FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2006

Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Announces First Recipients of New Museum Grants for
African American History and Culture

Washington, DC--Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced the first-ever awards for the agency’s newest grant program, Museums Grants for African American History and Culture. Eight grants, totaling $803,230 will provide opportunities for the staff of African American museums across the country to gain knowledge and abilities in the areas of management, operations, programming, collections care and other museum skills. Click here for a list of the recipients with descriptions of the grant projects.

“I am pleased to announce the inaugural Museum Grants for African American History and Culture,” said Dr. Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “Today’s grants will benefit African American museums nationwide and close to 100 staff members, from interns to museum directors, who will gain expertise in audience and exhibition development, educational programming, adopting technology, management and marketing, and more.”

In 2003, the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act authorized IMLS, in consultation with the Council and Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAHHC), to create a new grant program to strengthen African American museum services. “We are so pleased by the quality and creativity of this group of awardees,” said Lonnie G. Bunch, III, founding director of the NMAAHC. “This is a significant opportunity for not only these institutions, but for the museum field writ large. The NMAAHC is delighted to be a partner with IMLS in this important opportunity for the field.”

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture are intended to build professional capacity in the African American museum community. They provide opportunities for African American museums to design projects that will enhance institutional capacity and sustainability through professional training, networking and mentoring opportunities, technical assistance, outside expertise, and other tools.
The agency received 44 applications requesting over $3.9 million. African American museums continue to be eligible for other IMLS grant programs and the agency encourages applications.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because lifelong learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit: www.imls.gov.