Recent News
TOPEKA – Humanities Kansas recently awarded a SHARP Recovery Grant in the amount of $3,045 to the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum in La Crosse, Kansas. The primary mission of the museum is “To observe and commemorate the history of barbed wire and its importance in the development of the United States and properly preserve its historical record.” A portion of the grant will fund digitization and cataloging a portion of the museum’s historical collection. The SHARP Recovery Grants support Kansas cultural organizations that provide humanities programming and are facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus. Grants are for general operating support, staff retention, and needed digital and/or operational transitions for cultural work in the post-pandemic era. Humanities Kansas awarded 121 SHARP grants statewide.
“Humanities Kansas is honored to be able to support Kansas cultural organizations as we recover from the impact of Covid,” said Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This past year has demonstrated that Kansans lean into the humanities during challenging times. Kansas cultural organizations that do work in the humanities provide important social connections and contribute to the economic well-being and strength of our communities.”
Funds have been made available through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to assist cultural institutions affected by the coronavirus as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden.
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, HK's pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with statewide partners and supporters, HK inspires all Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures, and cultures to enrich their lives and to serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
The recent COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant impact on businesses across the country. The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum was also hard-hit. Due to risks of the pandemic, for the first time in over 50 years, the annual Barbed Wire Festival was cancelled. The festival is one of the primary sources
of funding for the museum. In addition, following federal and state recommendations, the museum did not open in May for the summer season. Since the museum relys on donations and gift-shop sales to cover expenses of operations, with no revenue, the museum was in a serious financial situation. Thanks to
the generosity of the Kansas Humanities Council, the museum was awarded a Humanities Kansas CARES grant to cover a portion of utilities and volunteer stipends. The Humanities Kansas CARES Act Relief grants support Kansas cultural organizations that provide humanities programming and are facing financial hardship.
due to the coronavirus. Grants are intended to be used for emergency general operating support and staff retention in the humanities and cultural nonprofit sector. Funding for this program is provided by Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit cultural organization connecting communities with history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life.
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