The Council is excited to announce a diverse slate of mini grant awards from our November 2018 grant cycle. Totaling $10,000 these grants will support public programs, oral histories, digital archives, and community conversations that help Rhode Islanders engage with literature, religion, and economic and social inequality. Read on for more details.
Organizations
Social Enterprise Greenhouse, Collective Memories: Mount Hope, Planning a Digital Archive – $2,000
To support the research and planning stages of an online archive to preserve and showcase oral histories, documents, and photographs gathered through Mt. Hope Empowerment Dialogues for Community Action. The project culminates in a tactical work plan that maps out the creation of a digital archive.
The Providence Athenaeum, Ravenous: The Enduring Legacy of Poe – $2,000
To support a program series shedding light on the complex connections of Edgar Allen Poe to the City of Providence and the lasting cultural legacy of his work. Through family programming, the series connects adults and students with the complex social circles of Poe and his literary contemporaries.
Touro Synagogue Foundation, New Perspectives on the History of Touro Synagogue – $2,000
To support a program series exploring the historic culture and community of Touro Synagogue. The programs are geared toward bringing together Newport’s diverse faith organizations over scholarly lectures and a community dinner. The series engages the community in conversations about American interpretations of the “holy land” and food pathways of Jewish-American culture.
Individuals
Shai Afsai, “Serviceable to People in all Religions” – American Religious Liberty, the Art of Virtue, and Judaism – $2,000
To support research exploring the intersection of American religious liberty, Benjamin Franklin’s Art of Virtue, and historic and contemporary Jewish ideals and practices. Diving into local and regional collections, the project will shed light on the lasting cross-cultural impact of colonial America’s shared ideologies and community values, in the context of religious liberty.
Daniel Denvir, Slavery’s Hinterlands – $2,000
To support research contributing to a podcast episode and a public symposium exploring Rhode Island’s deep connections to the historic institution of slavery. The research and symposium will explore, through a socialist lens, the challenges of capitalism and the economic practices that supported slavery, and the continuing social injustices of the United States.
