2022 Grant Recipients of the Miller History Fund Announced BALTIMORE, Md. (February 3, 2022) – The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is pleased to announce the 2022 awardees of the Miller History Fund, a competitive program that supports small historical organizations statewide. Eleven organizations representing four Maryland counties and Baltimore City will receive grants up to $20,000 each to expand their capacity to steward and share state history. This year’s Miller History Fund award winners range from local historical societies to community development organizations. Projects include the preservation and digitization of collections, enhancements to exhibitions and programming, and the development of marketing and operational plans. Grantees showcase the breadth and diversity of Maryland history and culture. In addition to four projects building the capacity of organizations to steward and interpret Black history, this year’s grant cycle includes a collaborative project with the Pocomoke Indian Nation, and the Miller History Fund’s first project exploring Maryland’s rich Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. The awards total $200,000 in investment. Awarded projects for fiscal year 2022 are: Baltimore City Pride of Baltimore – A development audit and feasibility study for an endowment campaign in support of its mission to promote historical maritime education and foster economic development and tourism.Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fell’s Point –A marketing plan that will share the story of the free Black ship caulkers who lived in houses in Fell’s Point and serve as a catalyst for completing the preservation and rehabilitation of the houses.The Lenox Theatre Projects – Community listening sessions and other planning efforts informing Lenox Theatre Projects public history and revitalization efforts along the historic Pennsylvania Avenue corridor in Baltimore’s Black arts and entertainment district. Baltimore County Baltimore County Historical Society – Creation of a Baltimore County Heritage Network. Historical organizations around the County will benefit from skill-building sessions and active coordination and promotion.Maryland Lynching Memorial Project – Development of a digital database of all items relevant to the history of racial terror lynchings in Maryland. It is believed this database will be the first and only database of its kind in Maryland offering comprehensive resources on this history. Montgomery County Historic Takoma – Care and preservation of the Historic Takoma archival collections through rehousing and processing of materials and digitization of fragile and valuable collection items of high interest.Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation – A two-year research and outreach campaign dedicated to the comprehensive exploration of the history of the Asian American and Pacific Islander populations in Rockville.The Menare Foundation – Development of an operational plan and the hiring of a staff specialist to create the plan. The Menare Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of Underground Railroad history, historic sites, and environments and the creation of educational programming. Prince George’s County Prince George’s County Historical Society – The hiring of two archivists to assess the resources and collections of the historical society’s Frederick S. DeMarr Library of County History and implement archival best practices to ensure the library’s long-term viability and sustainability. Worcester County Berlin Heritage Foundation / Taylor House Museum – Conservation of objects in the collection, with a focus on an education collection that can be shared in the museum and travel to schools. The grant will also support the development of expanded youth programming around the education collection.Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum – Enhancements to the Native American exhibit through program building, audience engagement, and historically accurate representation, in partnership with the Pocomoke Indian Nation. This year’s award determinations were made by a group of third-party panelists of heritage experts working in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Delaware. MCHC staff facilitated the process but did not directly assign scores. Panelists reviewed 30 eligible applications requesting a total of nearly $600,000 in support, demonstrating the great need for further investment in Maryland’s historical sector. ”This was such a competitive cycle with so many worthy projects,” said David Belew, MCHC Director of Grants & Government Affairs. “The Miller History Fund is the only grant program in Maryland that directly supports care of historical collections or marketing and development efforts for heritage organizations. We are only addressing a fraction of the need, but we are thrilled with the diversity of the initiatives and know that the funded projects will have a major impact on the future of these 11 organizations.” The fourth cycle of Miller History Fund grants for fiscal year 2023 is scheduled to open this coming fall 2022 with a series of applicant workshops. For more information as it becomes available, visit the Miller History Fund web page. #### ABOUT THE MILLER HISTORY FUNDThe Miller History Fund is named for the late Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. “Mike” Miller. In 2018 Miller proposed and helped enact into law the annual recurring allocation for the Miller History Fund from the state’s Preservation of Cultural Arts Fund. MCHC administers the grants program as an extension of its mission to educate people of all ages about the rich history and culture of Maryland and the nation. ABOUT THE MARYLAND CENTER FOR HISTORY AND CULTUREThe Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) collects, preserves, and interprets the history, art, and culture of Maryland. Originally founded as the Maryland Historical Society in 1844, MCHC inspires critical thinking, creativity, and community through its Museum, Library, and education programs. The Museum and H. Furlong Baldwin Library are currently open Wednesday-Saturday. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Library hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn more at mdhistory.org, including MCHC’s safety procedures. MEDIA CONTACT Jennifer MichaelDirector of Communications & Marketingjmichael@mdhistory.org
