141 Cultural and historical support grants awarded

by: Staff

Posted: May 30, 2017 / 03:41 PM EDT

Updated: May 30, 2017 / 03:41 PM EDT

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has awarded almost $2 million in grants to 141 eligible museums and official county historical societies from 57 Pennsylvania counties.

They needed to met the following criteria:

Museums located in Pennsylvania with annual operating budgets exceeding $100,000 (excluding capital and in-kind services) and at least one full-time professional staff person.
Official County Historical Societies designated as the official historical society for the county.

This is the fifth year that the PHMC has provided funding for museums through the grant program.

“Pennsylvania has an incredible story to tell through its rich history and culture, and we are fortunate to have so many wonderful museums and historical societies to serve as messengers,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “This grant funding will be distributed throughout all four corners of the commonwealth to ensure these facilities are able to continue serving as educational resources for all Pennsylvanians.”

The goal of this program is to strengthen Pennsylvania’s museum community by supporting the general operations of eligible museums and official county historical societies that are not supported by other state agency funding programs.

“For the past several years the legislature has made this program and investment across our state a priority,” Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said. “Our Commonwealth is truly fortunate to have so many outstanding museums and historical societies. I am very pleased that once again this year, these grants will help offer assistance to historical sites so that they can continue to provide excellent educational opportunities within our communities.”
Award amounts are determined using an equation based on a percentage of the eligible museum’s previous year’s operating budget. The maximum any museum could receive is $50,000. All official county historical societies receive a $4,000 minimum grant.

“PHMC is pleased to once again award these general operating support grants to museums and historical societies,” PHMC Executive Director James Vaughan said. “It’s great that we have a program to help meet the need for such support.”

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

Visit PHMC online at www.phmc.pa.gov