Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grant Opportunity Second Round and Wisconsin Libraries Awarded Grant Funding

Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grant

The second round of the Wisconsin Humanities Council (WHC) CARES Relief Grant funding is now open. Applications for this grant are due on Wednesday, July 15.

From the WHC site: “The Wisconsin Humanities Council is providing rapid-response funding to nonprofit humanities and cultural organizations that are facing financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Funding for these grants has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan.” These grants for public libraries and nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin can apply for up to $7,500 to use for general operating expenditures. There is no matching requirement.

In the first round of funding, the WHC awarded more than $300,000 to 49 organizations including the following Wisconsin public libraries and friends groups:

• Black Earth Public Library
• Eager Free Public Library
• Farnsworth Public Library/Oconto
• Friends of the Lodi Public Library
• Jane Morgan Memorial Library/Cambria
• Kewaunee Public Library
• North Freedom Public Library
• Redgranite Library
• Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library/Hayward
• Sturm Memorial Library – City of Manawa
• Wyocena Public Library

We encourage Wisconsin public libraries to investigate this funding opportunity to determine if it is appropriate for your library to apply. You can also follow the Wisconsin Humanities Council for humanities news and additional grant opportunities.

IMLS Awards Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries Grant to Lakeview Community Library in Random Lake

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced a $719,240 investment for small and rural libraries as part of its Accelerating Promising Practices (APP) grant program. According to IMLS, “APP helps strengthen the ability of small and/or rural libraries and archives to serve their communities and to build grantee capacity through participation in a community of practice.”

IMLS awarded Wisconsin’s own Lakeview Community Library a grant for $36,885 to capture and preserve community stories and memories. The Lakeview Community Library will partner with local cultural organizations, the community newspaper, and the Random Lake High School to collect and digitize their community’s history. Congratulations to the Lakeview Community Library on this exciting opportunity to expand relationships and preserve community history in Sheboygan County. The full proposal can be reviewed in the Random Memories: Empowering Individual and Community Memory in Random Lake, Wisconsin project justification and workplan.