Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is pleased to announce that it will be accepting applications from qualified museums and official county historical societies for nearly $2 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants.
“Pennsylvania is pleased to offer these general operating support grants to museums and historical societies,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “The need for this type of funding is something we’ve heard from Pennsylvania’s museum community. It’s great to have a program in place to help meet that need.”
This is the sixth year that the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission 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.
“Museums and historical organizations are important community assets, preserving the past and sharing it with residents and visitors alike,” said PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery. “As the Commonwealth’s official history agency, we’re proud to offer this important program.”
“For the past several years the legislature has made this program and its investment across our state a priority,” Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati said. “Our Commonwealth is fortunate to have outstanding museums and historical societies across Pennsylvania, and I encourage them to apply for this support. These grants will offer assistance to historical sites so that they can continue to provide excellent educational opportunities within our communities.”
Applicants must meet organizational eligibility requirements. 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.
The application period is now open. 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.
MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639