The Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS) is partnering with Georgia Humanities, an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Georgia Humanities is utilizing the ECDS open source web-based application OpenTour Builder to help in its mission to preserve and promote the rich cultural stories, treasures, and values of Georgia.
Georgia Humanities is offering grants to nonprofit organizations to create walking and driving tour mobile apps using OpenTour. Grant applications are accepted twice a year, postmarked by March 30 in spring and September 30 in fall. Nonprofit organizations can apply for funds to support the creation of an OpenTour as a part of these grant cycles.
On April 5, 2019, ECDS met with Georgia Humanities grant recipients from the Cartersville Downtown Development Authority, the Etowah Valley Historical Society, the Savannah Archaeological Alliance, and the Sankofa African American Heritage Trail of East Liberty County Georgia to train the participants on the OpenTour platform. Georgia Humanities has awarded grants to these groups to create tours that will be available on Georgia Humanities’ OpenTour site. Georgia Humanities also awarded a grant to Thomasville Landmarks for “The Jewish History of Thomasville, GA,” who trained on the OpenTour app last year. The Cartersville Downtown Development Authority and the Etowah Valley Historical Society will create the “Walking tour of Cartersville’s African American Business District: 1870-1940,” the Savannah Archaeological Alliance will create the “Buried History – Savannah’s African American Legacy,” and the Sankofa African American Heritage Trail of East Liberty County Georgia will create “Sankofa African American Geechee Heritage Trail.” The tours are expected to launch in summer and fall of 2019.