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  • 1.  small museums

    Posted 08-28-2024 10:43 AM
    I live in Washington DC, but I'm from a small town Kearny New Jersey half hour outside Manhattan. I started a museum with a friend back in 1964. It is now in the Kearny Museum located in the Kearny library. It has grown very large material. Is there a program or there should be a program where small museums can get grants or volunteer help from university that has museum courses to help these small museums organize their collection I personally would donate $5000. If there was a matching grant from the state to help small museums instead of turn them into the Smithsonian attic. there are so many small historical or small museums around the country that needs help to edit their collection
    Bill Wooby 
    202-479-2572




  • 2.  RE: small museums

    Posted 08-29-2024 06:48 AM

    Hi Bill,

    That is so great that you helped start a museum, and that it is still going! We are going to need a lot more museums and cultural organizations if we are ever to equitably preserve and share all our communities' stories and voices. Small museums are particularly good at that, especially when powered by their communities.

    There are a few sources of support that are aimed at small museums, but not nearly enough. Both the IMLS and NEH have grants for smaller institutions, as do some states, including Maryland. 

    A great place to connect with small museum professionals is the annual Small Museums Association Conference. It will next be held  Feb 17-19, 2025 in Gaithersburg, MD.

    On Oct 8 of this year, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) is offering a workshop and networking event for community museums at their annual meeting in Philadelphia. MAAM also hosts the "White Gloves Gang," volunteers who do days of service for museums in the region in conjunction with the annual meetings. They would also be great folks for you to connect with!

     I hope to meet you there,

    Nancy



    ------------------------------
    Nancy Proctor, Ph.D.
    Chief Strategy Officer and founding Executive Director
    The Peale, Baltimore's Community Museum
    Baltimore MD
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: small museums

    Posted 08-29-2024 09:48 AM
    Hi, Bill - you should definitely be able to get help from a local university or college with a museum studies (or even library science) degree or certificate program.

    Also, depending upon the category of objects in the museum, your State Humanities Council, Arts Commission and Historical Commission could have grants.  Finally, the National Endowments for the Humanities and Arts (two separate agencies) and Institute for Museum and Library Services have relatively easy grant applications for small institutions.  Your state may also have a Museums League.  A quick internet search can net you many resources.  Your local library reference staff can help with this as well as steering you toward local private funding sources.  Good Luck!  Vivian



    Original Message


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