Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants

Supporting the preservation of Minnesota’s history and culture since 2008.

The Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program —also known as Legacy Grants — is a competitive process created to provide financial support for projects focused on preserving Minnesota’s history and culture. This state-funded program is made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund using sales tax revenue resulting from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy amendment created through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. 


About this grant program

How do I apply for a grant?

Find out if your organization or project is eligible and how the application process works.

How do I manage my grant?

Learn the ins and outs of the grant you’ve received.

Deadlines

October Small Grant Application Deadline      
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 (The grants portal was unable to create and save new applications for a few days. Due to this delay, the deadline has been extended). 

January Small Grant Application Deadline    
Friday, January 10, 2025

April Small Grant Application Deadline   
Friday, April 11, 2025

All deadlines and timelines


Historic Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC) 

Large Legacy Grants Meeting on September 26 and 27, 2024

The Historic Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC) met publicly discuss and determine their funding recommendations for this year's round of large Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants applications. The meetings were held in the 3M Auditorium at the Minnesota History Center in St Paul from 10 am to 4 pm each day.  This was a public meeting and everyone is welcome to listen to the meeting either via live stream (links below) or in person at the History Center.  

Sept 26 - https://vimeo.com/event/4559917
Sept 27 https://vimeo.com/event/4559923

2025 Large applicant list for HRAC
2025 HRAC Meeting Discussion Time Tracking

HRAC discusses applications at public meetings before advancing a list of recommendations to the Minnesota Historical Society's Governing Board for final approval. 

Please send an email to grants@mnhs.org with questions.


Open House

Attend a Grants Office Open House on the first Thursday of each month from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

All events


Featured grants

Grant office webinars

The Grants office has created a series of webinars to help in the planning of your grant.

Find a specialist

The Preservation Specialists Directory is a resource of companies and individuals that can provide services for your grant projects. These include tradespeople, collections specialists, exhibit planners, and much more.

Additional history resources

Augment your history organization's development and your own management skills with these tools and services designed to help you interpret and preserve the history of your community.