$113k awarded to 24 Cultural Nonprofits
Virginia—Today, Virginia Humanities—the state humanities council—announced $113,193 in grants to 24 nonprofit organizations.
The announcement is the first round of grants to be awarded following the elimination of $1.7M in Virginia Humanities' federal funding due to cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year.
"For 50 years, we've supported Virginia's cultural economy with grants that have reached every corner of the commonwealth, including each and every legislative district," said Virginia Humanities' executive director Matthew Gibson. "While the last few months have been difficult due to federal cuts, we remain committed to prioritizing and supporting Virginia's cultural institutions through grantmaking."
"For 50 years, we've supported Virginia's cultural economy with grants that have reached every corner of the commonwealth."
Matthew Gibson
The announcement also includes the first round of grants from two newly established regional humanities centers in Wise (UVA Wise) and Norfolk (WHRO). The regional centers were opened as part of an effort to reach more Virginians in the communities where they live and illustrate the ways the humanities bring communities together to foster dialogue and understanding.
To learn more about Virginia Humanities and future grant opportunities visit VirginiaHumanities.org/grants.
Rapid Grants
Floyd JAMs After School Support 2025 –2026: The June Bug Center for Arts & Education ($3500)
Floyd, VA
Support for the “Junior Appalachian Musicians” (JAM) program, an ongoing cultural education initiative that has introduced over 1,000 children in the New River Valley to the traditional music of Appalachia, including fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar, and the cultural history of the region.
Preserving Our Voices: Oral Histories at the Parker Sydnor Historic Site in Mecklenburg County: Literacy InterActives, Inc. ($3500)
Clarksville, VA
Support for a series of oral interviews focusing on elderly African Americans who have living history memories of the Parker Sydnor log cabin site, a unique historic location in rural Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
James Solomon Russell Middle School History Project: James Solomon Russell Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives, Inc. ($3500)
Lawrenceville, VA
Support for the recording and preservation of the history of the segregated James Solomon Russell High School, to be compiled into a book that will be available to the public.
Tastes of Home: A Refugee Recipe Collection: Mozaic ($3500)
Sterling, VA
Support to produce a print and digital mini booklet that will feature the stories and recipes of three refugees who have resettled in Virginia, sharing the cultural heritage of refugee communities while fostering cross-cultural understanding through storytelling and food.
Samuel D. Blacksmith Shop 2nd Annual Shoebox Lunch Festival: Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum ($3500)
Onancock, VA
Support for the 2nd Annual Shoebox Lunch Festival, an event that will connect visitors to the powerful history of the shoe box lunch tradition and the essential craft of blacksmithing — both vivid symbols of perseverance and ingenuity during the Jim Crow era.
3rd Annual Floyd Living Traditions Festival: Floyd Center for the Arts ($3500)
Floyd, VA
Support for the Floyd Living Traditions Festival, an annual celebration of Floyd’s rich heritage of traditional arts and music.
Floyd, VA
Support for the “Junior Appalachian Musicians” (JAM) program, an ongoing cultural education initiative that has introduced over 1,000 children in the New River Valley to the traditional music of Appalachia, including fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar, and the cultural history of the region.
Preserving Our Voices: Oral Histories at the Parker Sydnor Historic Site in Mecklenburg County: Literacy InterActives, Inc. ($3500)
Clarksville, VA
Support for a series of oral interviews focusing on elderly African Americans who have living history memories of the Parker Sydnor log cabin site, a unique historic location in rural Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
James Solomon Russell Middle School History Project: James Solomon Russell Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives, Inc. ($3500)
Lawrenceville, VA
Support for the recording and preservation of the history of the segregated James Solomon Russell High School, to be compiled into a book that will be available to the public.
Tastes of Home: A Refugee Recipe Collection: Mozaic ($3500)
Sterling, VA
Support to produce a print and digital mini booklet that will feature the stories and recipes of three refugees who have resettled in Virginia, sharing the cultural heritage of refugee communities while fostering cross-cultural understanding through storytelling and food.
Samuel D. Blacksmith Shop 2nd Annual Shoebox Lunch Festival: Samuel D. Outlaw Blacksmith Shop Memorial Museum ($3500)
Onancock, VA
Support for the 2nd Annual Shoebox Lunch Festival, an event that will connect visitors to the powerful history of the shoe box lunch tradition and the essential craft of blacksmithing — both vivid symbols of perseverance and ingenuity during the Jim Crow era.
3rd Annual Floyd Living Traditions Festival: Floyd Center for the Arts ($3500)
Floyd, VA
Support for the Floyd Living Traditions Festival, an annual celebration of Floyd’s rich heritage of traditional arts and music.
Virginia Humanities at WHRO
Living History Activities: 1750 Isle of Wight County Courthouse ($6000)
Smithfield, VA
Support for a series of living history reenactments during the Courthouse's 275th Anniversary, with stories commemorating Court Day, the Signing of the Declaration, Juneteenth, and Constitution Week.
Public Programming Honoring the Legacy of Irene Leache and Annie Wood: Chrysler Museum of Art ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for public programming that will illuminate the lives and enduring legacies of Irene K. Leache and Annie C. Wood, two visionary educators who, in 1871, traveled to Norfolk and shaped the city’s post-Civil War educational and cultural renaissance.
Giving Voice to Those Who Serve at Home: Hero Kids Foundation ($1100)
Suffolk, VA
Support for a community-focused media program in Western Tidewater to empower youth from uniformed families to share their stories through hands-on videography and digital media training.
Military Aviation Museum Observation Deck Enhanced Visitor Experience: Military Aviation Museum ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for the development of an interpretive exhibit space on the Museum’s Observation Deck which will explore aviation history, aircraft restoration, and personal stories from the World Wars.
Preserving and Displaying Historical Artifacts of Woodville School: Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation ($6000)
Gloucester, VA
Support for the design and installation of display cases for historical artifacts from the Woodville Rosenwald School, the only remaining Rosenwald School of the six that were built in Gloucester County.
Amplifying Talent: Students Take the Stage at Supernova: Supernova Alliance ($4900)
Hampton, VA
Support for the Amplifying Talent program which equips students from historically underrepresented communities with hands-on training in live event production while exploring the cultural roots of ska and reggae music.
Stars Among Us: Illuminating Untold Tales of the Holocaust: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for the Stars Among Us podcast, a project that focuses on sharing the lived experiences of Holocaust survivors who later made their home in Hampton Roads.
VSO Lecture for New Work: Virginia Symphony Orchestra ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for a lecture program to complement an educational and musical showcase exploring how religious music is woven into the fiber of the Black American experience.
ROŪGE and The Great Filipino American Aswang Pageant: Rouge VA ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for the Great Filipino American ASWANG Pageant, a multidisciplinary humanities project exploring how folklore shapes identity, memory, and belonging in the Filipino American community.
Deep Roots: Justin Holland’s Journey from Chesapeake to the World: Tidewater Classical Guitar ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for a humanities-centered documentary exploring the life and legacy of Justin Holland—America’s first Black classical guitar virtuoso, born in what was historically Norfolk County, now part of Chesapeake’s Deep Creek region.
ACE (African Cultural Education) with TACA: Tidewater African Cultural Alliance ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for a series of free after school programs that will teach elementary and middle school students about three African countries and how they relate to Virginia through geography, history, language, storytelling, and dance.
Smithfield, VA
Support for a series of living history reenactments during the Courthouse's 275th Anniversary, with stories commemorating Court Day, the Signing of the Declaration, Juneteenth, and Constitution Week.
Public Programming Honoring the Legacy of Irene Leache and Annie Wood: Chrysler Museum of Art ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for public programming that will illuminate the lives and enduring legacies of Irene K. Leache and Annie C. Wood, two visionary educators who, in 1871, traveled to Norfolk and shaped the city’s post-Civil War educational and cultural renaissance.
Giving Voice to Those Who Serve at Home: Hero Kids Foundation ($1100)
Suffolk, VA
Support for a community-focused media program in Western Tidewater to empower youth from uniformed families to share their stories through hands-on videography and digital media training.
Military Aviation Museum Observation Deck Enhanced Visitor Experience: Military Aviation Museum ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for the development of an interpretive exhibit space on the Museum’s Observation Deck which will explore aviation history, aircraft restoration, and personal stories from the World Wars.
Preserving and Displaying Historical Artifacts of Woodville School: Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation ($6000)
Gloucester, VA
Support for the design and installation of display cases for historical artifacts from the Woodville Rosenwald School, the only remaining Rosenwald School of the six that were built in Gloucester County.
Amplifying Talent: Students Take the Stage at Supernova: Supernova Alliance ($4900)
Hampton, VA
Support for the Amplifying Talent program which equips students from historically underrepresented communities with hands-on training in live event production while exploring the cultural roots of ska and reggae music.
Stars Among Us: Illuminating Untold Tales of the Holocaust: United Jewish Federation of Tidewater ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for the Stars Among Us podcast, a project that focuses on sharing the lived experiences of Holocaust survivors who later made their home in Hampton Roads.
VSO Lecture for New Work: Virginia Symphony Orchestra ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for a lecture program to complement an educational and musical showcase exploring how religious music is woven into the fiber of the Black American experience.
ROŪGE and The Great Filipino American Aswang Pageant: Rouge VA ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for the Great Filipino American ASWANG Pageant, a multidisciplinary humanities project exploring how folklore shapes identity, memory, and belonging in the Filipino American community.
Deep Roots: Justin Holland’s Journey from Chesapeake to the World: Tidewater Classical Guitar ($6000)
Norfolk, VA
Support for a humanities-centered documentary exploring the life and legacy of Justin Holland—America’s first Black classical guitar virtuoso, born in what was historically Norfolk County, now part of Chesapeake’s Deep Creek region.
ACE (African Cultural Education) with TACA: Tidewater African Cultural Alliance ($6000)
Virginia Beach, VA
Support for a series of free after school programs that will teach elementary and middle school students about three African countries and how they relate to Virginia through geography, history, language, storytelling, and dance.
Virginia Humanities at UVA Wise
Planting Stories: Exploring the Cultural and Medicinal Heritage of SWVA's Plants: Union High School ($4902.53)
Big Stone Gap, VA
Support for a project that will engage Union High School’s 11th and 12th grade Ecology students in identifying native edible and medicinal plants in Southwest Virginia, including their historical and cultural significance.
Robert Preston House Exhibits: Bristol Historical Association, Inc. ($5000)
Bristol, TN
Support for the development of a combined house and surveyors museum at the historic Robert Preston House in Washington County, Virginia—believed to be the area’s oldest surviving frame structure.
Traditional Textiles and Traditional Foods: Settlers Museum and 1890s Farm ($4698)
Atkins, VA
Support for the creation and installation of two new exhibits that will show how early settlers ate and clothed themselves on an isolated and challenging frontier.
From “Rockets’ Red Glare” to “Rockets Up There”: Saltville and The American Story: Saltville Foundation ($4971.80)
Saltville, VA
Support for the development of a new permanent exhibit and the expansion of current exhibits, adding more audio-visual elements that will incorporate community elders’ oral histories.
Buchanan County Public Library's Speakers Series: The Friends of the Buchanan County Public Library, Inc. ($3246)
Grundy, VA
Support for a new speaker series at Buchanan County Public Library that will bring authors, academics, journalists, and public figures to Grundy, Virginia.
Preservation, Planning and Progress: Wise County Historical Society ($4975)
Wise, VA
Support for the preservation of thousands of documents and collected materials, research, and family histories that comprise Wise’s local history.
Annual Red Fox Storytelling Festival: Stories of Labor: Town of Pound ($4400)
Pound, VA
Support for the 8th Annual Red Fox Storytelling Festival which highlights Appalachian oral traditions through storytelling, author talks, music, and interactive activities that preserve and celebrate regional culture and history.
Big Stone Gap, VA
Support for a project that will engage Union High School’s 11th and 12th grade Ecology students in identifying native edible and medicinal plants in Southwest Virginia, including their historical and cultural significance.
Robert Preston House Exhibits: Bristol Historical Association, Inc. ($5000)
Bristol, TN
Support for the development of a combined house and surveyors museum at the historic Robert Preston House in Washington County, Virginia—believed to be the area’s oldest surviving frame structure.
Traditional Textiles and Traditional Foods: Settlers Museum and 1890s Farm ($4698)
Atkins, VA
Support for the creation and installation of two new exhibits that will show how early settlers ate and clothed themselves on an isolated and challenging frontier.
From “Rockets’ Red Glare” to “Rockets Up There”: Saltville and The American Story: Saltville Foundation ($4971.80)
Saltville, VA
Support for the development of a new permanent exhibit and the expansion of current exhibits, adding more audio-visual elements that will incorporate community elders’ oral histories.
Buchanan County Public Library's Speakers Series: The Friends of the Buchanan County Public Library, Inc. ($3246)
Grundy, VA
Support for a new speaker series at Buchanan County Public Library that will bring authors, academics, journalists, and public figures to Grundy, Virginia.
Preservation, Planning and Progress: Wise County Historical Society ($4975)
Wise, VA
Support for the preservation of thousands of documents and collected materials, research, and family histories that comprise Wise’s local history.
Annual Red Fox Storytelling Festival: Stories of Labor: Town of Pound ($4400)
Pound, VA
Support for the 8th Annual Red Fox Storytelling Festival which highlights Appalachian oral traditions through storytelling, author talks, music, and interactive activities that preserve and celebrate regional culture and history.
About Virginia Humanities
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state. We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all get to know each other a little better. Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.
Virginia Humanities is the state humanities council. We’re headquartered in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, but we serve the entire state. We aim to share the stories of all Virginians—or, better yet, find ways for people to share their own stories. We want Virginians to connect with their history and culture and, in doing that, we hope we’ll all get to know each other a little better. Founded in 1974, we are one of fifty-six humanities councils created by Congress with money and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make the humanities available to all Americans. To learn more, visit VirginiaHumanities.org.