Some state councils have moved away from grants as their primary program focus, opting instead to develop and deliver programming directly, and there are remarkable projects happening across the country as a result. In Mississippi, we believe grants continue to serve our state particularly well--Mississippi is a profoundly complex place, stemming from a history that is as complicated as it is creative. Grants allow our diverse communities and organizations to conceive their own ways of grappling with our state history and exploring our vibrant culture.

Unlike other granting organizations, the Mississippi Humanities Council actively participates with applicants throughout the granting process. We counsel applicants on their plans before they apply, helping them identify weaknesses, connecting them with other organizations that may be doing similar work that could strengthen their projects, suggesting humanities scholars to inform their programs and present talks where appropriate. We also help develop evaluation plans and suggest publicity measures that will help them reach as many people in their intended market as possible. The Mississippi Humanities Council considers itself a partner in the programs we give grant support to, not simply a source of money. Throughout the life of each grant, our program staff consults with and assists project directors, and we actively promote their programs and events.

The Mississippi Humanities Council also conducts some of its own programs--we call these council-conducted programs--but grants for grassroots programming remain our focus. Among our core values is this statement: "We collaborate with partners to promote the public humanities and foster lifelong learning in Mississippi." Key words in that statement are "collaborate" and "partners"--the Mississippi Humanities Council chooses to be actively involved, supportive and available to groups wishing to conduct good humanities programming in our state. Giving away money is the easy part; our real focus is meaningful programming using the tools of the humanities fields, and so we continue to make grants our priority but with active participation from Council programming staff.