The following is a text-only press release from the federal Institute of
Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  You may read an HTML version of the
release on the IMLS Web site at:
http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/071905.htm.

July 19, 2005
							
CONTACT: Eileen Maxwell, 202-653-4632, mailto:[log in to unmask]


Nation's Largest Federal Grant Program for Museums Awards $16.8 Million
Coast to Coast

Museums for America Grants fund Seminal Exhibits, Digital Projects,
Lifelong Learning, Outreach to Youth and Seniors, Museum Publications,
Research, and Much More

Washington, DC-The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services
awarded $16,859,240 to 169 museums across the country today under its
highly competitive Museums for America grant program. The largest
federal grant program for museums in the country, the Institute received
543 applications requesting over $50 million.  Museums for America
grants are designed to help museums sustain the world's cultural
heritage, support lifelong learning, and serve as centers of community
engagement.  For a list of museums funded organized by state with
descriptions of their winning grant projects, please access:
http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/071905a.htm

"Museums for America grants help museums position themselves to play a
vital role in the development of strong learning communities," said the
Institute's Acting Director Mary Chute. "The museums will match the
federal dollars with an additional $32,891,246 to fund educational and
cultural exhibits, digitize and integrate collections for greater
access, work with schools to develop curricula and programs, and conduct
research that will encourage civic participation, build 21st century
skills, invest in our youth, and reach out to seniors.  The grants are
investments in museums and in America." 

Examples of how America's museums will use the grants include:

Philadelphia's National Constitution Center's Benjamin Franklin: In
Search of a Better World exhibit scheduled to open December 2005.
Celebrating the first founding father to turn 300, the exhibit will
showcase the largest collection of historic items related to Franklin
ever amassed.  In addition to premiering the six-city exhibit, the
National Constitution Center will also convene a regional volunteer
fair, present a symposium on the latest forms of citizen
self-expression, and host a nationwide contest to identify a current-day
Benjamin Franklin.

The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, Indiana, will transform Art Smart:
Indiana, an outreach program originally developed to teach Indiana
history through artwork created by Native American artists, into a major
public educational program. The new project will include contemporary
art, cross-reference to Indiana Academic Standards for teacher
curriculum planning, upgraded equipment (laptops and LCD projectors),
docent training for statewide presentations, and outreach to a statewide
audience, including day care and senior centers, libraries, teacher
organizations, and others.

The publication of the second edition of the Jepson Herbarium (located
on the campus of UC Berkley) Manual of Higher Plants of California
(1993), the primary source of information for California plants. Smaller
institutions, public agencies, professional biologists, and private
citizens all rely on it for authoritative data to guide responsible land
use and conservation decisions.  Last published in 1993, 72 percent of
the content in the second edition will change to reflect new scientific
understandings.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal
grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of
learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The
Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by
supporting the 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries in America. The
Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit
of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please
visit http://www.imls.gov

###


Eileen Maxwell
Public Affairs Officer
Institute of Museum and Library Services 1800 M Street, NW 9th Floor
Washington, DC  20036-5802
202-653-4632
202-653-4600(fax)
[log in to unmask]

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