Arkansas Heritage recognized recipients of Small Museum and Arkansas Heritage grants at its headquarters in Little Rock. These grant programs provide awards to Arkansas’s small history museums, historical societies, historic houses and sites, and military museums. For this grant cycle, Arkansas Heritage awarded $41,600 to 14 recipients from across the state.
“Twice a year, these grant programs provide funds to help promote education, awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas history,” said Shea Lewis, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “Our hope is that these funds will enrich current programs and provide inspiration for future activities, continuing to build momentum and energy.”
The Small Museum Grant Program aims to increase the ability of community-based small museums/organizations to research, preserve, present and conserve Arkansas history.
Eligible organizations must have an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less; must have a staff of at least one person, either paid or volunteer; and must be open to the public at least 90 days per year. Eligible activities include buildings and grounds maintenance, operating costs, equipment purchases up to $1,000, accessioning of artifact collections, educational programming, research, exhibits, and web site design and maintenance. The maximum grant award is $2,500.
This year’s recipients include:
• Blytheville Air Force Base Exhibition, window treatment installation project, $2,500
• Calico Rock Community Foundation, Inc., utilities support, $2,500
• Cross County Historical Society, deck replacement at New Hope School, $2,500
• Dermott Historical Museum, Inc., museum improvements, $2,500
• Hot Spring County Museum, operating expenses, utilities and HVAC, $2,500
• Hot Spring County, Arkansas Historical Society, operating expenses and utilities, $2,500
• Lonoke County Museum, Lonoke County Sesquicentennial, museum operations, $2,500
• Pope County Historical Foundation, First Ladies/Doctor’s Office Conservation Project, $2,000
• Rector Community Museum, Inc., 2023 utilities, $2,500
• Saunders Memorial Museum, sustainability, $2,500
“Twice a year, these grant programs provide funds to help promote education, awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas history,” said Shea Lewis, interim director of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “Our hope is that these funds will enrich current programs and provide inspiration for future activities, continuing to build momentum and energy.”
The Small Museum Grant Program aims to increase the ability of community-based small museums/organizations to research, preserve, present and conserve Arkansas history.
Eligible organizations must have an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less; must have a staff of at least one person, either paid or volunteer; and must be open to the public at least 90 days per year. Eligible activities include buildings and grounds maintenance, operating costs, equipment purchases up to $1,000, accessioning of artifact collections, educational programming, research, exhibits, and web site design and maintenance. The maximum grant award is $2,500.
This year’s recipients include:
• Blytheville Air Force Base Exhibition, window treatment installation project, $2,500
• Calico Rock Community Foundation, Inc., utilities support, $2,500
• Cross County Historical Society, deck replacement at New Hope School, $2,500
• Dermott Historical Museum, Inc., museum improvements, $2,500
• Hot Spring County Museum, operating expenses, utilities and HVAC, $2,500
• Hot Spring County, Arkansas Historical Society, operating expenses and utilities, $2,500
• Lonoke County Museum, Lonoke County Sesquicentennial, museum operations, $2,500
• Pope County Historical Foundation, First Ladies/Doctor’s Office Conservation Project, $2,000
• Rector Community Museum, Inc., 2023 utilities, $2,500
• Saunders Memorial Museum, sustainability, $2,500
To learn more about the application process for Small Museum grants, visit http://www.arkansasheritage.com/available-grants/division-of-arkansas-heritage-grants/small-museum-grants-program. The deadline for the next cycle of grant applications is Oct. 19, 2023.
“Arkansas’s small museums and historical organizations play a vital role in preserving places and items that have shaped Arkansas’s history,” said Marty Ryall, director of Arkansas Heritage. “These grants provide funds that help them to continue to tell the story of our shared heritage.”
The Arkansas Heritage Grants Program aims to help community-based and non-profit groups create programs that promote awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas’s heritage, and to make heritage-related programs possible where they would not otherwise occur. In evaluating Arkansas Heritage Grant applications, the organization’s relationship to the community, its mission and sources of income, the impact of the project and the degree to which it will foster heritage tourism development are taken into consideration in addition to other criteria.
This year’s recipients include:
• Chugach Arts Council, Voices of Our Heritage oral history project, $2,100
• Friends of John H. Johnson Museum, John H. Johnson Day statewide observance, $5,000
• Historic Cane Hill, supporting 2023 Cane Hill Harvest Festival, $5,000
• Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, Hot Springs Music Trail, $5,000
Photos of the event available at tourismarkansas.mediavalet.com/portals/Heritage_Grants_2023-07-27_10-19-10am
To learn more about the application process for the Arkansas Heritage Grants, visit http://www.arkansasheritage.com/available-grants/division-of-arkansas-heritage-grants/arkansas-heritage-grant. The deadline for the next cycle of grant applications is Oct. 12, 2023.