First Round of Parish America 250 Grants Awarded
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), in partnership with the America 250 Louisiana State Commission and the Louisiana Office of the Lieutenant Governor, has awarded $34,500 in first round grants to organizations in 23 different parishes to support public humanities programming that engages local audiences with Louisiana’s significant contributions to the founding and development of the United States.
Twenty-five Parish America 250 Program Mini Grants will fund school field trips, historical lecture series, public mural projects, local Independence Day celebrations, and more as communities around the state commemorate America 250.
“It is truly inspiring to see the varied ways Louisiana is planning to celebrate our state’s role in the founding of America,” said Miranda Restovic, LEH president and executive director. “These projects showcase the ways historical thought, education, public art, and community conversations can all play a part in this celebration, and we look forward to seeing how even more communities are marking this occasion with our next round of applications.”
Parish America 250 Program Mini Grants of up to $1,500 support projects that engage with the 250th anniversary of our nation and Louisiana’s role in its establishment and ongoing contributions. Proposals are being accepted on a monthly basis through October while funds are available. The next application submission deadline is Wednesday, July 8.
“Our mini-grant program was created to provide direct support to communities across the state to celebrate this historic milestone for our country,” said Rep. Mike Bayham, chairman of the Louisiana America 250 Commission. “We look forward to seeing how the programs funded through these grants help facilitate a greater commemoration of America 250.”
See the list of first round Parish America 250 Program Mini Grant awardees below.
Allen Parish School Board
L’Ancre de la Louisiane : Encadrer la langue cadienne dans l’histoire américaine
Oberlin, Allen Parish
$1,500
Ascension Parish Library
Soundtrack of a Nation: Music and the Making of American Identity
Gonzales, Ascension Parish
$1,500
Bayou Country Children’s Museum
Constitution Day Field Trips
Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish
$1,000
Catahoula Parish School Board
Red River Revolutionaries: Exploring Central Louisiana’s Colonial Frontier
Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish
$1,500
City of Shreveport
The Threads that Bind Us: A Shreveport History Series
Shreveport, Caddo Parish
$1,500
City of Springhill Main Street
Community Freedom Festival
Springhill, Webster Parish
$1,500
City of Ville Platte
City of Ville Platte’s 3rd Annual Independence Day Celebration
Ville Platte, Evangeline Parish
$1,500
Concordia Parish Library
In Celebration of America’s 250th Birthday – The Founding Fathers
Ferriday, Concordia Parish
$1,500
Emy-Lou Biedenharn Foundation/Biedenharn Museum and Gardens
The Governor’s Table: How Spanish Louisiana Fed the American Revolution
Monroe, Ouachita Parish
$1,500
Iberia African American Historical Society
Poetic Reflections on the Achievements of African American Women in the 250-Year History of America
New Iberia, Iberia Parish
$1,500
Jackson Parish
American Revolution and the Spanish Colonial border field trip
Jonesboro, Jackson Parish
$1,500
Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission
The Long of It – Connecting Conversations on Louisiana Culture
Lafayette, Lafayette Parish
$1,500
Lafourche Heritage Society
Lafourche Heritage Society’s 48th Annual History and Genealogy Seminar
Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish
$1,000
Louisiana State Society Daughters of the American Revolution – America 250 Committee
Louisiana’s Revolutionary Legacy: Commemorating Bernardo de Gálvez and the Forces of Independence
New Orleans, Orleans Parish
$1,500
North Iberville Elementary School
Voices of North Iberville: A Tri-Town America 250 Project
Rosedale, Iberville Parish
$1,500
NUNU Arts and Culture Collective
From Stage to Salon: Music, Migration, and the Making of Community
Arnaudville, St. Martin Parish
$1,500
Rapides Parish Library
Braille Flags Installation
Alexandria, Rapides Parish
$1,000
Rapides Symphony Orchestra
Rapides Symphony 2026 “Pops on the River” Concert
Alexandria, Rapides Parish
$1,000
Seventh Ward Elementary Literacy Night
The Art of Early Louisiana: A Community Humanities Experience
Denham Springs, Livingston Parish
$1,000
St. Bernard Parish Government Office of Tourism
St. Bernard Parish America 250 Commission Revolutionary War Patriots Marker Dedication
Arabi, St. Bernard Parish
$1,500
St. Charles Parish
America 250 Mural
Hahnville, St. Charles Parish
$1,500
St. Tammany Parish Government
Declaration of Independence Parishwide Public Reading
Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish
$1,500
Town of Columbia
Main Street Community Mural
Columbia, Caldwell Parish
$1,500
Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission
Vermilion’s 250th Patriotic Celebration
Abbeville, Vermilion Parish
$1,000
West Baton Rouge Museum
West Baton Rouge hosts Iris de Rode
Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish
$1,500