| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Saugatuck-Douglas History Center |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $5,000 |
| If your organization received Aware funding in the previous years, how many clients were serviced and/or how many services were provided with those funds. If you receive Aware funding this current year, how many clients will be serviced and/or how many services will be provided with these funds? | The History Center reached an audience of over 7,000 people in 2024. This includes in-person attendance at the SDHC's two main facilities, the History Center galleries in Douglas and Museum at Mt Baldhead Park. We anticipate increased attendance this year at exhibitions and programming based on expanded open hours and robust program calendar. |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Steve Hutchins, President |
| Your Contact Information | Eric Gollannek |
| Phone | 268-857-5751 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | For almost four decades, the SDHC has provided leadership to support Saugatuck, Douglas and greater Allegan County in preserving local history and inspiring learning to inform and improve our community. Through the efforts of its nine-member working board, paid full-time Executive Director, and team of more than 50 local citizen volunteers, the SDHC has provided residents and visitors with a wide range of programming, services, and cultural enrichment at two sites: the History Museum at Mt Baldhead in Saugatuck and the History Center in Douglas. The History Center directly serves the 5,686 local residents of the Saugatuck-Douglas area and surrounding townships by promoting awareness of the community’s history. As the area's only collecting institution for art and historical archives, the SDHC also serves as caretaker for our community's memories and priceless artifacts. The SDHC also works with Saugatuck Public Schools on programming and enrichment. SPS consists of three schools serving 815 students from across the region. |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | The SDHC seeks support for general operations from West Shore AWARE to ensure we can deliver quality arts and humanities programming free of charge to our community. We have a record of success in providing quality programming for the Lakeshore community. With an efficient operating budget of $225,000, the SDHC relies on the time and talent of its 50+ volunteers to compliment the work of its professional staff to achieve impressive results. The SDHC relies on grants, membership dues, and community donations to support its facilities (History Center in Douglas and Museum at Mt Baldhead Park in Saugatuck) as well as developing and delivering programs and exhibits. Direct expenses supported by the grant will include stipends for interns assisting with events and museum operations, honoraria for speakers at programs, and support for staff researching and planning programs. Funds also support continued care for our collections, underwriting expenses of framing artwork, art and archival conservation treatments, and special materials for archival storage and preservation. |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | Support from West Shore Aware will help cover the programming and operational costs associated with delivering inclusive and engaging programming free of charge to the community. Donations and grants make up the majority of the SDHC’s revenue with approximately 55% of operational funds coming from individual donations, 18% from grants, 16% from membership dues, and 9% from facility rentals and merchandise sales. Continued grant funding from West Shore Aware will allow our organization to maintain the gardens and historic buildings that are an asset to residents and visitors alike. Funding also ensures the continued care for the priceless artworks and historical treasures featured in our archives and award-winning exhibitions. Recent SDHC activities have included five new exhibits, twenty-four public programs, and support for community partnerships. Thanks to financial support from West Shore AWARE as well as Michigan Humanities, the SDHC continued work on a community-driven LGBTQ History Project to better document diverse communities at the Lakeshore. This project included care for significant local archival collections on LGBTQ businesses and social life. It also led to the development of a new history exhibit in 2021 at the History Center titled Century of Progress: 100 Years of LGBTQ history in Saugatuck-Douglas that has remained on long-term display. In 2023 the SDHC opened a new exhibit, HerStory: Women's History in Saugatuck-Douglas and in 2024 the historical art exhibit, Seasons at the Lakeshore, highlighting the "Art history of the Art Coast of Michigan." In 2022, the SDHC hosted speakers including historian Sharon Carlson presenting on the life of Forman Brown, Allegan County author of Better Angel (1933) one of the earliest novels featuring a gay protagonist. The History Center also hosted historian Dr. Tim Retzloff and illustrator Isabel Clare Paul who shared the story of the first “Christopher Street Detroit ‘72” Pride parade to mark the event’s 50th anniversary. Enhanced programming requires additional resources for travel and honoraria for speakers, expenses that can be underwritten in part through support from West Shore AWARE. With over 30 years of highly innovative museum exhibitions, fifteen books on area history, year-round local history programming and leadership in historic preservation and documentation, the SDHC has helped build the sense of place and history of the Saugatuck-Douglas area. The SDHC has won awards from the Michigan Museum Association, the American State and Local History Association, the Historical Society of Michigan, and the State of Michigan Governor’s Heritage Award. In the upcoming year and beyond, the SDHC will continue to build robust collaborative partnerships with Saugatuck Public Schools, the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, and Ox-Bow School of Art. |
| 4. Summary | The Saugatuck-Douglas History Center seeks support from West Shore AWARE for its ongoing LGBTQ arts and history programming. The Saugatuck-Douglas History Center serves Lakeshore residents and visitors alike, free of charge, with the delivery of arts and humanities programs. The SDHC’s mission to “preserve local history and inspire learning” has driven the creation of engaging exhibits on relevant and diverse topics since 1986. Funding from West Shore AWARE allows us to share our community’s stories in programs and exhibits including Burr Tillstrom in Saugatuck, Century of Progress: 100 Years of LGBTQ History in Saugatuck-Douglas, the Lure of Mount Baldhead exhibit, and HerStory: Women's History in Saugatuck-Douglas. |
| Application Agreement | This is an application, otherwise known as a Request for Funding (RFF), from
West Shore Aware. This RFF is a request from your organization to Aware, for Aware to host a
Fundraising Event for your organization. By completing this RFF, your organization is requesting to be considered by Aware’s membership for an Aware fundraising event to be held during the summer of this year, also known as the White Party.
If your organization is chosen for a fundraising event by the Aware membership, your organization will agree to the following terms and conditions for the said fundraising event. 1. Aware will be given and provided full credit for the fundraising event in all of you organization’s publicity and advertising for said event, to include but not limited to event posters, newspaper advertising, handouts, radio and television advertising for the event, and organizational announcements concerning the event. 2. Your organization will only use the funds raised by Aware from said event for the purpose described in the RFF submitted to Aware. 3. Your organization understands that West Shore Aware is a philanthropic organization of LBGTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and that the funds your organization receives from Aware will be coming from the West Michigan lakeshore community. 4. The funds received from Aware as a result of the fundraising event will be net, after expenses for said fundraising event are paid. 5. Aware may use the name of your organization in its own advertising and publicity as a recipient of funds.. 6. Your organization will supply Aware with written approval to hold, or be part of a fundraising event held by Aware. 7. West Shore Aware reserves the right to audit any organization that receives funding to determine whether the funds were used as described in its RFF. 8. Your organization will allow West Shore Aware to use you organization’s name on the West Shore Aware website. In addition, if your organization has a website, you will link that website to the West Shore Aware website and allow West Shore Aware to link to your organization’s site. West Shore Aware’s web site link must remain on your web site for a full year from the date of the monetary disbursement. Failure to do so will disqualify you from requesting future funding. Once you have completed the RFF and agreed to the aforementioned, please submit it. Please sign this document below, indicating acceptance of the aforementioned terms and conditions. By signing the document, you acknowledge your organization is a registered 501(C) 3 Charitable organization. |
| Signature | |
| Date | 03/31/2025 |
| Ready to Submit |
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