Featured News
Building Community Stewardship to Protect the Rouge River and the Great Lakes
With support from the Americana Foundation, Friends of Rouge Park plans to strengthen community-driven stewardship of Rouge Park - one of the most ecologically significant and under-resourced landscapes in Southeast Michigan. At more than 1,100 acres, Rouge Park contains 4.7 miles of the Rouge River, a major tributary to the…
Muskegon River Watershed Assembly Launches Friends Initiative
With support from the Americana Foundation, Muskegon River Watershed Assembly (MRWA) launched the Friends of the Muskegon River initiative to strengthen community-driven stewardship across the Muskegon River watershed-a large and complex system that ultimately drains to Lake Michigan. The project focused on reconnecting area residents to watershed protection and restoration…
Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation
On November 6, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) welcomed the Americana Foundation Board of Trustees for an exclusive tour of Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation, led by Dr. Denene De Quintal, the DIA's Associate Curator for Native American Art, who also serves as an Americana trustee. The exhibition, which is the DIA's first major Native American‑art exhibition…
Whose Revolution? Reframing the American Revolution at the Concord Museum
As the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, has taken bold steps toward reshaping how we remember its beginnings. In March 2025, the Museum opened a new special exhibition entitled Whose Revolution, which explored the many different meanings of revolution in…
New Grant to GVSU-WGVU will Support a Documentary Honoring Michigan Statehood
The Americana Foundation is pleased to award a grant to GVSU-WGVU Public Media in support of Frontier to Freedom: Wilderness, Revolution, and Michigan Statehood, a new documentary produced by Manitou Films for PBS. This one-hour film will mark the nation's semi-quincentennial by exploring Michigan's evolution from a vast wilderness to its…
Strengthening Volunteer Power for Great Lakes Conservation
This month, the Americana Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Keweenaw Land Trust (KLT) for its Volunteer Capacity Initiative: Laying the Groundwork for Lasting Impact. Founded in 1996, KLT protects more than 9,500 acres and nearly 10 miles of Lake Superior shoreline in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. The organization…
Laying the Groundwork for a Regional Food Hub in Jackson
In May 2025, the Americana Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to Grow Jackson to support the planning phase of a new regional food hub that will serve South Central Michigan. The initiative aims to address longstanding gaps in food systems infrastructure and expand market access for local farmers and food…
Strengthening Small Livestock Farms Through Peer Collaboration: Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology
In May 2025, the Americana Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology to pilot a peer-based support network for small-scale livestock producers in northwest Lower Michigan. This initiative aligns with our goal of transforming regional food systems through ecologically sound, locally rooted strategies that…
Revolutionizing Icons: Reimagining the 18th-century Art of the Americas Galleries at the MFA Boston
In 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary (the "Semiquincentennial") of its founding, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the onset of the American Revolution ("America250"). State and local governments, museums, historical associations, and other cultural and civic institutions across the country are developing programs designed…
Michigan Good Food Fund’s Seed Awards Benefit Michigan Farmers and Food Businesses
Small farmers and early-stage food entrepreneurs face numerous challenges as they work to build sustainable businesses and create or strengthen local food systems. At the earliest stages, these businesses may be perceived as too risky for traditional financing or may lack the capacity and network relationships needed to obtain sustainable…