Indiana Historical Society Awards More Than $50,000 in Heritage Support Grants to Local Historical Organizations

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) has announced the recipients of its latest round of Heritage Support Grants, awarding $50,642.97 to 14 local history organizations representing 12 Indiana counties.

The Heritage Support Grants program, provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc., offers critical funding to local, county and regional historical societies, museums and sites. These grants support projects that address high-priority needs in collections stewardship, capacity building, sustainability and planning.

Heritage Support Grants – Project Grant, Mini Cycle B

• Cedar Lake Historical Association, Lake County — Cedar Lake Historical Association received $2,300 to repair trim in the museum at Lassen’s Resort to restore it to its original state.
• Daviess County Historical Society, Daviess County — Daviess County Historical Society received $4,294 to cover reenactor fees and table and chair rental for their upcoming Pioneer Days event.
• Evansville Wartime Museum, Vanderburgh County — Evansville Wartime Museum received $4,999 to purchase Bluetooth-compatible audio devices to provide self-guided tours of the museum when docents are unavailable and to expand accessibility.
• Friends of the Crown Point Library, Lake County — Friends of the Crown Point Library received $3,200 to fund speakers for its upcoming History Speaks & Hope Acts: America 250 program to engage the public for the US’ 250th.
• Friends of the National New York Central RR Museum, Elkhart County — Friends of the National New York Central RR Museum received $2,500 to create new interpretive signage for their 20th Century Limited exhibit to revitalize the exhibit.
• Friends of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, Hendricks County — Friends of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library received $4,875 to digitize microfilm of the Plainfield Messenger newspaper issues from the years of 1962 – 1979.
• James B Eads Parent-Teacher Organization, Lake County — The James B Eads Parent-Teacher Organization received $1,000 to purchase new Indiana History books for use in their fourth-grade history program.
• Madison County Historical Society, Madison County — The Madison County Historical Society received $4,680 to purchase and install a new, code-compliant fire security exterior door.
• Preservation Alliance, Inc., Scott County — Preservation Alliance, Inc. received $1,450 to replace all the museum’s existing fluorescent lighting with 3000-3500K LED lights to preserve historical artifacts by minimizing UV damage and heat emission.
• Roberts, Thomas, Bonds Historical Society, Marion County — Roberts, Thomas, Bonds Historical Society received $4,999 to develop a professional cemetery preservation plan for the Thomas & Roberts cemetery at the historic Lick Creek settlement.
• SullivanMunce Cultural Center, Boone County — SullivanMunce Cultural Center received $1,847.97 to purchase accessible shelving units, storage bins, and stackable storage systems to store supplies used for their school programs.
• Upland Historical Society, Grant County — Upland Historical Society received $4,500 to purchase archival storage materials and a shared scanner, and to develop a searchable digital index of its collections.
• Washington County Historical Society, Washington County — Washington County Historical Society received $4,900.00 to hire a consultant to create a comprehensive, five-year strategic plan that will provide a roadmap for membership, property maintenance, restoration, fundraising, and planned giving for the WCHS/John Hay Center.
• Wayne County Historical Museum, Wayne County — Wayne County Historical Museum received $4,999 to purchase archival storage systems and environmental controls to modernize the museum’s storage, and to acquire a photo scanner, a laptop, and storage materials to catalog, scan, and preserve the newly donated Pyle photographic collection.
• Union Literary Institute Preservation Society, Randolph County — $25,000 to remove remains of the North wall of the historic Union Literary Institute, the first school in Indiana to admit both Black and white students.

Since the program launched in 2015, IHS has awarded millions of dollars in Heritage Support Grants to strengthen Indiana’s historical organizations. In addition to funding, the program also provides fundraising education workshops, coaching and opportunities for participants to serve on award selection panels.

Guidelines and applications are available on the IHS website at www.indianahistory.org/grants or by calling the IHS at (317) 232-1882.

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