The State Historical Society of Missouri is seeking proposals of up to $500, each, to help Missouri cultural heritage institutions preserve and provide access to local history. The deadline for organizations to submit their application is September 15. The one-year grant period begins November. The Richard S. Brownlee Missouri Local History grants honor a long-time former executive director of the State Historical Society who helped expand the Society's holdings of newspapers, reference materials, manuscripts, and artworks. A maximum of $5,000 will be awarded this year.
The Missouri Local History grant submissions should focus in two areas: The preservation of historical local records, which includes the purchase of archival supplies to store or display personal papers, photographs, maps or other materials. Funds may not be used for preservation of federal, state or local government documents. The other area of focus can be education or programming activities to promote learning about local history or training for the preservation of local history records. Grants are available to Missouri cultural heritage institutions that are organizational members of the State Historical Society with preference given to local historical societies.
“Brownlee Local History Grants are an opportunity for local historical societies and cultural heritage institutions to preserve and provide access to their valuable collection,” said Gerald Hirsch, senior associate executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri. “These grants have supported local organizations across the state from helping properly store their collections to creating brochures and guides for a variety of projects and exhibits.
Grant proposals for the 2023-2024 cycle may be submitted online at https://shsmo.org/awards/brownlee-grant.