2011 Awards of Merit
Call for Applications

Do you know an organization or an individual in the
history field that deserves recognition?

Applications are now being accepted for the annual
Awards of Merit. Awards categories include:
* Project
* Publication
* Educational Program
* Individual Achievement

Deadline
All applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2011.
Any project completed within the 18 months leading up to the deadline is eligible. Awards will be announced at the CLHO Annual Conference held on Monday, June 6, 2011.

For more information contact Sandy Elgee, CLHO, 203-624-9186.

For complete application information, visit: www.clho.org/award.htm

Web project assistance/ support and a consortium approach to working on projects are among the needs of local history related organizations, according to a survey of participants in the recent Fundraising/Effective Grant Writing workshop hosted by the History Alliance.

Of the 24 participants in the workshop, which was held at the Lee Library on Dec. 1st, 18 completed short survey forms in which they gave their preferences for future workshop and programming topics.  The group listened to speakers, who gave information about funding opportunities and grant writing tips,  and many participants  joined the discussion as well.

Other ideas from the group included:
•More fundraising workshops
•Workshops about securing and caring for collections
•Workshops about working collaboratively with teachers
•Website hosting and development
•Group purchasing
Almost all who completed the survey wanted more fundraising workshops (this was a check-off item) but many also chose the other check-off items as well: Securing the Collections and Working with Teachers.

Collaboration and consortium were words that showed up in several surveys. One person suggested a consortium for purchasing and for traveling exhibitions.

Speakers at the workshop were:  Pleun Bouricius, Assistant Director of Mass Humanities; Maeve O’Dea, Program Director at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; and Judith Monachina, Coordinator of the History Alliance.
The History Alliance is working on all of these ideas, and will keep you posted on future programs and projects.

If you are interested in receiving information from the History Alliance, please send an e-mail to:

History@HousatonicHeritage.org

The Connecticut League of History Organizations includes on its website some grant deadlines that may be important to history organizations in Connecticut and the region.

http://www.clho.org/grants.htm

Welcome to our History Alliance blog, a forum for communicating with history organizations and those who care about them: teachers, community members, students.

As it grows, keep an eye on grants news, event announcements, and workshop press releases, all here and retrievable according to the month in which they were published.

The links page will grow too, and soon a pages for teachers will be added.

The History Alliance is a project of Housatonic Heritage.

Mass Humanities grant deadline coming up

Mass Humanities has grant deadlines coming up in January.  They require a consultation prior to the deadline, and that consultation deadline is December 15.   The consultation is a helpful part of the process in that it helps the grant writer to understand what is needed in the application. Here is a link for the grant deadline information.   http://www.masshumanities.org

Pleun Bouricius from Mass Humanities will be talking about grants at the Lee Library on December 1.  See the post below for more information and for registration details.  That workshop, organized by the History Alliance, is free and open to history organizations and libraries.
###

HISTORY ALLIANCE NEWS
A project of Housatonic Heritage

WORKSHOP ON GRANTS AND FUNDING HOSTED BY HISTORY ALLIANCE, December 1
Mass Humanities Assistant Director and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Program Director to present grants information

The Housatonic Heritage History Alliance will host a session on effective grant writing on Wednesday, Dec. 1, from noon to 1:30., at the Lee Library. Pre-registration is required, but there is no fee.

Representatives from any area history or cultural organization or library may participate in this event, which is being organized by the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (Housatonic Heritage) History Alliance. The History Alliance serves as a clearinghouse for history organizations, to help them find appropriate training and funding, and to provide opportunities for them to meet and learn from each other. Housatonic Heritage, the parent organization, facilitates collaboration with regional organizations, working as a catalyst for regional thinking.

Pleun Bouricius, Assistant Director of Mass Humanities, and director of its Massachusetts History Program, will speak about their grant programs and funding opportunities in general. Mass Humanities, established in 1974 as the state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), is a programming and grant-making organization that receives support from the NEH and the Massachusetts Cultural Council as well as private sources. Mass Humanities, which has a local history grant program, supports programs that use history, literature, philosophy, and the other humanities disciplines to enhance and improve civic life throughout the Commonwealth.

Maeve O’Dea, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Program Director and a representative from Housatonic Heritage will also briefly discuss their organizations’ grants programs. In addition, print materials and links to information from various funding organizations will be made available.

Participants are invited to bring their lunch to the workshop; beverages and snacks will be provided.
For more information and to register, e-mail: history@housatonicheritage.org