A $350,000 donation from attorney, businessman and philanthropist Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has spurred a record fundraising campaign for Florida Humanities.
Culverhouse’s challenge grant generated $707,938 in contributions, which will be used to support museums, libraries and historical societies across the state. His giving to humanities councils nationwide now tops $1 million, according to a statement.
Florida Humanities funds speaker series, film screenings, walking tours, book festivals and other programming statewide. In Sarasota and Manatee counties, the nonprofit has backed initiatives including The Library Foundation for Sarasota County’s book festivals, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Voices and Votes” and Reflections of Manatee, which highlights the county’s early settlers.
Nationally, federal humanities cuts have led to the cancellation of more than 1,400 NEH grants and the layoff of 65 percent of its staff, the statement said. Culverhouse has recently donated $425,000 to Alabama and $250,000 to Iowa humanities programs to sustain local festivals, preservation efforts and public lectures.
Culverhouse, chief executive officer of Palmer Ranch Holdings Ltd., in Sarasota, has given more than $73 million to community causes, higher education, mental health and social justice initiatives. He is the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse.
Founded in 1973, Florida Humanities has awarded more than $20 million to support cultural resources and public programs. Last year, it awarded $520,000 to 71 partners, reaching nearly 500,000 Floridians in all 67 counties.