Wisconsin Humanities Council Grants

The humanities are the evolving ideas and the accumulated knowledge about human history and culture that help us make sense of our lives and encourage us to think imaginatively and critically about the world.  Through engagement with the humanities, we develop skills of inquiry, observation, analysis, reflection, and communication.  The humanities inspire curiosity and vision, and offer the means by which to consider how and why humans think and act as we do.

Established in 1972 as an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Wisconsin Humanities Council is supported by federal, state, and private funds. Through its own programs and through grants to other organizations, the WHC supports public programs that engage the people of Wisconsin in the exploration of human cultures, ideas, and values.

It can be helpful to think of the humanities in terms of the academic disciplines that they typically include.  Those are:

• archaeology
• cultural anthropology
• the history, theory, and criticism of the arts
• ethics
• ethnic studies
• folklore
• history
• jurisprudence
• languages
• linguistics
• literature
• philosophy
• religious studies
• women's studies
• those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.

The WHC’s grant program provides support for public humanities programs that encourage participants to converse, connect, and reflect upon our world. From community discussion programs to media projects, from museum exhibitions to professional development for educators, WHC grants strengthen communities and enrich the cultural life of the state.