#MiddletownCT

In the Guilford Courier on March 24, 2022

Connecticut Humanities, the statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded the Witness Stones Project, Inc., a $7,800 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant and a $10,000 SHARP Capacity Grant.

The mission of the Witness Stones Project (WSP) is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities. This work is accomplished through teacher workshops, engagement with students and the larger community, and, finally, memorializing enslaved individuals through the installation of Witness Stones. The CT Humanities grants will support staff development, allowing WSP to broaden and diversify the student audience served. Continue reading.

Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), has awarded The Witness Stones Project a $7,800 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant (CTCFOSG). The grant will be used to diversify and enlarge the Project’s student audience.

The Witness Stones Project was one of 624 organizations in Connecticut that was awarded CT Cultural Fund support totaling $16M from CT Humanities. The CTCFOSG are part of $30.7M of support allocated to arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits through CTH over the next two years by the CT General Assembly and approved by Governor Ned Lamont. The CTCFOSG will assist organizations as they recover from the pandemic and maintain and grow their ability to serve their community and the public.

This grant was administered by CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.

CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is the state agency charged with fostering the health of Connecticut’s creative economy. Part of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, the COA is funded by the State of Connecticut as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.

Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), has awarded the Witness Stones Project a $10,000 CTH SHARP Capacity Grant to support staff development that would allow the Project to broaden and diversity the student audience it serves.

The Project provide research assistance, specialized curriculum, and professional teacher development to bring the history of slavery in Connecticut into middle and high school classes. Since 2017, the Project has grown from serving one school in Guilford, Connecticut, to serving more than thirty schools across the state. With support from Connecticut Humanities, the Witness Stones Project can bring the curriculum to more teachers and students.

The NEH received $135 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, which was approved by Congress this past spring. The state humanities councils, including CT Humanities, each received a portion of the NEH award to support museums, archives, historic sites, and other humanities-focused nonprofits. The Witness Stones Project was one of 69 organizations in Connecticut that was awarded ARP funding totaling $640,192 from CT Humanities. CTH SHARP Capacity Grants provide organizations funding for projects including building their information technology infrastructure, making their collections more accessible, conducting strategic planning, and undertaking inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access work.

“Our cultural nonprofits enrich lives, and it is important that they remain viable and accessible to all residents,” said Dr. Jason Mancini, executive director at CT Humanities.

Support for this project is provided to the Witness Stones Project by CT Humanities (CTH), through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this announcement do not necessarily represent those of CT Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.