Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
July 2007 Grant Announcement

District of Columbia  |  Florida  |  Georgia  |  Iowa  |  Maryland  |  Massachusetts 

Michigan  |  Missouri  |  Ohio  |  Texas 

District of Columbia

African American Civil War Museum - Washington, DC
Award Amount: $35,865; Matching Amount:$64,660

Contact: Dr. Frank Smith
Executive Director
202-667-2667; franksmith@afroamcivilwar.org

Project Title: "Exhibiting the Stories of African American Civil War Veterans"
The African-American Civil War Museum will provide specialized training to museum staff members in exhibit development and the production of traveling exhibits to tell the stories of African American Civil War veterans. Staff members will participate in a graphic production internship program and work closely with consultants in exhibit development and script writing, exhibit design, exhibit production and exhibit fabrication. Training experiences will enable the museum staff to produce a high quality traveling exhibit that will be available for viewing at the museum as well as for loan to local and nationwide schools, libraries and community centers. The project will serve the dual purpose of upgrading the interpretive skills of museum staff members while enabling the museum to serve a much wider audience through traveling exhibits.

Florida

Broward Public Library - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Award Amount: $69,548; Matching Amount:$98,516

Contact: Ms. Alicia Antone
Executive Director
954-805-8811; aantone@browardlibrary.org

Project Title: "Sankofa Project"
The Broward County Library’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) will leverage a variety of partnerships to initiate the Sankofa Project to improve the specialized knowledge and skills of its employees. Funds will support a robust program including mini-workshops presented by visiting scholars; research fellowships; the hiring of a part-time curator to develop exhibits and assist with collaborative programming; and supplies and materials to support the ongoing process of collections digitization. The enhancement of staff expertise in the care and management of diverse collections will increase the Center’s ability to process materials so that they are more readily accessible to the public. Staff members will also participate in staff exchanges with other institutions and relevant professional conferences to enrich their professional growth.

Georgia

Tubman African American Museum - Macon, GA
Award Amount: $47,798; Matching Amount:$66,300

Contact: Dr. Andy Ambrose
Executive Director
478-743-8544; aambrose@tubmanmuseum.com

Project Title: "African American Art and History Outreach Program"
The Tubman African American Museum will initiate an arts and history outreach program to benefit teachers and students in schools and after-school programs in Middle Georgia. The project will build the Tubman Museum’s capacity to reach beyond the walls of the museum to bring its unique resources in arts education and African American history to schools that face increasing obstacles to fieldtrips and to at-risk youth who rarely have the opportunity to travel outside their own communities. Funding will support the hiring of a full-time outreach coordinator, four part-time outreach teachers, and a consultant to assist the museum in designing a successful program. Funds will also provide for the training of a staff member to upgrade and maintain the museum’s Web site with an educator’s page featuring printable and downloadable teacher’s guides and curricula.

Iowa

African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa - Cedar Rapids, IA
Award Amount: $110,988; Matching Amount:$112,483

Contact: Joseph Nolte
Director of Statewide Operations
319-862-2101; joenolte@blackiowa.org

Project Title: "Engaging Iowa in African American History"
The African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa will build its capacity to reach statewide audiences by training staff to provide quality programs and support services. The museum will hire and train two statewide coordinators to provide preservation and education services relating to African American culture through a network of 14 community chapter locations in Iowa. Current staff members will also enroll in specialized courses to enhance their skills in collections care and management, enabling them to more efficiently catalog a growing collection of materials documenting the state’s rich African American history. The multifaceted project includes activities to increase the participation of schools in distance learning classes and museum tours to supplement the K-12 history curriculum, as well as methodologies to establish College Student Chapters and initiate internship opportunities focusing on African American museum practice.

Maryland

Morgan State University Center for Museum Studies and Historical Preservation -
Award Amount: $116,974; Matching Amount:$141,084

Contact: Mr. Gabriel Tenabe
Director, Office of Museums
443-885-3548; gtenabe@moac.morgan.edu

Project Title: "Surviving and Sustaining the Past Through Reflective Methods"
The Morgan State University Center for Museum Studies and Historical Preservation (MSU Center) will plan and coordinate a series of three workshops and a summer internship program designed to benefit African American museums in the Baltimore area. The workshop series will focus on museum governance and organizational structure; strategic partnerships for long-term success; and methodologies to maximize the use of available resources. The workshops will enroll 20 participants, significantly enhancing the knowledge and skills of African American museum professionals in multiple museums in the region. MSU will coordinate the internship program in the summers of 2008 and 2009, recruiting twenty undergraduate and graduate students nationally. The 10-week program will provide students with a foundation in museum theory. Pairs of students will be placed in five African American museums to provide them with hands-on practical experience.

Massachusetts

Museum of African American History - Boston, MA
Award Amount: $130,056; Matching Amount:$365,545

Contact: Ms. Chandra Harrington
Manager of Library Museum Collaboration
617-725-0022 ext. 12; charrington@afroammuseum.org

Project Title: "Collections and Exhibitions for the 21st Century"
The Museum of African American History will strengthen its long-term institutional capacity by establishing a Department of Collections and Exhibitions. Funds will support the promotion of a key staff member to the new position of director of collections and exhibitions and the engagement of an experienced professional to provide systematic, ongoing consultation and coaching. The museum will recruit and hire an experienced collections manager to work with the director of collections and exhibitions to implement the recommendations of its institutional collections management plan. Over the course of the two-year project, the museum’s rare and important collections will be digitized and made more accessible for research, exhibits, and programming; a 10-year exhibition schedule will be developed; and an internship program will be initiated. Intensive training will hone the skills and knowledge of staff to effectively manage the museum’s collections and plan future exhibitions.

Michigan

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History - Detroit, MI
Award Amount: $106,318; Matching Amount:$106,318

Contact: Mr. Bamidele Demerson
Director of Exhibition and Research
313-494-5815; bdemerson@maah-detroit.org

Project Title: "Archive Professional Capacity Project"
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will strengthen staff and institutional capacity to manage its important collection of archival materials, making them more accessible to the community. Funds will support the hiring of a full-time experienced archivist; intensive training for two assistant registrars, who will be upgraded from part-time to full-time status; and the establishment of an internship partnership with Wayne State University for museum studies students. A consultant will also be hired to work with staff to create a long-term prioritization plan for the management of the archives. Matching funds for the project will be provided by the Whitney Fund and a Ford Foundation grant for capacity building.

Missouri

Black World History Museum - St. Louis, MO
Award Amount: $50,400; Matching Amount:$96,317

Contact: Ms. Lois Conley
Founder/Executive Director
314-241-7057; blkwaxmusm1@aol.com

Project Title: "Face Forward"
The Black World History Museum will launch its ambitious “Face Forward” project to transform the public face of the institution through audience development, interpretive planning, human resource development and technology enhancement. Grant funds will support the hiring of a full-time Manager of Community Education and Interpretation while also providing partial support for the new position of Deputy Director. Matching funds will allow the staff to work with consultants and advisors in audience development activities, website enhancement, and interpretive planning as they develop an institution-wide interpretive style and educational programs to improve visitor understanding and appreciation for Missouri’s black heritage. Additional consultants will guide the development of a new strategy for Board recruitment and training to assist them in sustaining the financial needs of a growing museum.

Ohio

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center - Cincinnati, OH
Award Amount: $150,000; Matching Amount:$150,001

Contact: Dr. Spencer Crew
President
513-333-7519; crews@nurfc.org

Project Title: "The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center/Coca-Cola Foundation Museum Science Apprenticeship Program"
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will expand its museum science apprenticeship program, which is designed to attract African American students to museum practice and provide them with the expertise needed to sustain them in the museum field. The two-year program combines the practicality of on-the-job training with the discipline of academic instruction. Participants will complete coursework at the University of Cincinnati and earn a certificate in museum studies. Each student will also complete an eight-week summer internship at a partner African American cultural institution in the United States. The expanded program will allow students to select a focus on one of three areas of specialization: programs, exhibits, or advancement. The apprenticeship program will provide participants with valuable skills and the practical work experience necessary to qualify for entry-level museum positions.

Texas

Brazos Valley African American Museum - Bryan, TX
Award Amount: $62,081; Matching Amount:$66,764

Contact: Dr. LaVerne Young-Hawkins
Board Member
979-691-2902; laverne@tamu.edu

Project Title: "Brazos Valley African American Museum (BVAAM) Staff Development and Training"
The Brazos Valley African American Museum staff development and training project will increase institutional capacity and sustainability by preparing staff to manage a more diverse and multifaceted museum serving a seven-county region of Texas. Grant funds will support staff training, an internship program, and improved volunteer management. Professional training opportunities for the museum director and curator will include travel to museum conferences and other museums for learning and networking, as well as enrollment in specialized courses. The museum will partner with local universities to establish an internship program, coordinated by experienced professors. The museum’s dynamic volunteer program will be strengthened by training in the use of tools to improve programming and management, as well as opportunities for volunteers to join staff on site visits to other African American museums in the region.