Two grants will aid Ridgefield Historical Society

The Ridgefield Historical Society has received two grants that will support its operating budget and programming in the coming year.

From Connecticut Humanities, an independent, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Historical Society has received a $2,500 CARES Act Humanities Relief Grant. The funds are provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to preserve jobs and help support organizations negatively impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Ridgefield Historical Society is one of 56 state organizations to receive operating support grants totalling $415,000.

The Historical Society is also the recipient of a $2,500 grant for programming expenses from the Fairfield County Bank, a longtime supporter of the organization’s work.

During the Covid-19 restrictions, the Historical Society has dramatically increased its online programming as well as launched a Covid-19 Archival Project to preserve materials related to Ridgefield’s experiences during the pandemic. In addition, the Ridgefield Historical Society has applied for and received a two-year grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program to study the Revolutionary War Battle of Ridgefield, which will begin in the fall.