Old Lyme Nonprofit Scores $20K Grant For Cultural Programming

OLD LYME, CT — An Old Lyme cultural hotspot has been awarded a $20,000 grant by Connecticut Humanities, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The funding is part of $203,479 approved in Capacity, Planning, and Implementation grants to 13 cultural organizations to support humanities projects throughout the state.

The Planning and Implementation grant awarded to the Florence Griswold Museum will be used for its first solo exhibition by a contemporary Black artist, "Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams," running Feb. 22-June 22, 2025. This exhibition of new photographs will reveal unmarked locations throughout Old Lyme and Connecticut with significance to enslavement and emancipation. "An array of educational programs – many led by important Black scholars – will help visitors unpack these lesser-known CT stories and grapple with their ramifications," according to organizers.

Connecticut Humanities funds, creates and collaborates on hundreds of cultural programs across Connecticut each year. It administers a competitive grant pool made possible by the Connecticut General Assembly.

Of the 13 total awards, three were for Capacity grants, totaling $25,650. Capacity grants help Connecticut organizations that bring humanities to the public think strategically, better understand their audiences, assets, and operations, and plan for the future, according to a news release from Connecticut Humanities.

The remaining $177,829 was awarded to 10 organizations for Planning and Implementation grants, which support the planning and execution of humanities projects, such as exhibitions, public programs, and interpretive digital media projects.

Funded projects include ones that:

• Expand the historic and cultural narrative around marginalized peoples including Black, Indigenous, Puerto Rican, and queer communities.
• Commemorate America’s Semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence taking place in 2026.
• Inspire civic involvement among youth and adults.
• Support exhibitions, lectures, and films on Connecticut artists, writers, and photographers.

"We are pleased to support opportunities for the public to connect and engage with humanities content and themes, and these projects are stellar examples," said Dr. Jason R. Mancini, executive director for CT Humanities. "Through our grant funding, we help our cultural organizations cultivate the curiosity, knowledge, and understanding that is essential to a healthy democracy."