Purpose

Provide funding to preserve and share the history of Asian Americans in Minnesota. Specifically, allocate money to document unheard stories of Asian Minnesotans, and to educate the public about how Asian people migrated to Minnesota and what they experienced here.

Main Provisions

• Funding amount and source: $1,000,000 appropriated in fiscal year 2027 from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
• Administration: The grant is given to the governing board of the Minnesota Historical Society.
• Recipient and goal: A grant to the Coalition of Asian American Leaders to support work documenting stories of Asian Minnesotans.
• Activities funded: Research, translation, interpretation, staff, community outreach, production, and marketing of the project.
• Use of funds: The Coalition may provide grant funding to project partners to help document stories within ethnically specific Asian Minnesotan communities.
• Scope: Focus on educating the public about the history of Asian migration to Minnesota and the experiences of Asian Americans in Minnesota.

Administrative and Policy Context

• This is an appropriation under the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
• The Minnesota Historical Society is charged with administering the grant and overseeing the project.
• The bill emphasizes capturing voices and perspectives that may not have been recorded before, targeting communities defined as ethnically specific Asian Minnesotan communities.

Significance and Potential Impact

• Expands funding for Asian Minnesotan history and lived experiences.
• Encourages collaboration with community partners to document diverse narratives.
• Aims to improve public education about immigrant history and the experiences of Asian Americans in Minnesota.

Significant Changes to Existing Law (Summary)

• Creates a new or expanded funding program under the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund specifically for documenting Asian American history in Minnesota.
• Establishes a grant mechanism administered by the Minnesota Historical Society for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders to fund related research and outreach.

Relevant terms Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Minnesota Historical Society Coalition of Asian American Leaders Asian Minnesotans Asian migration Asian Americans unheard stories research translation interpretation staffing community outreach production marketing grant funding project partners ethnically specific Asian Minnesotan communities fiscal year 2027 appropriation