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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Awards Museum Grants

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has awarded $1,053,880 in general operating support grants for qualifying museums with annual operating budgets of more than $500,000.

This one-year program uses funds placed in PHMC’s operating budget by the state legislature during the 2012-13 budget process. It is restricted for this purpose only. This is a one-time allocation and is not affiliated with the PHMC’s Museum Assistance Grant program.

Working in concert with legislative leadership to determine the best way to distribute these limited funds, it was decided to make awards of $3,000 to $50,000 to museums with budgets of more than $500,000.

The goals of the General Operating Support Program are:
Provide general operating support to selected museums that are not supported by other state agency funding programs;
Provide general operating support to selected museums that serve a statewide or regional audience;
Determine award amounts using an equation based on a percentage of the previous year’s operating budget.
To be eligible, applicant institutions must have:
At least one full-time paid staff member;
Been incorporated and in existence for at least two years;
A minimum annual operating budget of $500,000;
Collections related to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania;
A primary mission as a general or historical museum or as a historical society that operates one or more museums or historic sites;
Has an operating schedule and audience that demonstrates public appreciation of the museum’s offerings.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit PHMC online at www.phmc.state.pa.us