"A Richer World": An NEH Challenge Grant Proposal for Fayetteville Public Library to Establish a Humanities Endowment for Hum

FAIN: CH-50461-08

Fayetteville Public Library Foundation (Fayetteville, AR 72701-5819)
Louise Levy Schaper (Project Director: November 2006 to November 2008)
Michele Raine (Project Director: November 2008 to January 2010)
Shawna Thorup (Project Director: January 2010 to August 2011)
Lolly Greenwood (Project Director: August 2011 to September 2012)
David Johnson (Project Director: September 2012 to April 2016)

Endowment for a humanities coordinator, humanities programming, and related collection development.

As the culture of Northwest Arkansas changes and grows, we believe that we can best strengthen and empower our community by championing the humanities. As stated by Robert Cochran in the introduction of his book, Singing in Zion: Music and Song in the Life of an Arkansas Family, the goal of humanistic study is "sustained examination, ending in heightened understanding and appreciation of a richer world and the deeper community." In the quest to become the intellectual and cultural hub of Northwest Arkansas, the sixth fastest growing MSA in the nation, the Fayetteville Public Library has accomplished much with limited resources, but more is needed and expected. To that end, we envision the $600,000 NEH Challenge Grant inspriring our donors to establish a $2 million dollar NEH Humanities endowment. This endowment would provide the resources to enhance the humanities at FPL on three fronts: funding for a new Humanities Coordinator, humanties programming and humanities collection.