“Liberty and justice for all” Grants
Ensuring liberty and justice has rarely been free of controversy, as different generations have sought to define, achieve, and balance “liberty” and “justice.”  For the next three years, MFH will be seeking proposals that focus on this theme. Proposals may utilize the full range of public humanities program formats. The maximum grant is $10,000. Proposals responding to this initiative will be accepted at the regularly quarterly deadlines from February 1, 2006 to November 1, 2008. Drafts are due two weeks before each deadline. www.mfh.org/grants/grantypes/liberty.html

Cultural Economic Development Grants
The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has created a new category of project grants with funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s John and Abigail Adams Arts and Humanities Program. Proposals for projects that promote innovations in the humanities and have the capacity to revitalize communities, stimulate income, and attract tourism are encouraged. Proposals may utilize the full range of public humanities program formats. The maximum grant is $10,000. Deadlines for Cultural Economic Development proposals are February 1, 2006 and May 1, 2006, with drafts due no later than January 16, 2006 and April 17, 2006.
www.mfh.org/grants/grantypes/ced.html

On December 31^st, the last of 365 “Mass Moments” produced by the Foundation this year will appear on the Internet and air on radio and cable TV stations around the state. While we will not be creating new stories for 2006, the site will remain active. We will be adding enhancements, including a “teacher portal” designed to make the site easier for middle and high school teachers to use.  Over 2100 people now subscribe to eMoments; daily traffic to the site averages about 1,000. Although we expect to loose some subscribers when the “moments” begin to repeat in January, many people did not sign up for eMoments until several months after the project began. We hope they will stay with us. www.massmoments.org

The newest Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities in Massachusetts began in October in New Bedford, hosted by PACE, Inc. (People Acting in Community Endeavors). Twenty-two low-income adults from New Bedford enrolled in the class, which is funded through a collaboration among MFH, PACE—which provides space, childcare, transportation, and administrative and support services—and UMass Dartmouth, which contributes more than half the faculty stipends. Like all Clemente courses, this one offers free, college-level instruction in Literature, Art History, Moral Philosophy, American History, and Writing and Critical Thinking, with books, childcare, and transportation provided.

MFH recently joined six other state humanities councils in a national initiative to involve AmeriCorps members in a scholar-led reading and discussion series about community service. Each group of 20 young people will read a series of short pieces, ranging from philosophical essays to fiction, poetry, and autobiography, chosen to provoke thought and conversation on the meaning of service. Julia Legas, a philosophy instructor at Suffolk University, will facilitate the sessions in Boston. The facilitator in Springfield will be John Drabinski, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Assumption College. City Year will host the Boston program, while in Springfield the community partners include the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, the Dunbar Community Center, and Springfield College. The semi-weekly, two-hour sessions will run from January to April 2006. For a list of readings, summaries of past discussions, advice for starting programs, and sample questions, visit the Project on Civic Reflection at www.civicreflection.org. 

The Foundation will be making its next round of grants in March. The deadline for proposals is February 1, 2006, with drafts due by January 15th.

Applicants must consult with Kristin O’Connell in the Northampton office before submitting a draft. Final proposals (signed original and ten copies) should be received in the main office at 66 Bridge Street no later than 5pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2006.

For information on grants available, visit www.mfh.org/grants/grantypes/

Publicize Your Humanities Event

Do you have a humanities event coming up? Submit your event information online at www.mfh.org/newsandevents/calendar/submit.html. Your event must be open to the public and held in Massachusetts.

Humanities Calendar

For information on other humanities events in your region, go to www.mfh.org/newsandevents/calendar.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.

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