The following is a press release from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services:

September 21, 2004

Eileen Maxwell [log in to unmask] 202/606-8667

Mamie Bittner [log in to unmask]  202-606-8339

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA: Largest Federal Funding Program for Museums Awards $16.4 Million in Grants to Museums from Art to Zoo

Washington, DC—Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), announced awards of $16,406,694 to 186 recipients of the largest IMLS grant program for museums, Museums for America. The museums will match the grants with an additional $28,394,964. For contact information of recipients in your state and project descriptions, access: http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/mfa.pdf

The grants help museums sustain our rich cultural heritage, support lifelong learning, and serve as centers of community engagement. "Museums for America grants invest not only in museums, but in the people and communities they serve," said Dr. Martin. "The grants will advance these institutions’ role as trusted resources that create and sustain a nation of learners."

The grants are flexible and fund myriad projects, such as the development of JoCoHistory.net, a Web site of the Johnson County Museum in Shawnee, Kansas, devoted to preserving local history; the expansion of project SPARKS at the Bronx Zoo to involve the New York City Department of Education in this parent-centered program to engage children in science education; and the integration of global positioning system (GPS) and handheld technologies to enhance scholarship and the visitor’s experience at the University of California at Davis Arboretum.

Museums nationwide--urban and rural, large and small, representing the full range of museum disciplines from art to zoo--sent in 829 applications requesting over $28.3 million.

About IMLS--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 at the nation’s 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. To learn more about the Institute, please log on to http://www.imls.gov.

For contact information of recipients in your state and project descriptions, see the attached text only word document.

Eileen Maxwell

Public Affairs Specialist

Institute of Museum and Library Services 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite 510

Washington, DC 20506

202-606-8339

202-606-8591 (fax)

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