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The Minnesota Historical Society’s Local History Services helps Minnesotans preserve and share their history. This blog is a resource of best practices on the wide variety of museum, preservation, conservation, funding, and non-profit management topics. We’re here to help.
Federal Grants for Minnesota Museums
By: grabitsdm | July 31, 2008
Mike Worcester at the Cokato Museum got a Museums for America Grant and he and I have been talking a lot about it. I believe that IMLS would be thrilled to get quality proposals for small projects from museums around the country. We were not sure why there seems to be a dearth of such projects, but our suspicion is that most small museum directors look at the guidelines and throw up their hands.
Admittedly, the federal grant application process has gotten infinitely more complicated, and the MFA guidelines are not written very clearly. But I do think that it is possible that small museums have all kinds of projects, the money for which they could apply. I would love to know how many people have looked at the MFA guidelines, and what the bars are to them applying. Â And what is up with no MAP grants being given in Minnesota this year? Has everyone had one?
For my part, I hate to see so many institutions getting the maximum, when that money could have so much more impact if it was just spread around a little bit more.
Claudia
Admittedly, the federal grant application process has gotten infinitely more complicated, and the MFA guidelines are not written very clearly. But I do think that it is possible that small museums have all kinds of projects, the money for which they could apply. I would love to know how many people have looked at the MFA guidelines, and what the bars are to them applying. Â And what is up with no MAP grants being given in Minnesota this year? Has everyone had one?
For my part, I hate to see so many institutions getting the maximum, when that money could have so much more impact if it was just spread around a little bit more.
Claudia