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SDHC Awards First Round of FY25 Grants

February 15, 2025

The South Dakota Humanities Council has awarded $24,000 to four organizations to provide humanities programs in communities across the state and online.

“SDHC is pleased to sponsor these grassroots humanities programs,” said SDHC Executive Director Christina Oey. “Through supporting the good work of several local organizations, we can share history, literature, theater, film, language, and culture with audiences in communities throughout the state.”

The board of directors of the statewide non-profit, whose sole mission is to deliver humanities programs to South Dakotans, approved the grant proposals at its most recent meeting. Successful applicants submitted projects led by humanities professionals and featuring humanities as a central focus of their programs, events, or research projects.

The following organizations received awards:

  • Bluebird Cultural Initiative in Omahareceived $8,000 for “Oyate Woyaka (The People Speak) Screenings and Discussions.”  Following the successful production of the Oyate Woyaka documentary, which has been featured at film festivals and on South Dakota Public Broadcasting and other PBS affiliates, there will be several screenings around South Dakota. Each will be followed by a panel discussion with fluent Lakota elders engaging with audience members to explore the importance of maintaining the Lakota language. Learn more at https://visionmakermedia.org/filmtype/oyate-woyaka/
  • The Premiere Playhouse in Sioux Falls received $3,000 for “The Premiere Playwriting Program: World Premiere Plays’ Public Talk-Back Session.” After a year-long program culminating in the selection of two finalists, the Premiere Playhouse has brought the two plays – written, produced, and performed by local talent – to full production for the cultural enrichment and enjoyment of area audiences. Attendees also have a special opportunity to interact with the two playwrights during a Feb. 15 meet-and-greet and a public talk-back session with additional scholars. Learn more at  https://thepremiereplayhouse.com/productions/the-premiere-premieres/
  • South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings received $8,000 for “Creation.Story Exhibition and Catalog.” Creation.Story is a special travelling exhibit about Lakota and Dakota cultural creation narratives, on display at the South Dakota Art Museum until March 15. To document the project, the museum has produced an accompanying exhibit catalog featuring work and artist statements by all participating Oceti Sakowin artists, as well as essays by the exhibit’s Lakota and Dakota curators: Keith BraveHeart, Jhon Goes In Center, and Marlena Myles. Artists and curators will also present a panel discussion on March 1. Learn more at https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-art-museum/exhibit/creationstory
  • South Dakota State University School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies in Brookings received $5,000 for “2025 Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Women Writers Conference.” SDSU will co-host this national interdisciplinary conference with the University of South Dakota May 15-17 in Sioux Falls. The event will promote the development and dissemination of scholarship on 18th-and 19th-century women writers and advance innovative and inclusive pedagogical practices in secondary and higher education. Learn more at https://bwwc2025.wixsite.com/bwwc2025

The next deadline for SDHC grant applications is February 28. For more information, visit https://sdhumanities.org/grants/ or contact melinda@sdhumanities.org

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