WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL INC

Programs

1. Grant program - the whc's grant program provides support for public humanities programs that strengthen our democracy through educational and cultural programs that build connections and understanding among people of all backgrounds and beliefs throughout the state. Grants are offered throughout the year to support locally initiated public humanities programs that promote reflection, dialogue, and civic participation. For this tax year, 14 new grants were awarded. There were approximately 140 grant-related events funded, with a total audience reported of more than 10,000 people this past year.

   $241,575 spentof which $106,425 as grants
   42% of program spending

2. Community powered project program- the community powered program, launched as a pilot in fall of 2021, builds resilience among wisconsin communities by helping them recognize, communicate, and act upon their strengths, challenges, and histories to envision a vibrant future.as the project continued in its fourth year of programming, 8 fellows were hired from around the state who participated in six months of training workshops teaching them skills in documenting local history, telling community stories, and activating community members in local projects. This training was followed by six months of mentorship as the wisconsin humanities fellows put their training to work in their communities, sharing what they have learned and helping residents work toward a more vibrant future. An additional set of eight fellows participated in training in the spring of 2025. Dozens of training workshops were held in tax year 2024. Additional programming under the community powered program umbrella included the continuation of the "stand up to hate" curriculum for high school students and a teacher guide for teachers. 3 school events were held during this tax year, with over 500 students and…

   $124,969 spent
   22% of program spending

3. Love wisconsin project - the love wisconsin project "celebrates our state, our lives and our shared future" via a digital storytelling project focused primarily on facebook, using the facebook groups platform. This platform has created an online community that strives to bring about a more connected, compassionate, and engaged wisconsin. This past year, many stories have been re-shared, along with dozens of instagram posts, with a monthly reach of thousands, resulting in numerous digital conversations involving thousands of participants.

   $95,204 spent
   16% of program spending

4. Podcast project - "human powered" is a podcast series about how people make places better. It's about what can happen when passionate, creative people engage deeply with their neighbors and find ways to strengthen the roots of community lives. The third season of the podcast debuted this past summer, with posting of two new podcasts per month, highlighting relevant and personal conversations with people who are using their passions, skills, and cultural traditions to create healthy civic spaces for all to build relationships and make connections. Over 3,500 people listened to the wisconsin humanities council podcasts on whc platforms this year, and hundreds of people visited the podcast website.

   $43,402 spent
   7% of program spending

5. Program partnership - in addition to its own programming, the whc provides financial support outside of the grant program for humanities programing by partner organizations in the state of wisconsin. This year the whc continued its partnership with wisconsin public radio and "wisconsin life" radio programming, airing radio essays that celebrate what makes wisconsin unique through the diverse stories of its people, with approximately 70,000 radio listeners per week through the spring of 2025. The whc also continued its support of the wisconsin poet laureate commission and the wisconsin poet laureate, the state's ambassador for poetry. The whc is one of six member organizations that provide financial support and representatives to serve on the poet laureate commission. Finally, at the end of this tax year, the whc began conducting virtual and in-person listening sessions around the state of wisconsin to hear from wisconsinites about their experiences, the strengths in their communities, and the challenges they are facing.

   $73,859 spent
   13% of program spending

The 5 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $579,009.