Our Programs

At the Foundation, our team is dedicated to partnering with and uplifting North Dakota communities to remember the past and invest in the vibrant future of our home state. Our dedication to the highest levels of stewardship, preservation, and excellence guide our work with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and generous individuals like you help us faciliate programs throughout the state. The Foundation has been instrumental in supporting critical initiatives, including the expansion of archival collections, upgrading technological infrastructure, and creating public-facing platforms that make our state's history more accessible than ever before.

Anyone can contribute to perserving North Dakota history, whether it be through participating in cultural events, visiting state historic sites and museums, writing stories and memoirs, or simply sharing your knowledge with others. Explore our programs and get involved with the Foundation today!

 

 

National History Day in North Dakota is a project-based learning program for students in grades 6 through 12 that emphasizes critical reading and thinking skills, research, analysis, and the drawing of meaningful conclusions. The State Historical Society of North Dakota, as well as National History Day, offer professional training and classroom resources throughout the year to assist educators and and students as they prepare to compete. The Foundation provides scholarships for North Dakota students participating in National History Day, and our team recently used the Jim and Gerd Tuchscherer Endowment Fund to support 18 students competing at the national level this past June.

 

 

 

The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program honors those who have shaped our state's history. These memorialized obituaries preserve cherished memories and life stories, with each tribute meticulously archived online by our team of staff and volunteers. Here are some quick facts about our program:

  • Foundation staff and volunteers have archived over 16,000 memorials for free, public use

  • users can search for tributes in 6 difference categories, including:

    • North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program - stories and memorials of deceased North Dakotans, sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association

    • North Dakota Peace Officer Memorial Program - biographies honoring fallen officers with highlights of their lives and careers

    • Lions International Hall of Fame - biographies honoring the outstanding service and actions of Lions members in North Dakota

    • Newspaper Hall of Fame - biographies honoring recognized leaders in North Dakota's newspaper industry

    • Aviation Hall of Fame - biographies honoring those in North Dakota aviation who brought exceptional recognition to themselves during their aviation careers

    • Pioneers in Broadcasting - biographies honoring broadcasters who make a lasting contribution to North Dakota television or radio production

  • every memorial tribute includes a full tribute and a photograph, with easy-to-read attachments containing further information about the honorees formatted for archival use

 

 

The Foundation is proud to partner with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and Re:discovery Software, Inc (RSI) to offer North Dakota cultural heritage institutions with access to affordable, reliable, and secure digital data storage plans to manage their collections. Local and county cultural heritage institutions in North Dakota often operate with minimal or no budgets and don't have access to technology to manage their collections, so the Foundation works to connect participating institutions with the resources they need to preserve history for generations to come. Re:discovery Software, Inc. (RSI) Proficio is a comprehensive collection management database software application that allows museums, archives and manuscript repositories, reference libraries, and archaeological sites to fully document current and historical information about their collections.