Heritage Month 2010 Grants
The Arkansas Heritage Month grant application process will begin on Monday, October 12, 2009. In recent years, dozens of organizations statewide have received grants to help develop local events and programs that support the Heritage Month theme.
The theme for the Arkansas Heritage Month is “Roads Less Traveled: The Enduring Heritage of Rural Arkansas.” Historically, Arkansas is a rural state with most residents living in the countryside or small towns. Only recently have so-called “urban centers” evolved. Life on a farmstead or remote community has shaped our state identity more than the political dealings of the capital city. During the month of May 2010, Arkansans are invited to remember and celebrate that rural legacy.
Consider this: almost all of the state’s 75 counties have their own festivals, many centered around local traditions. How are you connected to Arkansas’s rural heritage? What sets it apart from the big city? How has your hometown evolved to survive in the modern age of mechanization and mass migration? Schools or libraries might sponsor drawing, poetry or photography contests that depict aspects of Arkansas’s rural origins. Outdoor enthusiasts might organize a hiking or biking tour along the old roads and pathways. A play or music drama could dramatize life on the frontier. The 2010 Heritage Month encourages Arkansans to show how rural Arkansas continues to matter.
Grants of up to $5,000 may be requested by non-profit organizations to support a project that reflects the Heritage Month theme. The grant application booklet may be downloaded here.
Applications must be received in the Department of Arkansas Heritage office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009.
Thank you for your interest in Arkansas Heritage Month.
