In response to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, the Museum Loan Network (MLN) will be awarding special grants. The MLN facilitates the long-term loan of art and objects of cultural heritage among U.S. institutions as a way to enhance the installations of museums, thus enabling them to better serve their communities. After consultation with museums, museum organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi, the MLN funding organizations, and the MLN Advisory Committee, the MLN has decided to award 10 Travel Grants of $4,500 each to museums in Louisiana and Mississippi who have been affected by recent events. As always, MLN travel grants will be awarded to prospective borrowing institutions to research possible long-term loans. However, the MLN also hopes that these trips will provide staff the opportunity to think about the future with colleagues in other places. The MLN understands that museums in these states have been affected in different ways, and therefore, any museum in these states, provided it has 501c3 status or is an agency of the local, state or federal government, will be eligible for an award. The restrictions and special nature of this initiative require a very short deadline. Therefore, in keeping with the MLN philosophy, the application process will be streamlined and straightforward. The Museum Loan Network encourages museums interested in applying for these awards to contact the MLN offices by phone at 617.252.1888 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask] as soon as possible as the deadline for submission is Friday, February 10, 2006. Lori Gross,Director Museum Loan Network, MIT 265 Massachusetts Ave., N52-401 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 T:617-252-1888 F:617-252-1899 E:[log in to unmask] http://loanet.mit.edu ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).