Planning grants awarded to 15 states, District of Columbia, Guam

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2001--William R. Ferris, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), today announced the first 17 grants under an initiative to create comprehensive online encyclopedias for all 50 states, all five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

"NEH's online state encyclopedia initiative will have a tremendous educational and economic impact in each state," Ferris said. "With an online encyclopedia as a portal, each state's cultural heritage will become readily accessible not only in America but throughout the world. The encyclopedias will raise awareness of the importance of geographical roots and foster pride of place."

The NEH grants, totaling $731,000, have been awarded for the planning of online encyclopedias in 15 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. The states are Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Hawai'i, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island and Virginia.

Because online encyclopedias are not subject to the space constraints of print encyclopedias, online articles can be more comprehensive. The grants will allow each grantee to develop a plan for designing an online publication in consultation with potential collaborating institutions, contributors, technical experts and intended users.

"Teachers will be able to incorporate articles from the encyclopedias into their lesson plans," Ferris added. "Students at all levels will have a vast amount of reliable, constantly updated information at their fingertips. Travelers will have a comprehensive and evolving source of information about cultural tourism, from local history and places to visit to folklore and foodways. I am very pleased to announce the first grants under this important NEH initiative."

The next application deadline for planning grants for online state encyclopedias is July 1, 2001. For information, contact Helen Aguera or Joseph Herring in the NEH Division of Preservation and Access at (202) 606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov.

ALABAMA
Birmingham, Alabama Humanities Foundation
$48,096
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Michael Malone, (334) 983-4924

CONNECTICUT
Middletown, Connecticut Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Stuart Parnes, (860) 767-7067

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Ethelbert E. Miller, (202) 387-8391

FLORIDA
St. Petersburg, Florida Humanities Council
$49,568
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Frank Helsom, (212) 708-9356

GUAM
Tamuning, Guam Humanities Council
$15,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Anthony A. Leon Guerrero, (671) 646-4461

HAWAI'I
Honolulu, Hawai'i Council for the Humanities
$6,500
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Mitch Yamasaki, (808) 735-4824

INDIANA
Indianapolis, Indiana Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Robert S. Kasper, (317) 638-1500

MAINE
Portland, Maine Humanities Council
$48,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Gratwick, (207) 773-5051

MARYLAND
Hunt Valley, Maryland Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Taunya L. Banks, (410) 706-3850

MICHIGAN
Lansing, Michigan Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Stephen R. Williams, (810) 982-0891

MINNESOTA
St. Paul, Minnesota Humanities Commission
$48,990
PROJECT DIRECTOR: W. Andrew Boss, (651) 523-7807

NEVADA
Reno, Nevada Humanities Committee
$43,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Barbara Cloud, (702) 895-3270

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord, New Hampshire Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Richard Kremer, (603) 224-4071

NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck, North Dakota Humanities Council
$50,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: John Ettling, (701) 777-2167

OHIO
Columbus, Ohio Humanities Council
$27,060
PROJECT DIRECTOR: George Garrison, (330) 672-2300

RHODE ISLAND
Providence, Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities
$49,727
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Charles Sullivan, (401) 273-3350

VIRGINIA
Richmond, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
$45,000
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Wyndham B. Blanton, Jr., (804) 560-6927