Small museum grants handed out to 10 across state

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by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) July 28, 2022 8:14 am 1,999 views 

Randolph County Heritage Museum in Pocahontas.

The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism has announced $25,000 in grants for 10 historic properties and museums across the state.

Funded by the 1/8th-cent conservation tax, the awards help small history museums, historical societies, historic houses and sites, and military museums promote education and awareness of Arkansas history.

This year’s award recipients are:

  • Calico Rock Community Foundation, Inc., for Calico Rock Museum operating expenses, $2,500
  • Cross County Historical Society, for museum improvements, $2,500
  • Dermott Historical Museum, Inc., for museum improvements, $2,500
  • Five Rivers Historic Preservation, Inc., for Randolph County Heritage Museum 2022 utilities, $2,500
  • Hardy History Association, for the “Oral Histories and Living Legacies” project, $2,500
  • Hot Spring County/Arkansas Historical Society, for operating expenses and utilities, $2,500
  • Hot Spring County Museum, for operating expenses and museum improvements and utilities, $2,500
  • Lonoke County Museum, for operating expenses, $2,500
  • Newton County Historical Society, for Bradley House Museum 2022 utilities, $2,500
  • Saunders Memorial Museum, for sustainability efforts, $2,500

“Arkansas’s community-based museums are one of our state’s many treasures,” said Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “These grants provide financial support for the business of day-to-day operations so that they can focus on telling the story of Arkansas.”

The Small Museum Grant Program aims to increase the ability of community-based small museums and 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.