The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced today its third and final round of projects grants for fiscal year 2022, following rounds announced in January ($24.7 million for 208 projects) and in April ($33.17 million for 245 projects). As always, this fresh round of NEH grantees—comprised of 226 project across the United States and further afield receiving a total of $31.5 million to be dispersed among them—are a diverse bunch, with numerous architecture-, design-, and historic preservation–focused projects in the mix. These include projects from the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and Alabama’s Spring Hill College, which will explore the history of the community of Africatown and the slave ship Clotilda through an intensive two-part workshop series for educators.
Spanning scholarly research, exhibitions, educational training, historic collection conservation efforts, documentaries, and on, other awarded projects tackle everything from the Salem Witch trials, CIA mind control experiments, the Moog synthesizer, ancient Roman comedy, and redheads.
This $31.5 million round of peer-reviewed NEH grant funding, awarded in several different categories including Landmarks of American History & Culture (10 grants) and Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions (65 grants), joins an additional $52 million in annual operating support provided to the national network of state and jurisdictional humanities councils.
“NEH is proud to support the many scholars, curators, storytellers, filmmakers, and teachers who are helping preserve, examine, and share the country’s rich and expansive history and culture,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo) in a statement. “From books and documentaries to the preservation of cultural heritage materials, these 226 exceptional projects will foster the exchange of ideas and increase access to humanities knowledge, resources, and experiences.”
Below we’ve highlighted just a few select grantees. The full list of all 226 recipients can be viewed here.
Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | Outright $188,629 | Landmarks of American History and Culture
From Clotilda to Community: The History of Mobile, Alabama’s Africatown
Two one-week workshops for 72 schoolteachers to explore the history of the slave ship Clotilda and the Africatown community in Mobile, Alabama, from the Civil War to today.
Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff | Outright: $189,860 | Landmarks of American History and Culture
Racialized Spaces on Route 66
A combined virtual and residential program for 72 K–12 educators on the significance of race, place, and movement to understanding Route 66 within U.S. history and culture.
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation | Scottsdale, Arizona | Outright: $290,000 | Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
Meeting Collections Preservation Goals through Sustainable Storage Improvements
An implementation project to address sustainable improvements for the building envelope and environmental management systems in the Archives and Collections Building, the primary storage facility at Taliesin West, the winter home and architectural laboratory of Frank Lloyd Wright, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Foundation for Advancement in Conservation | Washington, D.C. | Outright: $499,624 | Cooperative Agreements and Special Projects (P&A)
Climate Resilience Resources for Cultural Heritage: A Supplement to Held in Trust
Development of a climate risk map, learning modules, and communities of practice to support cultural institutions and heritage sites as they prepare for and mitigate climate-related environmental hazards.
Inclusion Zone, Inc. | Washington, D.C. | Outright: $190,000 | Landmarks of American History and Culture
The Disability Legacy of the FDR Presidential Memorial
Two one-week workshops in Washington, D.C. for 72 K–12 educators on the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial and disability rights in U.S. history.
Glessner House Museum | Chicago | Outright: $10,000 | Preservation Assistance Grants
Reorganization and Expansion of Collections Storage
The purchase of 15 shelving units and preservation supplies to protect the collections at Glessner House Museum, home to John J. Glessner (1843– 1936), a vice president of International Harvester, and designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson in 1887.
Historic Cherry Hill | Albany, New York | Outright: $48,165 | Historic Places: Planning
We Carry It Within Us: Reinterpretation at Historic Cherry Hill
Planning for a tour and orientation exhibit that incorporates new research and scholarship on Cherry Hill, a historic home in Albany, New York.
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, Inc. | New York City | Outright $100,000 | Media Projects Production
New Angle Voice: Pioneering Women of American Architecture Podcast
A multiplatform project about the history of women’s contributions to American architecture.
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York City | Outright: $10,000 | Preservation Assistance Grants
To Assess and Preserve the Cooper Union’s Archives and Special Collections
A preservation assessment for the Cooper Union Archives and Special Collections, as well as training for staff in collections care and the purchase of preservation supplies.
New Hope Nakashima Foundation for Peace | New Hope, Pennsylvania | Outright: $9,407 | Preservation Assistance Grants
Nakashima Archives Preservation
The purchase of archival supplies and environmental monitoring equipment to preserve archival collections documenting the work of furniture designer, master woodworker, and architect George Nakashima (1905–1990).
Shelburne Museum | Shelburne, Vermont | Outright: $48,634 | Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
In the Interest of Fine Art: A Shelburne Museum Planning Project
A planning project to evaluate the environmental conditions in two buildings at the Shelburne Museum and develop a plan to implement improvements to their infrastructure in response to fluctuating temperatures due to climate change.
