In November 2008 the citizens of Minnesota voted to pass the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment as part of the Minnesota Constitution. The Legacy Amendment, as it’s called, provides for a .375 percent increase in the Minnesota sales tax in order to fund projects related to the environment and culture (arts, history, libraries, etc.) throughout the state.
The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) was appointed to administer the history portion of the Legacy fund. MHS received input from the Minnesota History Coalition and citizens via a number of meetings held throughout Minnesota in 2009. The result of this planning was the Minnesota Historical & Cultural Heritage Grant program, with the first grants being awarded late last year.
Now that the first fiscal year of funding has passed, the Minnesota History Coalition is again seeking the input of historical organizations and citizens from around the state in order to evaluate how the grant program is working. Seven meetings have been scheduled at the following locations:
* F&M Community Bank, Preston, July 14, 9:30 a.m.
* Hjemkomst Heritage Center, Moorhead, July 20, 1:30 p.m.
* B’nai Abraham Synagogue, Virginia, July 21, 1 p.m.
* NEW! Little Falls Public Library, July 22, 10:30 a.m.
* Cottonwood County Historical Society, Windom, July 27, 10 a.m.
* North Star Museum, North St. Paul, August 2, 9 a.m.
* Edina Historical Society, August 3, 1 p.m.
The meeting in Little Falls is a late addition to the schedule, having been added at the request of State Representatives Al Doty and John Ward.
The public and representatives from historical organizations are invited to attend these meetings to learn more about what has been accomplished through the grants program thus far, and to offer feedback on the program. To attend, please RSVP at the following link:
http://mhs.informz.net/survistapro/s.asp?id=3482
RSVPs may also be made to John Fulton at john.fulton@mnhs.org or 651-259-3467.