Accepting Applications 8/29/22 – 10/17/22
Click Here!
What is the Legends & LoreR Roadside Marker Grant Program?
The North Carolina Folklife Institute is delighted to be partnering with The William G. Pomeroy Foundation to help bring the Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Grant Program – a national initiative of the Pomeroy Foundation – to the state of North Carolina. The Legends & Lore marker program was created to help promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as an important part of every community’s cultural heritage.
Selected applicants will receive an attractive, well-crafted metal road sign, resembling a historic marker, to commemorate a story, figure, or tradition important to their community’s folk heritage.
The Pomeroy Foundation will cover the costs of manufacturing the marker, the pole, and shipping. Grant recipients will be responsible for the installation of the marker (and, if required by their local transportation department, for the cost of a breakaway pole).
What kind of folklore is commemorated in the program?
This program recognizes that folklore generally describes traditional customs, tales (whether based in historical fact or fiction), sayings, dances or art forms of a community shared by word of mouth or observation. Folklore comprises the things people believe, say, do, and make.
Examples of folklore that might be recognized with a marker include:
- A local occurrence that has become an important story in your community – like a strange or memorable event, a supernatural phenomenon, or a folkloric explanation of a natural feature in the landscape;
- A person in your community’s history or folklore about whom tales are told;
- A special tradition — like a craft, a style of music, or a special festival — that is part of your community’s identity.
Note: When it comes to stories, the legend or lore can be historical, fictional, or somewhere in-between. What matters here is not whether a tradition is historically verifiable, but that it represents part of your community’s heritage.
There are MANY other possible examples. If your legend or lore doesn’t fit into one of these categories, don’t worry! It may still be a great candidate for a Legends & Lore roadside marker. If you have any questions about its appropriateness for the program, contact North Carolina Folklife Institute director Sarah Bryan at sarah@ncfolklife.org.
How do we apply for a Legends & Lore roadside marker?
The Pomeroy Foundation awards Legends & LoreR marker grants to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and nonprofit educational institutions. If you’re an individual, or part of a group that doesn’t fit in this category, you’re welcome to contact sarah@ncfolklife.org to talk about potentially matching you with an eligible partner.
To apply: Go to the Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore information page.
On this page you can read about the Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Grant Program. When you’re ready to begin the application process, click “Apply for Grant.”
For questions about the content of the application – that is, North Carolina-specific questions relating to the legend or lore you wish to commemorate – contact Sarah Bryan at the North Carolina Folklife Institute: sarah@ncfolklife.org.
For questions about the application website, or about the national Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Grant Program, contact the Pomeroy Foundation: info@wgpfoundation.org or call (315) 913-4060.
Legends & Lore is a registered trademark of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.