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July 2006 Museums for America Grant Announcement*

Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

*Included in this list are five Museums for America grantees that were awarded in March 2006, as part of our expedited review process for museums whose proposals addressed needs caused by hurricanes in the gulf coast region.

Alabama

Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center - Mobile, AL
Award Amount: $87,744; Applicant Match: $87,744
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mr. Tim Pula
(251)208-6870; tpula@exploreum.net
65 Government Street
P.O. Box 1968
Mobile, AL 36607-1968

Project Title: "FUNdamental Physics"
FUNdamental Physics is a two-year project designed to help the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center to present challenging physics activities in meaningful, easy-to-understand ways to a currently underserved target audience, youth (age 13-18) and adults. Three new permanent, interactive physics exhibits, 4 new staff-led demonstrations, and 16 new staff-guided physics activities will be developed and implemented. The goals for youth and adult visitors are that they will become increasingly curious about the physical properties they encounter in the world each day; formulating new questions about physics and actively pursuing answers to those questions through other informal or formal resources; and building comfort with physics so as to engage in an unintimidated way with physics in the world.

Arizona

Tucson Zoological Society - Tucson, AZ
Award Amount: $146,300; Applicant Match: $184,839
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mrs. Vivian VanPeenen
(520)791-3204x12; vivian.vanpeenen@tucson.gov
1100 South Randolph Way
Tucson, AZ 85716-5835

Project Title: "Wild Solutions Exhibit"
The Tucson Zoo will design and install an educational exhibit, “Wild Solutions,” that highlights animal and human adaptation to the environment. The exhibit will include multilevel interpretive activities and will convey the following messages: (1) Animals have adaptive abilities that enable them survive in the wild, (2) buildings can be designed to use resources wisely and to help humans adapt to the harsh desert environment, (3) animals and plants can teach humans how to live better in their environment, (4) humans can improve the way they use resources to help the environment and animals. The new Education Center, where this exhibit will be housed, is being designed as an example of sustainable construction and "green" building techniques.

Arkansas

Arkansas Museum of Science and History - Little Rock, AR
Award Amount: $75,237; Applicant Match: $81,507
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Nan Selz
(501)396-7050x207; nselz@amod.org
500 President Clinton Avenue
Suite 150
Little Rock, AR 72201-1757

Project Title: "Room to Grow"
The museum is building “Room to Grow”—a 3,000-square-foot early childhood education exhibit that offers a secure environment for learning through exploration and inquiry. Each component of the exhibit addresses the needs of early childhood learners. Children gain literacy at the Reading Beach, while Down on the Farm offers math, rural life, science, and role-playing opportunities. The Fitness Forest allows exploration into physical fitness, wellness, nutrition, and personal hygiene. Pirate's Cove has math skills, science, physical activity, sequencing, problem solving, and role-playing. The Construction Zone offers math skills, spatial and deductive reasoning, imaginative play, and problem solving. The exhibit relies on visual imagery to teach. Chaperones receive an educators’ guide that explains the activities.

California

Bakersfield Museum of Art - Bakersfield, CA
Award Amount: $13,909; Applicant Match: $13,909
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. David Gordon
(661)323-7219; dgordon@bmoa.org
1930 R Street
Bakersfield, CA 93301

Project Title: "Look What's Going On at the Bakersfield Museum of Art"
Project activities include consulting with involved organizations and potential program guests, planning of programs, marketing, and evaluation. Potential programs include the following: film screenings, author lecture/booksignings, a Plein Air painting workshop, guest lectures on the current exhibits, a Kern Writers Guild story reading, Family Nights at the museum with hands-on art lessons, a downtown boutique fashion premier, a Chamber of Commerce mixer, watercolor demonstrations & workshops, a Bakersfield Symphony chamber concert, and a community art organization symposium.

Habitot Children's Museum - Berkeley, CA
Award Amount: $71,790; Applicant Match: $74,181
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Gina Moreland
(510)647-1111x11; habitot@lmi.net
PMB 326
1563 Solano Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707-2116

Project Title: "Opening Doors: Planning Habitot's Outdoor Exhibits"
In 2006, Habitot Children's Museum will move from Berkeley to a renovated middle school building in Emeryville. In the new location, Habitot can develop interactive outdoor exhibits that were not possible in Berkeley. The Opening Doors project will lay the groundwork for developing 10,000 square feet of interactive outdoor space and natural environment on the school's former playground. The space will include a variety of exhibits and activity areas that will extend Habitot's unique approach to children's programming to the outdoors. The goal of this project is to determine the most effective use of the outdoor space to fulfill the museum's mission and meet community needs and interests, and to prepare construction drawings for the space.

Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
Award Amount: $149,870; Applicant Match: $149,870
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Susan Ketchner
(510)642-3150; ketchner@scienceview.lhs.berkeley.edu
336 Sproul Hall
5940 UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-5940

Project Title: "Everyday Explorations: Increasing Access to Lifelong Learning Opportunities"
The Everyday Explorations project is a series of Internet activities that scaffold learners in the well-established learn-by-doing pedagogy of the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS). Activities will be designed for children from toddlers through elementary school and will be based on programs and exhibits on the museum floor. The project encourages learners to become active participants in activities, teaches broadly transferable learning skills such as investigating and interpreting, and supports learners in structured experiences outside the walls of the museum. The Everyday Explorations project will engage existing and new audiences in an inquiry learning cycle—asking questions, investigating, interpreting, and sharing—to help them better understand everyday phenomena in their homes and neighborhoods.

Botanical Garden, University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
Award Amount: $24,940; Applicant Match: $26,635
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Katherine Barrett
(510)642-8109; kdbarret@uclink.berkeley.edu
336 Sproul Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-5940

Project Title: "Interpretive Corridor Project - Connecting to Plants"
The University of California–Berkeley Botanical Garden will implement an interpretive corridor project, Connecting to Plants, through the most heavily visited area. The project will increase visitor understanding and appreciation of water-conserving plants and improve access for underserved audiences. It is a major component of the new entrance corridor, with interpretive signs and supporting tour brochures in English and Spanish that have been developed, tested, and modified with a diverse audience of visitors, teachers, and students. The project includes a formative evaluation cycle to test and improve signs and brochures, and addresses the garden mission to diversify its audience and increase public understanding and appreciation of waterwise plants and garden resources.

University of California, Davis, Arboretum - Davis, CA
Award Amount: $141,139; Applicant Match: $196,441
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Dr. Carmia Feldman
(530)754-5487; csfeldman@ucdavis.edu
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8526

Project Title: "Sustainable Horticulture for California's Central Valley"
The University of California–Davis Arboretum will develop and implement a multifaceted sustainable horticulture education and outreach program that will provide opportunities for visitors and online audiences to learn about regionally appropriate plants and environmentally sound horticultural practices. The program will present science-based information to a regional audience through expanded plant collections and display plantings; interpretive exhibits; a publication distributed at the arboretum and on the Web; exhibits and demonstrations; an expanded horticultural section on the arboretum website; and interpretation via portable digital devices (podcasts). The project will feature a series of Arboretum All-Stars—tough, reliable, low-water-use plants—and will teach about horticultural practices that conserve resources, such as mulching and efficient irrigation systems.

Fresno Art Museum - Fresno, CA
Award Amount: $149,176; Applicant Match: $420,383
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Nicole Gonzalez
(559)441-4221; nicole@fresnoartmuseum.org
2233 North First Street
Fresno, CA 93703-2364

Project Title: "Fresno Art Museum Latino Outreach Project"
The project is designed to create a lasting relationship between the Fresno Art Museum and the Hispanic/Latino community in central California. The museum will conduct an outreach campaign in the major Spanish-language media outlets; museum signs, brochures, and other print material will be translated into Spanish; and a Spanish-language Web page will be developed to create a more accessible experience for Spanish-speaking guests. The museum will leverage the resources of its partners to provide high-quality programming, including the Contemporaneo project, a Latino film festival, the Traveling Trunk mobile exhibition of pre-Columbian art, and visiting artists-in-residence. The focus on developing relationships ensures that the effects of the project will be felt long after program funding ends.

Hall of Health, Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland - Oakland, CA
Award Amount: $144,970; Applicant Match: $151,757
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Dr. Lucille Day
(510)549-9381; lucyday@hallofhealth.org
474 52nd Street
Oakland, CA 94609-1809

Project Title: "Community Programs Campaign at the Hall of Health"
To strengthen its role as a center of community engagement, the Hall of Health will implement a Community Programs campaign that will include the following events: (1) an open house for educators; (2) a Medical Mystery Festival for healthcare professionals and their families; (3) a multicultural health fair; (4) "The Brainiacs" Science Discovery Theatre; and (5) a quarterly lecture series for parents and educators. To ensure the long-term sustainability of these programs and the ability to develop new ones to meet community needs, membership benefits will be discussed at each event. A half-time coordinator will be hired to manage these programs, maintain the membership database, and write a quarterly newsletter for members.

Palo Alto Art Center - Palo Alto, CA
Award Amount: $69,650; Applicant Match: $70,556
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. Justin Greene
(650)329-2106; justin.green@cityofpaloalto.org
1313 Newell Road
Palo Alto, CA 94303-2909

Project Title: "2006-2007 Culturall Kaleidoscope Program"
Through its Cultural Kaleidoscope program, the Palo Alto Art Center will expose school-age children to the content and techniques of the arts, supplement and enrich the art curricula of surrounding school districts, build understanding of the artistic and cultural diversity in the community, and build value in the community for the arts as essential to education. Cultural Kaleidoscope partners K–5 classes with artists to implement a collaborative art project. Training and evaluation workshops ensure that artists and teachers understand state art education standards and create learning objectives that incorporate the standards. Artists teach classes, supervise art-making, and lead field trips. Curricula are distributed in hard copy and online in the school districts and beyond.

National Steinbeck Center - Salinas, CA
Award Amount: $137,611; Applicant Match: $160,850
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mrs. Tiffany DiTullio
(939)013-436; tiffanyd@steinbeck.org
One Main St
Salinas, CA 93901-3436

Project Title: "21st Century Steinbeck: Literacy, Learning & Linking"
The National Steinbeck Center (NSC) will expand educational programming, enhance its ability to support lifelong learning in a diverse community, and increase museum attendance. The NSC will expand the Steinbeck Young Authors program, which allows middle school students to explore the writing process and improve their writing skills. The museum will increase local student visits by 15 percent per year, which will strengthen its role in the community, foster a long-term appreciation of John Steinbeck, and stimulate an interest in lifelong learning. The NSC also will design and implement a state-of-the-art interactive website to engage and inform individuals, families, and students interested in learning more about John Steinbeck's world and the community outreach programs of the NSC.

California Academy of Sciences - San Francisco, CA
Award Amount: $149,760; Applicant Match: $162,152
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Dr. Terrence Gosliner
(415)321-8171; tgosliner@calacademy.org
875 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3009

Project Title: "California Academy of Sciences Digital Tours (PodCASDT)"
While the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) rebuilds its aged facilities in Golden Gate Park, it has relocated to temporary quarters in downtown San Francisco. As part of a fundamental physical and programmatic transformation, CAS will explore new approaches to engage a broad spectrum of visitors in lifelong learning. CAS will prototype and evaluate content and infrastructure for self-guided audio tours for the public areas, focusing on the Steinhart Aquarium exhibits. The museum will use digital media players and make content accessible over the Internet and from kiosks in the galleries. Academy scientists will be paired with education staff to create the narratives, which will be available in both Spanish and English.

San Jose Museum of Art - San Jose, CA
Award Amount: $144,000; Applicant Match: $258,608
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. Gary Landis
(408)271-6865; glandis@sjmusart.org
110 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113-2307

Project Title: "GenNext: Deepening Young Adults' Engaement in the Arts"
The San Jose Museum of Art will more effectively engage Silicon Valley's diverse young adult community through GenNext: Deepening Young Adults' Engagement in the Arts, an initiative that targets 18- to 40-year-olds by creating new programs and affinity groups for this demographic. The intent is to attract young adults who will become more deeply engaged with the museum over time, eventually joining its membership ranks and strengthening its donor base. The museum will offer a progressively more intense continuum of programs at three broad levels to attract young adults and motivate them to advance from point-of-entry events through educational and experiential programs toward greater commitment to contemporary art in general and the museum in particular.

Discovery Science Center of Orange County - Santa Ana, CA
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $179,688
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Janet Yamaguchi
(714)913-5005; jyamaguchi@discoverycube.org
2500 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705-6600

Project Title: "Cross Cultural Learning in an Informal Science Setting"
The Discovery Science Center (DSC) will hire a bilingual educator with experience working in the local Hispanic and education communities to facilitate community engagement processes and relationships; integrate multicultural learning across the DCS curriculum; increase collaboration with community groups and educators; make exhibits more accessible, inclusive, and educationally profitable; and develop targeted promotion and marketing plans with attention to cultural and ethnic factors. The DSC will identify and recruit Hispanic community resources/collaborators; increase the number of culturally specific programs; increase the number of Hispanic visitors by 15 percent in the first year and 25 percent in the second; and develop a multifaceted feedback loop/evaluation process that allows regular program refinement and expansion.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium - Santa Monica, CA
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $150,000
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Vicki Wawerchak
(310)393-6149x107; vwawerchak@healthebay.org
3220 Nebraska Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404-4214

Project Title: "Aquarium Field Trip Education Program Curriculum"
Heal the Bay's marine facility, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, will expand its field trip curriculum to include grade-specific marine biology and environmental education topics for pre-K through fifth grade. The aquarium will also design a high school mentoring program that will relate directly to the new elementary curriculum and offer high school students the opportunity to partner with the aquarium to fulfill service learning requirements. Students will train as education docents and will help teach components of the elementary curriculum, write environmental education books to be read to elementary students, and help make the younger students aware of urban environmental issues. The program will promote lifelong marine science learning and environmental stewardship among all participating students.

Ventura County Museum of History and Art - Ventura, CA
Award Amount: $24,819; Applicant Match: $24,937
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Mr. Charles Johnson
(805)653-0323x13; library@venturamuseum.org
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001-2607

Project Title: "Glass Plate Negative Digitization Project"
The Ventura County Museum of History and Art will digitize 350 historically significant glass plate negatives and make them available to the public for the first time. The glass plate negatives, the majority of which were created by John Calvin Brewster, span the late 19th and early 20th centuries and comprehensively capture the region's development, cultural diversity, and land use during this period. The Brewster plates are important to researchers, but because of their fragile nature they have not been made fully accessible. Digitization will reduce the risk to fragile materials and promote longevity of the originals, while allowing access. The project furthers the museum's goal of making collections more accessible to researchers.

Colorado

Denver Museum of Nature and Science - Denver, CO
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $2,960,379
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mr. Bryce Snellgrove
(303)370-8258; bryce.snellgrove@dmns.org
2001 Colorado Boulevard
Denver, CO 80205-8363

Project Title: "Hall of Life"
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will renovate one of its most popular permanent exhibitions, “The Hall of Life” (HOL). HOL will use exhibits and gallery programs to promote scientific literacy and critical thinking skills. Multimedia, demonstrations, volunteers, and performances will provide visitors of all learning styles with access to cutting-edge health topics and ways to make healthy personal choices. The renovation will provide up-to-date information to support sound personal health choices, contribute to the narrowing of health disparities by reaching out to underserved audiences, highlight health topics that are unique to the Rocky Mountain region, and promote inquiry-based problem solving with health science lessons that support the Colorado Science Standards.

Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave - Golden, CO
Award Amount: $64,047; Applicant Match: $92,893
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Shelley Howe
(303)526-0744; shelley.howe@ci.denver.co.us
987 1/2 Lookout Mountain Road
Golden, CO 80401-9692

Project Title: "Increasing Collections Accessibility, Phase 3"
The museum will increase collections accessibility by creating a digital database for all objects. During a two-year period, 1,500 items will be photographed from different angles and distances, and entered into a preexisting Filemaker-Pro database program. A collections specialist will be hired to establish an appropriate recordkeeping system. She will train the staff in use of the system. All objects will be documented digitally, and the images will be combined with other documentation in a preexisting FileMaker Pro database system. Quarterly assessments will determine whether data entry is meeting staff and researcher needs. At the end of the project, the collections specialist will return to tie up loose ends and assist with creative problem solving.

Southern Ute Cultural Center - Ignacio, CO
Award Amount: $17,170; Applicant Match: $31,640
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Lynn Brittner
(970)563-9583; lbrittner@southern-ute.nsn.us
P.O. Box 737
Ignacio, CO 81137-0737

Project Title: "Development of a Collections Management System to Improve Intellectual Access to Ute Material Cultural "
The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum will develop a management program to improve access to its collections. The project will enhance the museum’s capacity to find and preserve material culture and archives, document stories, take digital photographs, and develop the collections management program. The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum has completed the first phase of the project—identifying the repositories, libraries, cultural institutions, museums, and personal collections that hold archival materials. It will hire two consultants who specialize in collections management, training, evaluation, and visitor services. The museum plans to build a new facility and create new exhibits and public programs, and aims to improve intellectual access by completing the inventory, entering shelf locations, and controlling the computerized database.

WOW! World Of Wonder Children's Museum - Lafayette, CO
Award Amount: $104,700; Applicant Match: $164,612
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Lisa Atallah
(303)604-2424; lisaa@wowmuseum.com
110 North Harison Avenue
Lafayette, CO 80026-2336

Project Title: "Implementation of Interpretive Plan - Science Exhibits and Programming"
WOW! Children's Museum will develop two clusters of science exhibits. The first cluster—“Light and Shadows”—will include a room painted with glow-in-the-dark paint and a photo-flash that "freezes" children's shadows on the wall, an Illumitune music synthesizer controlled by beams of light, and an activity with light beams that allows children to bend light. The second cluster—"Blowing in the Wind"—will include a wind tunnel where visitors can fly kites; an "air sorter" where children can experience the various characteristics of air; an "air toss" that illustrates the effects of air on objects (aerodynamics); and the "Bernoulli Blower," in which disks appear to levitate and balls are suspended in mid-air.

Telluride Historical Museum - Telluride, CO
Award Amount: $26,283; Applicant Match: $27,018
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Lauren Bloemsma van Nes
(970)728-3344; museum@telluridecolorado.net
P.O. Box 1597
Telluride, CO 81435-1597

Project Title: "Telluride Historical Museum - Telluride Unearthed"
The Telluride Historical Museum, in collaboration with the Pinhead Institute, will host an annual trio of humanities lectures titled "Telluride Unearthed." The lectures will focus on the Telluride region and will encourage intellectual discourse among local residents of all ages, heritage, and economic status. Lectures will be held at the Weatherford Room in the museum and will feature visiting scholars from the region and from the Smithsonian Institution and other institutions of higher learning. Each lecturer will be available for one day of class instruction at the Weatherford Room or in the schools. For each series, exhibits will be mounted at the Wilkinson Public Library and at the schools, highlighting relevant books and artifacts.

Connecticut

Fairfield Historical Society - Fairfield, CT
Award Amount: $105,931; Applicant Match: $112,106
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Adrienne Saint-Pierre
(203)259-1598; asaintpierre@fairfieldhs.org
636 Old Post Rd
Fairfield, CT 06824-6647

Project Title: "Moving the Museum and Library Collections of the Fairfield Historical Society"
The Fairfield Historical Society (FHS) will open the new Fairfield Museum and History Center. FHS will prepare and move its museum, library, and archival collections to the new facility and into offsite storage over 18 months. This project will implement a detailed move preparation plan and the design of new storage facilities. Museum and archival materials will be inventoried, and electronic records will be created and upgraded as needed. As they process artifacts and selected archival items, staff members will add digital images to the appropriate collection databases. Grant funds will be used for the materials, supplies, and equipment to support these activities—including computer and digital photography equipment—and to pay for professional library movers.

Mystic Seaport Museum - Mystic, CT
Award Amount: $147,444; Applicant Match: $150,710
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Mr. Alfred Calabretta
(860)572-0711x5168; fred.calabretta@mysticseaport.org
P.O. Box 6000
75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355-0990

Project Title: "Americans and the Sea: A Maritime Heritage Cataloging Project"
Detailed catalog records will be created for approximately 2,000 selected objects—including models, scrimshaw, and fishing and whaling gear, as well as paintings, prints, photographs, and posters—that reflect America's relationship with the sea and inland waterways. The objects will be numbered, measured, and documented, and records will be created in the museum's searchable collections database. All objects will be photographed in both film and digital formats. The film images will provide a secure preservation format; the digital images will be linked to the museum's collections database. They will be available immediately to in-house users and eventually on the museum’s website. Collections staff will provide basic conservation rehousing and proper storage for the newly cataloged objects.

Mystic Aquarium - Mystic, CT
Award Amount: $21,572; Applicant Match: $33,153
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mr. Jonathan Scoones
(860)572-5955x129; jscoones@mysticaquarium.org
55 Coogan Blvd
Mystic, CT 06355-1997

Project Title: "Seal Rescue Clinic Innovative Exhibit Enrichment"
To reinforce the message of conservation and make visitors more aware of marine mammal strandings, the Mystic Aquarium will upgrade its “Seal Rescue Clinic” exhibit. The aquarium will install a multiple camera system that will allow visitors to see inside the quarantined Seal Rescue Clinic. Visitors will also be able to watch informative videos of seal rescues, rehabilitations, and releases. The project will create a more engaging exhibit interface, educate visitors about what to do in a stranding situation, illustrate the connections between stranded seals and the condition of the ocean, and convey ocean conservation lessons to visitors. The exhibit upgrade will bring visitors closer to these amazing animals than ever before while maintaining the quarantine environment.

SoundWaters - Stamford, CT
Award Amount: $149,880; Applicant Match: $194,880
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Dr. Leigh Shemitz
(203)323-1978; leighshemitz@soundwaters.org
Cove Island Park
1281 Cove Road
Stamford, CT 06902-5457

Project Title: "Coastal Community Project"
In year 1, SoundWaters will design and build a permanent exhibit focusing on the migration of horseshoe crabs and their presence in Long Island Sound. The exhibit will cover the horseshoe crab’s life cycle, horseshoe crabs in medical research, the prehistoric and geological time line of horseshoe crabs, and tagging programs that track migration. The museum will develop an educational curriculum that will be implemented onsite at Sound Waters' Center for Environmental Education, conduct horseshoe crab education sails on its schooner, and offer family programming and a Horseshoe Crab Festival. In year 2, the aquarium will develop an in-school curriculum and create a video of the horseshoe crab life cycle that will be available on the SoundWaters website.

Science Center of Connecticut - West Hartford, CT
Award Amount: $23,125; Applicant Match: $23,848
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. Hank Gruner
(860)231-2830x28; hgruner@sciencecenterct.org
950 Trout Brook Drive
West Hartford, CT 06119-1437

Project Title: "Boys and Girls Science and Technology Enrichment Program (BIG STEP)"
The Science Center will implement “BIG STEP: Boys and Girls Science and Technology Enrichment Program.” The summer program will consist of two activities a week for five weeks, providing 10 hours of science and technology education for participating children. Content will focus on weather and air pollution. The after-school program will consist of one activity a week for 18 weeks during the school year for elementary and middle school children participating in the programs. Science content and activities will be cross-referenced with the Connecticut Science Frameworks. Seven Boys and Girls Clubs have committed to the program; 100–150 children will participate in the summer program and 200–250 in the after-school program.

Delaware

Historical Society of Delaware - Wilmington, DE
Award Amount: $74,201; Applicant Match: $76,227
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Stephanie Przbylek
(302)295-2383; sprzbylek@hsd.org
505 Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801-3004

Project Title: "Hands on the Past: A Fresh Look"
The Historical Society of Delaware will conduct an evaluation of its school programs and modify them to better serve teachers and enhance history education for schoolchildren in Delaware. The goals are to provide better support to teachers, offer more engaging experiences for students, and design programs to take into schools. The Historical Society will draft an interpretation of Delaware's social studies education standards and conduct a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of current programs, revise programs to align with the standards, and create multiple copies of traveling and onsite program materials. The intent is to make history an integral and exciting learning experience for Delaware children, so they will understand its relevancy and become lifelong learners.

District of Columbia

Phillips Collection - Washington, DC
Award Amount: $97,411; Applicant Match: $97,486
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Suzanne Wright
(202)387-2152x215; swright@phillipscollection.org
1600 21st Street NW
Washington, DC 20009-1003

Project Title: "Art links to Literacy"
Art Links to Literacy is an integrated, curriculum-based arts education program that uses art from the Phillips Collection to enhance learning, nurture creativity, and develop literacy skills. This highly successful outreach program offers direct services to local elementary school students and their parents/caregivers in low-income District of Columbia neighborhoods. The program comprises a four-session family program and a yearlong museum-school program that includes professional development for teachers and student art exhibitions. The programs use urban works of art featured in the museum's Art of the City Teaching Kit and related children's literature to address themes such as transportation and community and to connect art to other curriculum areas, such as social studies, language arts, and math.

National Trust for Historic Preservation - Washington, DC
Award Amount: $89,134; Applicant Match: $94,236
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Mr. Max van Balgooy
(202)588-6242; max_vanbalgooy@nthp.org
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20036-2117

Project Title: "New Perspectives for Interpretation at National Trust Historic Sites"
This project will support improved interpretation at four National Trust Historic Sites: Decatur House, Drayton Hall, Lyndhurst, and Shadows-on-the-Teche, all of which are actively involved in interpreting cultural heritage to a wide range of audiences, offer a diversity of environmental settings, and interpret historical themes of national significance. This project will have both immediate and long-term benefits in improving interpretation at these Historic Sites but will also create an exemplary process that will benefit the many historic sites throughout the country that seek its advice and assistance. This project contains several inter-related elements: a selected bibliography, research guide, one-day workshop with scholars with different perspectives, a set of scholarly essays, recommendations for future research, a one-day workshop on outcome-based interpretive planning, and an expanded on-site reference library.

Florida

Gifford Arboretum, University of Miami - Coral Gables, FL (Awarded March 2006)
Award Amount: $52,329; Applicant Match: $54,336
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Dr. Carol Horvitz
(305)284-5364; carolhorvitz@miami.edu
1204 Dickenson Drive
Bldg 37A
Coral Gables, FL 33146-5215

Project Title: "Lifelong Learning Project Needs Created by the 2005 Huricane Season at the Gifford"
This project will enhance the educational experience of visitors to the tropical families collection, the native collection, and the microbiome of the John C. Gifford Arboretum at the University of Miami. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma wreaked havoc on the arboretum’s living collections, killing more than 40 percent of the specimens. Post-storm cleanup further disrupted the terrain and the accessibility of the remaining specimens. This grant will help the arboretum (1) redesign and reestablish beds, walkways, and exhibits to improve the educational value of the collections; (2) develop interpretive signage and hands-on programs; and (3) publish a Spring 2007 Checklist of Plants, including maps and a guide to the exhibits. A landscape architect—in consultation with faculty, students, staff, and volunteers of the arboretum, and representatives of neighboring gardens—will design the plan. An experienced graduate student will develop educational materials for the exhibits, including hands-on programs. He will seek input from community members and from faculty of all departments that use the collections: Art, Architecture, Geology, and Environmental Science, in addition to Biology, the departmental “home” of the arboretum.

Young at Art of Broward - Davie, FL
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $170,686
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Mindy Shrago
(954)424-0085x21; mshrago@youngatartmuseum.org
11584 West State Road 84
Davie, FL 33325-4022

Project Title: "The Art Answer"
Young at Art will open a new museum and education complex in January 2009. In preparation, the museum will convene art and children's experts to develop a model for arts education in museums, shifting the paradigm from learning about art to using art for learning about history, cultures, politics, and society. This model will be integrated into a master plan for the design and development of the two main exhibition galleries: Signature Gallery—A History of Art and The Global Village. Young at Art will evaluate concepts with visitors in its current museum and work with an exhibit firm to design and build the galleries, and develop associated public and school programs.

Gulf Coast Heritage Association - Osprey, FL
Award Amount: $148,500; Applicant Match: $202,483
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Linda Mansperger
(941)966-5214x230; linda@historicspanishpoint.org
P. O. Box 846
Osprey, FL 34229-0846

Project Title: "Historic Spanish Point - Connecting People with our Community's Heritage"
The Gulf Coast Heritage Association (GCHA) will create educational programming and marketing strategies designed to increase the community's awareness of and participation in a wide variety of learning opportunities, and will employ the services of a marketing consultant and a graphic designer to create a new marketing plan for Historic Spanish Point. GCHA will examine visitor and nonvisitor profiles through written surveys and interviews; expand program offerings to better involve residents and tourists with the rich history of southwest coastal Florida; develop and implement a new marketing plan to attract a broader audience to Historic Spanish Point; and strive to fulfill its commitment to contribute to the community's sense of place by providing historical context.

Georgia

William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum - Atlanta, GA
Award Amount: $96,600; Applicant Match: $102,330
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Jane Leavey
(404)870-1861; jleavey@thebreman.org
1440 Spring Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30309-2832

Project Title: "Increasing Accessibility to the Jewish Experience in Georgia at The Breman"
Increasing Accessibility of the Jewish Experience in Georgia has two main activities: (1) processing 17 previously accessioned collections and rendering the content accessible for research and exhibition use, and (2) redesigning one of the museum's signature exhibitions to reflect the statewide collections. The goals are to improve accessibility and use of historically and culturally important oral histories and collections, and to engage constituents and visitors through the “Creating Community” exhibition. An assistant archivist will expedite the numbering, inventorying, cleaning, cataloging, and scanning of 17 collections and the transcribing, cataloging, and indexing of 20 oral histories. An exhibition designer will redesign the “Creating Community” exhibition to incorporate the newly processed materials into interactive, engaging learning environments.

Atlanta Fulton County Zoo, Incorporated - Atlanta, GA
Award Amount: $142,025; Applicant Match: $169,829
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Dr. Michelle Lakly
(404)624-5890; mlakly@zooatlanta.org
800 Cherokee Avenue, SE
Atlanta, GA 30315-1440

Project Title: "Community Connections for Conservation"
Zoo Atlanta’s Community Connections for Conservation initiative will expand two of its signature education programs: ZooMobile and Volunteens. These programs offer learning experiences to more than 6,000 school-age children to foster a greater appreciation for animals, biodiversity, and animal care, while promoting stewardship and conservation. The ZooMobile takes the zoo to the classroom. It uses live animals and biofacts to offer age-appropriate, multidisciplinary learning to K–12 students, primarily in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Volunteen is a year-round leadership and skill-building program for teens between the ages of 13 and 17 years. The teens serve in various areas at the zoo, such as exhibit interpretation, husbandry, horticulture, Summer Safari day camp, administration, and special events.

Fernbank Science Center - Decatur, GA
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $422,324
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Dr. Ralph Buice
(678)874-7102; ralph.buice@fernbank.edu
3770 North Decatur Road
Building A&B
Decatur, GA 30032-1005

Project Title: "Summer Outreach Program"
Fernbank Science Center will increase its capacity and meet community demand by establishing weekend, summer, and after-school outreach to the general public and other targeted groups. The project will move an existing staff member into the new position of public outreach coordinator and hire a new teacher to replace that staff member. Staff will create a comprehensive public outreach program by adapting programs and exhibits that are already in place onsite or in use in schools. Project activities will include evaluation, meeting with community groups, developing programs and exhibits, recruiting volunteers, training staff and volunteers, printing brochures, conducting targeted PR, making the case for financial support to sustain the project, and performing a final evaluation.

Bulloch Hall - Roswell, GA
Award Amount: $25,952; Applicant Match: $26,627
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Pam Billingsley
(770)992-1731; pbillingsley@ci.roswell.ga.us
180 Bulloch Avenue
Roswell, GA 30075-4420

Project Title: "Bulloch Hall Furnishings Plan"
This project will consist of two main phases: (1) background research and (2) the creation of a comprehensive furnishings plan. Research will be conducted into the lives of the James Stephens Bulloch family and their enslaved household servants during their occupation of Bulloch Hall from c. 1839 to 1856, and into the goods and furnishings used in Georgia in the 1850s. The furnishings plan will cover the rooms on the first floor, the children's bedroom on the second floor, and the kitchen and cold storage area on the ground floor. The plan will include a description of the occupants; a floor plan; and suggestions for all proposed furnishings, both in the existing collection and items to be purchased.

Georgia Historical Society - Savannah, GA
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $169,501
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Nora Galler
(912)651-2125; NGaller@geogiahistory.com
501 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401-4830

Project Title: "Expanding Audiences for History: Access for a New Century"
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) will increase its ability to offer patrons an online public access catalog (OPAC) and a multifunctional Web presence able to sustain an online catalog, searchable databases, comprehensive online exhibits, and interactive educational tools. GHS will conduct a two-year project, Expanding Audiences for History: Access for a New Century, to (1) create unprecedented access to its archival collections and educational offerings; (2) streamline its library services; and (3) reach a larger audience for history. To reach a larger audience in Georgia and beyond, GHS will implement an OPAC as part of an integrated library system and will launch a content-rich, user-friendly website to provide access to the OPAC and other educational services.

Idaho

Idaho Botanical Garden - Boise, ID
Award Amount: $29,390; Applicant Match: $34,726
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Mr. Rod Burke
(208)343-8649; rod@idahobotanicalgarden.org
P.O. Box 2140
Boise, ID 83701-8252

Project Title: "Plant Collection Management System"
The Idaho Botanical Garden will develop a system for accessioning, cataloging, and tracking new and existing plants and will begin building a plant collections database. The head of horticulture will write plant management policies and create the forms necessary for plant accession, maintenance, and database record changes, using the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta and the Darwin Technical Manual for Botanic Gardens as resources. Global Positioning System equipment will be purchased and used to determine specimen location, allowing maps of plant collections to be created. A part-time plant record technician will collect data concerning botanical garden plants, place plant collection information in the database, update the database as needed, and create embossed accession tags.

Idaho Museum of Natural History, Idaho State University - Pocatello, ID
Award Amount: $32,861; Applicant Match: $41,649
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Linda Deck
(208)282-5417; decklind@isu.edu
921 South 8th Ave.
Campus Box 8046
Pocatello, ID 83209-8046

Project Title: "IMNH on the Road"
The Idaho Museum of Natural History will create a self-sustaining traveling exhibits program. "IMNH on the Road" will reach out to communities across Idaho and the surrounding area that would not otherwise be able to learn about Idaho's natural and cultural history. A long-term, dedicated traveling exhibits program will allow IMNH to provide sustained offerings to a wide variety of institutions throughout the state and the region. IMNH staff members will use best practices to create engaging interactive exhibits that are easy to set up and interpret. Staff will develop all necessary procedures and protocols for the program, and will create a prototype exhibit. Marketing, public relations, and educational materials will be created to accompany the exhibit.

Illinois

Health World of Barrington - Barrington, IL
Award Amount: $100,000; Applicant Match: $271,876
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Kimberly Zylke
(847)842-9100x233; kzylke@healthworldmuseum.org
1301 South Grove Avenue
Barrington, IL 60010-5237

Project Title: "'In Your Class' Outreach Program"
In response to the dramatic increase in demand from Chicagoland educators and school administrators for in-school education services, Health World created In Your Class outreach programming. In Your Class is an extension of Health World's structured classroom programming, supported by interactive exhibits, teaching models, and hands-on activities. The program is designed specifically for offsite classroom learning. The majority of students served through this program cannot visit Health World because of transportation and associated costs for field trips. Statistically speaking, these are the communities that are most in need of health education programs. The outreach programs are led by Health World educators and directly support state and national health and science standards.

Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield, IL
Award Amount: $149,415; Applicant Match: $681,132
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Dana Murphy
(708)485-0263x452; damurphy@brookfieldzoo.org
3300 South Golf Road
Brookfield, IL 60513-1095

Project Title: "Youth Conservation & Leadership Program"
The Chicago Zoological Society will expand its Youth Conservation and Science Leadership Program and leverage strong relationships in the communities it serves, to encourage scientific aptitude and an enduring interest in conservation among young people. The program focuses on improving science education for participants and increasing diversity among conservation leaders. Every step in this career pipeline is designed to inspire and directly encourage conservation leadership. It provides a progression of opportunities that inspire youth to develop leadership skills, develop confidence in their abilities, and expand their professional horizons through scientific exploration. The program will offer paid and unpaid internships, provide support for economically disadvantaged participants, and target additional culturally diverse communities for recruitment.

Science Center - Carbondale, IL
Award Amount: $60,176; Applicant Match: $60,267
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mrs. Pamela Madden
(618)303-7561; fun@yoursciencecenter.org
1237 East Main Space C-3
Carbondale, IL 62901-3148

Project Title: "WINGS FOR SUCCESS"
The Science Center will develop its program in three phases, with some phases running concurrently. In phase 1, the donated cockpit simulator will be renovated both inside and out, and new electronics will be purchased and installed. In phase 2, programs will be developed, piloted, and evaluated. The programs are Camp Aero (summer camp), Wings (after-school programs), and Families in Flight (special programs and workshops for educators and organizations). In phase 3, the simulator will be upgraded with enhancements and a cargo carrier will be purchased for outreach mobility.

Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum - Chicago, IL
Award Amount: $67,000; Applicant Match: $189,282
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Nancy Villafranca
(312)738-1503x143; nancy@mfacmchicago.org
1852 West 19th Street
Chicago, IL 60608-2706

Project Title: "Understanding the Next Wave: Mexican Women Artists and Nahui Olin"
Understanding the Next Wave is a series of educational programs, many by and for women, that focus on the museum's original exhibitions, “Mexican Women Artists” and “Nahui Olin.” The programs include art workshops in schools and libraries on the history of the women artists in the exhibitions; Family Days at the museum, focusing on women's roles in Mexico and women's art; multigenerational art classes; classes for young women at Yollocalli Arts Reach—the museum's after-school art program—and at Yollocalli's satellites throughout the Chicago metro area; and a curriculum for high school classrooms—free for Chicago public schools—that is suitable for teaching art, social studies, history, art history, women's studies, Latino studies, or Spanish.

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance - Chicago, IL
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $297,171
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. David Snyder
(773)638-1766x15; dsynder@garfieldpark.org
300 North Central Park
Chicago, IL 60624-1945

Project Title: "Comprehensive Interpretive Plan"
The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance will establish consistent interpretive goals and messages, and produce state-of-the-art interpretive vehicles to communicate those messages. The alliance will draft a comprehensive interpretive plan and develop a searchable online database of the plant collection, including a user-friendly visitor orientation. The alliance will also develop a historical exhibit in celebration of the conservatory's centennial in 2008. The main objective of the project is to ensure that the messages and vehicles are relevant to residents of the predominantly African American and Latino/a communities on the west side of Chicago. The plan will be a new model for conservatory collection interpretation, creating an interpretation style that meets the needs of nontraditional botanic garden visitors.

Kohl Children's Museum - Glenview, IL
Award Amount: $148,500; Applicant Match: $594,989
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Mary Trieschmann
(847)832-6870; mtrieschmann@kohlchildrensmuseum.org
2100 Patriot Blvd.
Glenview, IL 60026-8018

Project Title: "Habitat Park"
The Kohl Children’s Museum will create Habitat Park, an interactive outdoor exhibit area. To inform and guide the design of the park, the museum will concentrate on the following key elements: complement and integrate the existing landscape with the new outdoor exhibits; focus on natural elements, including water, earth, sun, and wind; provide multisensory stimulation through plants and other natural elements; provide opportunities to explore animal habitats and shelters; and create a flexible demonstration area to accommodate nature-related programming. An advisory team, including museum staff and community members, will confirm the design direction. A design firm will create conceptual design documents and, after they are approved, final drawings for the interactive elements of the park.

Children's Discovery Museum - Normal, IL
Award Amount: $130,055; Applicant Match: $135,065
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Shari Buckellew
(309)433-3447; sbuckellew@normal.org
100 East Phoenix Avenue
Normal, IL 61761-3018

Project Title: "Agriculture Exhibit Supplemental Programming and Exhibit Installation"
The Children's Discovery Museum, the McLean County Farm Bureau Foundation, and the University of Illinois Corporative Extensive Service Foundation will partner to develop a hands-on agricultural exhibit gallery where visitors can immerse themselves in the world of agriculture. Family farms have decreased by over 50 percent in the past four decades, and agriculture curriculum in schools is declining or has been eliminated. The partners are committed to familiarizing the general public with the origins of food and helping them understand the interconnectedness of the world. The exhibit will be designed to engage the visitor in an immersive environment that uses collaboration, interaction, and exploration. The partners also will develop supplemental programming and a curriculum component.

Children's Museum of Oak Park - Oak Park, IL
Award Amount: $67,679; Applicant Match: $67,967
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Shira Belenke
(708)383-4815; sbelenke@wonder-works.org
6445 West North Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302-1009

Project Title: "Membership and Visitor Diversification"
Wonder Works will conduct a diversification and expansion program to recruit more African American and Latino families as museum visitors and members. The museum will increase its capacity to serve as a center of community engagement by first assessing the interests of diverse populations and then developing and presenting strong programming of interest to them. The museum will strengthen connections with the various ethnic groups in its target area in an effort to attract and retain new community audiences, many of whom may not be traditional museum users. Activities will include holding focus groups, presenting programs at community fairs and events, recruiting by direct mail in targeted communities, and marketing to schools and park districts.

Discovery Center Museum - Rockford, IL
Award Amount: $105,050; Applicant Match: $105,484
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mrs. Sarah Wolf
(815)963-6769; sarahw@discoverycentermuseum.org
711 N. Main Street
Rockford, IL 61103-6990

Project Title: "Nanoscale Science Education Initiative"
Over three years, the Nanoscale Science Initiative will develop new programming and market it to the public and educators. The museum will develop content for three teacher workshops on nanoscale science, technology applications, and career opportunities; develop educational materials for teacher workshops; develop content for museum programming and hands-on activities for its after-school, home school, and Scout badge workshops, and for general public programs; train staff and Youth Experiencing Science volunteers to manage and present the programs; develop three permanent exhibit components that will enhance existing exhibitions on nanoscale science principles and related technology; and provide nanoscale science experiments, make-and-take activities, reading material, and signage for Nanoscale Science Learning Nooks in six regional libraries.

Midway Village and Museum Center - Rockford, IL
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $216,192
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Mr. Daniel Bartlett
(815)397-9112x103; danb@midwayvillage.com
6799 Guilford Road
Rockford, IL 61107-2613

Project Title: "Breathing Life into History"
In Breathing Life into History, Midway Village and Museum Center will be more inclusive in the stories it tells and will design exhibits that will appeal to nontraditional museum audiences who prefer to learn in ways other than through visual/reading techniques. With the assistance of faculty and students from Northern Illinois University, the museum will complete an oral history project, capturing the stories of residents who have migrated to the area from overseas or other parts of the country. The museum will use the oral histories to design an interactive exhibit about Rockford's immigrant communities, looking at the experiences of different immigrant groups over time, the development of ethnic communities, and the processes of assimilation.

Illinois State Museum Society - Springfield, IL
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $266,982
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Dr. Bonnie Styles
(217)782-7011; styles@museum.state.il.us
502 South Spring Street
Springfield, IL 62706-5000

Project Title: "The Play Museum"
The Illinois State Museum will increase its capacity to stimulate lifelong learning and fulfill a major strategic objective by creating the Play Museum—a thematically integrated, play-themed, hands-on discovery center at its main public facility in Springfield. The Play Museum will serve as a pilot and centerpiece for a larger discovery center planned as part of a museum expansion. It will engage visitors in authentic museum staff roles—they will "become" artists, archaeologists, historians, natural scientists, curators, educators, and exhibit designers. They will collect specimens, care for objects, interpret objects, create their own works of art, and design and build exhibits. Trained docents and free workshops will encourage adults to interact and explore with their children.

Indiana

General Lew Wallace Study and Museum - Crawfordsville, IN
Award Amount: $72,517; Applicant Match: $92,621
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko
(765)362-5769; study@wico.net
922 E. South Bouldevard
Crawfordsville, IN 47933-0662

Project Title: "Engaging the Community through Planned Educational Objectives"
The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is a small history museum and historic site with limited staffing. With funding for a full-time director, the museum will be able to offer engaging lifelong learning opportunities to the residents of Montgomery County, Indiana, and surrounding areas. The support will allow the museum to implement its five-year education plan, which is aligned with its strategic plan. The museum will develop and integrate educational activities into regular changing exhibits, develop new programming, and provide classroom materials and resources for local educators.

Carroll County Historical Society and Museum - Delphi, IN
Award Amount: $12,295; Applicant Match: $12,300
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Mrs. Phyllis Moore
(765)564-3152; phyllismoore@carrollcountymuseum.org
101 West Main Street
P.O. Box 277
Delphi, IN 46923-1566

Project Title: "Historical Documents and Records Preservation"
To preserve historical documents and records, the Carroll County Historical Society and Museum will purchase needed technology equipment and develop an indexing database. The museum will hire a project staff of two to digitally preserve and make accessible online the historical documents, writings, journals, and ledgers of General Samuel Milroy, John C. Odell, and Jesse Sharp, as well as the Civil War diaries of James Sharp. The museum will enter 4,000 obituaries and 24,000 wills into the database. The database will be accessible to the public via a public access workstation in the museum and an online database on the museum's website. Information specialists and educators will evaluate the success of the project.

Children's Museum of Indianapolis - Indianapolis, IN
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $379,155
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Ms. Jennifer Pace Robinson
(317)334-3834; jenniferp@childrensmuseum.org
P.O. Box 3000
Indianapolis, IN 46206-3000

Project Title: "The Power of Children: Making a Difference"
The museum will design a permanent exhibit, "The Power of Children:Making a Difference," that includes live theater, historical environments, and real artifacts to introduce families to three children who had an incredible impact on American history: Ann Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White. The exhibit will be seen by as many as 20 million children, families, and teachers over the next 20 years. The entrance will feature video clips and electronic time lines introducing the three children. Historically accurate environments will be created with first-person interpreters. Visitors will interact with thought-provoking, hands-on activities directly related to each child's story. Exhibit outreach will include multidisciplinary units of study and virtual experiences on the museum website.

Ball State University Museum of Art - Muncie, IN
Award Amount: $145,835; Applicant Match: $153,352
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Dr. Ruta Saliklis
(765)285-5270; rtsaliklis@bsu.edu
Contracts and Grans Office
2000 West University Avenue
Muncie, IN 47306-0002

Project Title: "DIDO: Digital Images Delivered Online"
Ball State University Museum of Art (BSUMA) will digitize 10,000 artworks over a two-year period. Digitized images will be made available through BSUMA's collections management database and over the Internet through the BSU Digital Library Initiative. BSUMA's existing collections management database will be converted to Va program that will allow museum staff to have greater control over the database and greater ease in using it in day-to-day operations. The project will allow BSUMA to better care for its collection of 11,000 artworks. In addition, the project is of utmost importance in helping BSUMA achieve its strategic goals of providing greater access to the collection and greater awareness of the museum's holdings to a wider audience.

Iowa

Mathias Ham House, Dubuque County Historical Society - Dubuque, IA
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $150,000
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Tacie Campbell
(563)557-9545; tcampbell@rivermuseum.com
P.O. Box 266
Dubuque, IA 53701-2302

Project Title: "At the Lead Mines"
Through a wide variety of activities appropriate for all age groups, At the Lead Mines will explore the role Dubuque and its miners played in the first mining rush in the United States. Learning activities at the Mathias Ham House Historic Site will tell the story of life at the mines, including socioeconomic history and settlement patterns. The project will attract visitors to the site and offer outreach activities through an interactive website and cable access television programming. It will create lead mining curricula to help schools fulfill local history requirements. Oral histories will be collected from the few remaining lead miners and entered into the archives of the Captain Bowell River Library.

Kansas

Kansas Museum of History - Topeka, KS
Award Amount: $69,326; Applicant Match: $121,658
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Donna Pearson
(785)272-8681x452; dpearson@kshs.org
6425 SouthWest 6th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66615-1099

Project Title: ""Kansas Collects" Museum Partnership for Community Sngagement Through Active Collecting"
The Kansas Museum of History will implement a partnership through which historical agencies around the state will cooperate in community cultivation and resource sharing. The project involves (1) planning, developing, promoting, and implementing six community collecting events distributed geographically around the state; (2) offering training to the Kansas museum community on preparing a collections development plan; and (3) launching Kansas Collects, a shared digital repository of collections information. Partner museums will learn how to identify local contacts and resources, host community education events, and publicize their needs through the media. A workshop and individual training sessions will help partner museums develop their own collections development plans. The collaborative database will be available to all Kansas museums.

Louisiana

Louisiana State Museum Foundation - New Orleans, LA(Awarded March 2006)
Award Amount: $150,000; Applicant Match: $275,951
Grant Category: Supporting Lifelong Learning

Contact: Ms. Anne Atkinson
(504)558-0493; aatkinson@lmf1.org
828 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA 70116-3199

Project Title: "Louisiana State Museum Educational Development Laboratory"
The Louisiana State Museum seeks to provide enhanced statewide educational services in spite of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the evacuation of the museum's education center in New Orleans. This grant will enable the museum to fast-track the development of the planned Educational Development Laboratory (EdLab), a comprehensive, statewide museum education initiative headquartered at the Baton Rouge Capitol Park Branch. EdLab will serve the educational needs of learners of all ages and enhance the state museum's infrastructure and technology to serve larger, more diverse audiences more effectively. The project will use current educational research and scholarship to produce a blueprint for exhibits and collections; provide extended and enhanced educational services; and strengthen cultural and historical education in Louisiana. EdLab will serve students, teachers, scholars, families, community groups, and visitors to the state through exhibits, education programs, presentation and lecture series, and Internet projects. EdLab staff and technology will support the opening of new and expanded museum facilities, produce exhibit-specific education materials for state museum collections and branch museums, and create a cadre of trained K–12 and museum educators to assist with future programs.

Louisiana Children's Museum - New Orleans, LA(Awarded March 2006)
Award Amount: $148,200; Applicant Match: $149,000
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Ms. Julia Bland
(504)586-0725x201; jbland@lcm.org
420 Julia Street
New Orleans, LA 70130

Project Title: "Re-Connecting, Re-Engaging, Re-Building"
The Louisiana Children's Museum, in an effort to address the urgent need to ensure the well-being of our children and families, will begin a program entitled “Re-Connecting, Re-Engaging, Re-Building.” The museum has long served as a center for community engagement and had a director of community engagement on the staff for a one-year period in 2005. The focus of her work was to use the museum's strengths, the directives of its strategic plan, and input from the community to create a new initiative on the well-being of families. The research for the initiative was completed in July 2005. With Katrina's impact on New Orleans, the initiative is not only timely but desperately needed. The Children’s Museum will celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Louisiana's arts, music, and literature through play and play therapy; and will employ a child psychologist/play therapist to address critical needs of families in the community.

Contemporary Arts Center - New Orleans, LA(Awarded March 2006)
Award Amount: $64,594; Applicant Match: $743,018
Grant Category: Serving as Centers of Community Engagement

Contact: Mr. John Weigel
(504)528-3805; jweigel@cacno.org
900 Camp Street
New Orleans, LA 70130-3908

Project Title: "Rebuilding and Renewal of the Arts in New Orleans"
The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) presents visual and performing arts programming that serves the community and supports local artists. CAC will launch the New Orleans Center for Art and Technology (NOCAT). Based on a similar program in Pittsburgh, NOCAT will (1) provide low-income, high-risk secondary students with arts training that will motivate them to finish high school and go on to college, and (2) train underemployed adults in skills that will make them invaluable to the economic redevelopment of the city. CAC will also support the community’s efforts to rebound by hosting community events and serving on advisory boards to formulate the policies that will determine the future of the arts and culture in New Orleans. CAC will welcome displaced arts organizations into its space and provide them with organizational infrastructure.

Maine

Maine State Museum - Augusta, ME
Award Amount: $149,939; Applicant Match: $152,436
Grant Category: Sustaining Cultural Heritage

Contact: Dr. Paula Work
(207)287-6635; paula.work@maine.gov
83 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0083

Project Title: "Maine Science Collections Curatorial Assessment (MaineSCCA)"
Maine law governing the management of science collections, with a few exceptions, identifies the Maine State Museum (MSM) as the trustee for all artifacts, specimens, and materials found on, in, or beneath state-controlled lands. Additional statutory language broadens MSM’s responsibility to include the care of collections transferred from other state agencies. The two-year Maine Science Collections Curatorial Assessment (MaineSCCA) will provide a statewide assessm