Humboldt County education, cultural institutions get $140K in COVID-19 relief

June 07, 2022

A handful of educational and cultural institutions in Humboldt County are set to receive $140,000 to revive programs that were disrupted by the pandemic.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced several tribes and cultural institutions along the North Coast had been awarded funds through the National Endowment for the Humanities’ American Rescue Plan humanities grants program. In Humboldt County, specifically, the Hoopa Tribal Museum received $40,000, the Northern California Tribal Court Coalition received $50,000 and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Redwood Writing Project received $50,000.

“The cultural and tribal organizations receiving this funding are important parts of the history and way of life in our district, and it’s critical they receive the support they need as the nation rebuilds from the pandemic,” Huffman said in a statement. “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, these groups are getting a much-needed lifeline to invest in programs and initiatives that will ensure a robust and inclusive humanities sector thrives in our region.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural institutions have been particularly hard-hit both locally and nationally. Not only did many have to close their doors and shut down programs, but there wasn’t much support available for the humanities at the state or federal level early on in the pandemic, leading to furloughs, layoffs and permanent closures.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law about a year ago and included $135 million in supplemental funding to the NEH, which was intended to assist humanities organizations and cultural institutions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NEH awarded $3.6 million of those funds to the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums and $3.1 million to the National Writing Project to award grants of their own.

The Hoopa Tribal Museum and Northern California Tribal Court Coalition both received their grants through the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums to reestablish community-based humanities programs. The Redwood Writing Project received its funding from the National Writing Project to deepen engagement with underrepresented communities.

Sonia Waraich can be reached at 707-441-0504.

 

 

 


By:  Sonia Waraich
Source: Eureka Times Standard