America 250 | CT Museum Makeover

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Conservation ConneCTion and CT Humanities have partnered to offer The America 250 | CT Museum Makeover, a grant program designed to help cultural organizations tell new and unique stories about the American Revolution and how the themes of the America 250 | CT Commission reverberate through our nation’s history. The outcome should improve the visitor experience through a deeper and richer understanding and appreciation of the themes of the American Revolution and increase their understanding of the people, places, issues, and stories facing our communities so we can both learn from the past and make progress to a better future. 

Proposed projects can include exhibitions; orientation galleries; interpretive spaces, such as period rooms in historic house museums; or accessibility improvements, such as creating bilingual content, and developing new tools for improved visual, auditory, and physical access (these components should meet the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act). The project should support at least one of the America 250 | CT themes: Tell Inclusive Stories, Power of Place, Doing History, and For the Common Good.

Successful applicants will receive two free site visits from a curatorial project manager who will work with the institution’s paid and unpaid staff throughout the grant period to implement their project. Paid and unpaid staff at these cultural organizations will be actively involved in all phases of Museum Makeover and will work closely with their assigned curatorial project manager to implement recommendations. Each participating institution will also receive up to $5,600 to help cover the costs of upgrading or creating exhibition and interpretive areas. This funding can be used for curatorial consultants, graphic designer, exhibit designer, exhibit fabrication and production, and exhibit installation.

Join us on December  5th at 12 p.m. to a Colleague Circle hosted by the Connecticut League  of Museums to learn more about this grant opportunity.

Register now.

Before applying, organizations must contact Conservation ConneCTion director, Kathy Craughwell-Varda, CSL.ConservationConnection@ct.gov, to discuss their grant application. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are available to review draft applications received at least two weeks before the grant deadline.

 More information on the program themes can be found on the America 250 | CT website - https://ct250.org/about/themes/. 

America 250 | CT has also created a Planning Guide that provides assistance in developing new and unique projects -- https://ct250.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/America-250-CT-Planning-Guide.pdf 

Application deadline is 11:59 p.m., January 22, 2025