanities to the residents of New Jersey, harnessing the power of the humanities to strengthen communities.
Incubation Grants were awarded to:
- Alice Paul Institute, Mount Laurel ($7,387) to convene scholars, community, and prison representatives to develop a humanities program for prison inmates, highlighting civic engagement, voting, and human rights.
- Bloomfield Public Library, Bloomfield ($5,000) to foster opportunities for civic engagement among patrons, including public forums with elected officials and information sessions on topics related to media, the Electoral College, and the democratic process.
- Into French Translation, Parsippany ($10,000), in conjunction with University of Orange, to create written and oral Haitian Creole translations of archival materials about the lives of enslaved people in Haiti for use by Haitians in the diaspora, including New Jersey.Merchants & Drovers Tavern Museum, Rahway ($8,000) to research and plan for “The Girl Scout House,” a new permanent exhibition in the historic house that will help public audiences understand a larger historical narrative regarding that space and the community.
- Monmouth County Historical Association, Freehold ($16,000) to conduct research, community meetings, and benchmarking as part of the reinterpretation of four colonial-era historic house museums in order to include the stories of the enslaved people who lived and worked in them.
- Rutgers University-Newark, Clement A. Price Institute, Newark ($20,000) to advance the planning process for the Homelands Cultural, Archives, and Intepretive Center, an effort organized and lead by the Ramapough Munsee Lunaape.
- Southern Jersey Family Medical Center, Hammonton ($19,700) to pilot the “Beyond the Statistics” program, a project designed to help participants explore cultural underpinnings of food and lifestyle choices.
Action Grants were awarded to:
- Hoboken Historical Museum, Hoboken ($15,600) to launch a lecture and performance series to honor the lives of women who have left a significant mark on New Jersey through their achievements in the arts, civic life, politics, and sports.
- Isles, Inc., Trenton ($15,000) to develop “Reflecting Trenton,” a photo-history project that displays Trenton’s varied transformations and growth over the past 100 years, connecting local histories and often-overlooked vacant storefront windows.
- Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Landing ($7,500) to design an exhibition to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the historic August 2000 flood in northwest New Jersey and to host related public events on climate resiliency and change.
- Montclair State University, Sprague Library, Montclair ($14,690) to explore NJ’s critical role in providing scientific talent and resources for the development of the atomic bomb, as well as ethical issues related to nuclear use and proliferation.
- Rutgers University-Camden, Writers House, Camden ($10,000) to continue work with Warrior Writers to engage veterans, specifically highlighting the stories of veterans’ families and exploring both the experiences of individual families and the impact of service on the family unit.
- Seton Hall University, Department of English, South Orange ($19,550) to continue work on “The Digital Citizenry Project,” which fosters conversations across four towns—East Orange, Orange, South Orange, and Maplewood—about what it means to be an engaged citizen in the 21st century.
- Stockton University, Alliance Heritage Center, Galloway ($20,000) to produce a documentary about Alliance Colony, an 1882 settlement of immigrants fleeing Russia founded in South Jersey that was once the most successful Jewish agricultural community in America.
- TRUE Mentors, Hoboken ($12,000) to engage mentors and mentees in the “Humanities Impact Project,” a series including field trips and events that help participants explore cultural and historical topics.
- Ukrainian History & Education Center, Somerset ($15,680) to create an exhibition and accompanying programming about how events in Ukrainian Orthodox religious history can help to illuminate current Ukrainian-Russian relations.
- Visual Arts Center of NJ, Summit ($20,000) to further the public’s understanding of Native American art, culture, history and beliefs through an exibition of contemporary art created by Indigenous women of North America and related programming.
“We all benefit from the extraordinary public humanities work being done throughout New Jersey,” said Director of Grants & Programs Gigi Naglak. “Each of these Incubation and Action Grant projects aims to help community members better understand themselves and others through the sharing of stories about lived experiences and historical events. The impact of each of these efforts is far-reaching.”
Incubation and Action Grant funding can range from $2,000 to $20,000 per project. Organizations interested in learning more about NJCH’s grant program should click here.
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About the New Jersey Council for the Humanities
The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is a nonprofit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. NJCH harnesses the power of the humanities to strengthen our pluralistic society. We envision a New Jersey that delights in diversity, appreciates that there are no easy answers, and finds joy and understanding in the humanities. We work statewide with cultural and community organizations to bring dynamic programming to the local level.
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