THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION'S CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SUPPORT GRANTS ARE NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications from qualified museums and official county historical societies for nearly $2 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants.

This is the 11th year that PHMC has worked with the state legislature to provide funding for museums through the grant program.

“Museums and historical organizations represent the collective memory of all Pennsylvanians. These cultural institutions help us make sense of the past, providing context for decision making today and helping us chart a course toward the future we want to see,” said PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery. “We’re pleased to be able to provide the vital funds for general museum support.”

The goals of the Cultural and Historical Support Grants Program include:

• Strengthening the Pennsylvania museum community.
• Providing general operating support to museums and official county historical societies that are not supported by other state agency funding programs.
• Allowing applicants to determine and describe how they will use funds.
• Keeping the application process fair and simple.
• Determining award amounts using an equation based on a percentage of the previous year’s operating budget; and
• Achieving geographical balance in the distribution of grants.

The Cultural and Historical Support Grants Program is available to:

• Eligible museums located in Pennsylvania with annual operating budgets exceeding $100,000 and at least one full-time professional staff person (some museums are not eligible if they are eligible for grant support from other state agencies). The maximum award being $65,000.
• Official county historical societies, with awards ranging from $2,500 to $4,000.

The application period is now open. All applications must be completed by Monday, November 7, 2023. Please note that all PHMC grant applications are now submitted on the Commonwealth’s Single Application for Assistance system. The PHMC website has eligibility information and grant guidelines. Grants are expected to be approved at the December 7, 2022, commission meeting.

To confirm eligibility or learn about the application process, please contact Rusty Baker, executive director of PA Museums, rusty.baker@pamuseums.org or c-rubaker@pa.gov. PA Museums is assisting PHMC with the administration of the grant program. 

PA MUSEUMS WEBINAR TOMORROW AT 1 P.M.

There's still time to register for our webinar tomorrow! PA Museums invites you to join us for a Zoom workshop for October 5 at 1 p.m. called Padding, boxes, and trays, oh my... The program will offer an introduction to common archival materials and best practices to create museum specimen housing for small museums. This program is free for members; there is a $10 fee for nonmembers. Please join us!

ADVOCACY

The Department of Community and Economic Development's (DCED) COVID 19 ARPA PA Arts and Culture Recovery Program, a $15 million one time grant program that included museums and historical organizations in its eligibility guidelines, is still in process. Staff at DCED let us know that the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) did not have the authorization of the specific grant awards on its agenda in July; the CFA's next meeting is scheduled for November 21. If your organization applied for funding and operates on a calendar year budget, you may have to adjust your expectations and project timelines accordingly because it is now clear that funding will not be distributed until 2024.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES MEETING IN BETHLEHEM

A coalition of advocates from the arts and humanities field in Pennsylvania are organizing a one day meeting in the Lehigh Valley on November 1, 2023 to hear from federal and state grant makers, leaders in the field, and others. Registration is open!

PA MUSEUMS CONFERENCE - CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS

This year’s conference, Chance for Change: Opportunities in a Community, is intended to address the opportunities museums and historical organizations can identify and the positive changes they can make. Museums can be wonderous places featuring stories, objects, and activities that serve communities and complement social, economic, and educational initiatives around them. How cultural organizations can be more proactive and intentional when an opportunity presents itself can increase their visibility and impact and make them better community institutions. 

PA Museums’ annual meeting will be held April 14-16, 2024 in Harrisburg, and our attendees will have an opportunity to visit museums and historical organizations in the city. Our conference attendees will connect and learn as we join together for special events showcasing our member museums, educational sessions, tours, and speakers. We will also celebrate the winners of our annual Special Achievement Awards and have many opportunities to meet colleagues. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please click here to complete our online form for consideration.

PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to Pennsylvania's Rivers of Steel and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania on being named to receive Save America's Treasures funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and other federal partners.

LancasterOnline was on hand for a local historian's being recognized by the National Park Service for his work with its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

The Times News reported on the donation of a Carbon County voting machine to the State Museum.

The Philly Voice explored the Science History Institute's new exhibit Bold: Color from Test Tube to Textile.

The Herald Standard visited the Donora Smog Museum.

KDKA talked with Andy Masich, President and CEO at the Senator John Heinz History Center about the exhibit, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation.

The Allegheny Front covered discoveries at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History that frame how increased carbon dioxide levels have changed poison ivy leaves.

The display of human remains continues to be in the news. Here are stories from Philly Magazine with the the Mütter Museum and WHYY with the Penn Museum.

NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW FOR PA MUSEUMS' 2024 SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PROGRAM

Each year, PA Museums recognizes the special achievements of museums and historical organizations in Pennsylvania. This is your invitation to nominate a project or process that is exemplary, or an individual for lifetime achievement.

PA Museums awards serve as public recognition for staff, encourage museums to maintain standards of excellence, reinforce institutions when they make their case to funders, and honor awardees at an awards ceremony at our annual statewide museum conference.

Doesn’t your organization deserve to be there when awards are presented in 2024?

Please click here to see a full description of the awards program guidelines and eligibility.

The deadline to submit nominations is October 27, 2023. Nominations must be submitted through the online form.  

Please click here to complete our online Institutional Nomination Form.

Please click here to complete our online Individual Nomination Form.

MEMBERSHIP

On November 1-2, AAM is diving deeper into the trends covered in its annual TrendsWatch report at the virtual Future of Museums Summit. Join hundreds of museum professionals from wherever you are to explore how museums can help create a better, more equitable, and resilient future. Browse the full program and register with the code PA10OFF to save 10%. For more information please visit summit.aam-us.org

A member of PA Museums has asked us to share an invitation to participate in a survey with fellow members. This survey seeks to collect data on current tools used for the digitization processes within small to medium-sized museums. Please click here to help.

If your organization has a job to post with PA Museums, please review our guidelines and contact us. You can also complete and submit your job posting on our easy-to-use form.

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PA Museums | rusty.baker@pamuseums.org 

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