The Minnesota Historical Society announced 50 recipients of 56 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage small grants of up to $10,000 each and totaling $415,269 in 29 counties, according to a press release.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofit and educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on June 1.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

Recipients of small grants of $10,000 and less, from the April 2017 cycle, included the City of Albert Lea, which received $8,683 to install wayfinding signs in Albert Lea’s historic downtown.

According to a press release, each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and are awarded according to program guidelines and criteria and professional standards.

The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $11.525 million for the 2015-2017 biennium for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage legacy grants: $5,525,000 for fiscal year 2016 and $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2017.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next two small grants deadlines are July 14, 2017 and October 13, 2017. All grants are administered through a competitive process using professional standards and criteria.

For more information on the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, including application deadlines, visit legacy.mnhs.org/grants. Applications are accepted only through the MNHS grants portal.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grants are made possible by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.