Senator Yaw Announces Grant Opportunities for Museums, County Historical Societies

HARRISBURG – Qualified museums and official county historical societies are eligible for nearly $2 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants, according to state Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23).

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has announced that it has opened the application period and will begin accepting applications. Applicants must meet organizational eligibility requirements.

“The 23rd Senatorial District is home to some great museums and historical societies, which exhibit the rich history that we have in North Central and Northeastern, Pennsylvania,” Sen. Yaw said.  “Grant opportunities will help these facilities continue the work they do preserving history, and educating the public.”

This is the sixth year that the PHMC has worked with the state legislature to provide funding for museums through the grant program.  A total of $2 million was included in the 2018-2019 state budget for PHMC to use for the program. 

Awards are based on a calculation that uses the operating budget from the most recently completed fiscal year. 

The goals of the Cultural and Historic Support Program are:

  • Strengthen the Pennsylvania museum community;
  • Provide general operating support to museum and official county historical societies that are not supported by other state agency funding programs;
  • Provide financial support as unrestricted operating support to address primary needs of museums;
  • Allow applicants to determine and describe how they will use funds;
  • Keep application process fair and simple;
  • Determine award amounts using an equation based on a percentage of the previous year’s operating budget; and
  • Achieve geographical balance in the distribution of grants.

The Cultural and Historical Support grant program is restricted to eligible organizations:

  • 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 for a museum is $65,000; and
  • Official county historical societies. The awards for Official County Historical Societies range from $2,500 to $4,000.

All applications must be completed by Friday, January 25, 2019. Please note that all PHMC grant applications are now submitted on the Commonwealth’s Single Application for Assistance system at https://www.esa.dced.state.pa.us. Eligibility information and grant guidelines can be found on the PHMC website.

To confirm eligibility or learn about the application process, please contact Rusty Baker, Executive Director of PA Museums, at (717) 909-4951 or c-rubaker@pa.gov. PA Museums is assisting the PHMC with the administration of the grant program.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

For more state-related news and information visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw.

CONTACT:

Rita Zielonis, Chief of Staff

(717) 787-3280

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