Ely Folk School receives Minnesota Humanities Center grant funding

Minnesota Humanities Center  

Awards $1,417,500 Million in Legacy Grants to Support Museums, Exhibits, and Collections 

March 27, 2026—ST. PAUL, MN— The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) announces 10 Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment awards totaling $1,417,500 to support Museums, Exhibits, and Collections across Minnesota. The following organizations or local governments were selected to receive an award:  

·         African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) - $300,000 

·         Green Card Voices - $222,347 

·         Hmong Museum - $140,000 

·         East Side Freedom Library - $163,243 

·         Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop - $89,000 

·         Hennepin History Museum - $37,211 

·         Native Skywatchers Inc. – $127,106 

·         CLUES - $230,000 

·         Ely Folk School - $20,051 

·         Dakota Wicohan - $88,542 

The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $1,500,000 to MHC (less 5.5% administrative fees) from the Legacy Fund to administer grants through a competitive application process for Museums, Exhibits, and Collections. This is the first time MHC has administered grants to support Museums, Exhibits, and Collections, in Minnesota. 

MHC’s CEO, Kevin Lindsey said, “We are grateful to the Legislature for providing funding and understanding the need to preserve cultural stories and exhibits across the state – especially at a time when so many organizations’ budgets have been greatly impacted by the cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities.” 

MHC received 54 total applications and $8,539,581 in requests for proposed projects. Fifty-seven percent of applicants were outside of the 7-county metro area, with an average grant request of $158,140. 

About the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) 

MHC, an affiliate to the National Endowment for the Humanities, was founded as an independent non-profit organization in 1971. MHC strengthens our society by promoting the humanities and increasing shared understanding of our collective pasts. MHC creates a wide variety of humanities programming in collaboration with individuals, creators, scholars, and organizations to build a more curious, inclusive, and connected society. MHC has a long history as a grantmaking organization and operates a full-service event center in a historic building in St. Paul. More information is available at www.mnhum.org. 

About Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment 

The Minnesota Legislature passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy Amendment) in 2008 to ensure clean water, preserve opportunities for Minnesotans to enjoy nature, parks, and trails, and to appreciate arts and culture that exists within the State. The Legacy Amendment increases the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to create the Legacy Fund – 19.75% of the Legacy Fund is dedicated to the arts and cultural heritage fund.