Department of Heritage grant requests for nonprofits, museums due Dec. 11

The deadline is Dec. 11 for nonprofit organizations and area museums to apply for 2018 Heritage Month grants of up to $5,000 from the Department of Arkansas Heritage, according to a press release from the department.

The grant program supports the development of events and projects during Heritage Month in May. “The grants are designed to help foster awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas heritage and to assist in planning and implementing meaningful Arkansas projects using the 2018 Heritage Month theme, ‘Off the Beaten Path: Explore & Enjoy Arkansas’s Natural Heritage.’ The May 2018 theme is designed to highlight the work of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC), a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage,” according to a press release. ANHC works to conserve the state’s natural landscape and biological diversity through research, stewardship of public lands and educational outreach.

The department said it encouraged grant applicants to focus on hosting events that highlight the natural elements of the state.

“Whatever you choose, plan an event that will honor your community and its people. Arkansas’s natural diversity and beauty are evident in every corner of the state,” Stacy Hurst, director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, said in the press release. “Every community in Arkansas has a unique aspect of natural heritage to celebrate.”

Applications are available online at the Arkansas Heritage website. More information is available by contacting the Heritage Month grant coordinator Debra Fithen by email,  by mail at 1100 North St. in  Little Rock or by fax at 501-324-9154.

Applications must be received at the Department of Arkansas Heritage by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, according to the department.

Since 1982, Arkansans have celebrated Heritage Month with festivals, special studies, concerts, nature walks, tours and other programs, according to the department website.

Programs that gained funding in the past include a storytelling competition for area students at the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center; Bradley County Chamber of Commerce’s celebration of the timber industry of southeast Arkansas; a mural based on a previous year’s theme, Dreams and Determination, commissioned by DeltaARTS and created by area students; a film based on the theme Dreams and Determination: Arkansas at Work by the Faulkner County Museum; an exhibit at the Rogers Historical Museum for noted architect Fay Jones and noted builder Truman Boling; a three-day event, Steamboats–Opening the Arkansas Wilderness at Jackson County Historical Society; “Builders of the Governor’s Mansion Area,” a walking tour of the based on information about the builders and residents of the area, and how they influenced the development of Little Rock and put on by the Quapaw Quarter Association; and Digging up Arkansas, a history-based original play by an Arkansas playwright, performed at the Walton Arts Center.

Other past Heritage Month grant recipients include Old Independence Regional Museum, Arkansas Arts Center and Alread Community Center Development (2011); Main Street Helena (2010); Nevada County Depot Museum and Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie (2009); MacAthur Park Group and Pike County Archives & History Society (2008); Castleberry Elementary School and Friends of the Library of Newton County (2007); and Clover Bend Historic Preservation Association (2006).

A list of future Heritage Month themes follows.
2019 – Historic Arkansas Museum
2020 – Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
2021 – Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
2022 – Arkansas State Archives
2023 – Arkansas Arts Council
2024 – Old State House Museum
2025 – Delta Cultural Center