FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IMLS Press Contact
Giuliana Bullard gbullard@imls.gov
202-653-4699

$1.4 Million in New Grants Will Strengthen Native American and Hawaiian Museum Services

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced 22 grants, totaling $1,472,000, to support museum services of federally recognized tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations in 11 states. IMLS received 31 applications through the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program, requesting nearly $2.1 million in funds.

“This year marks the fourteenth year of IMLS support for tribal, Native Alaskan, and Native Hawaiian museum services,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “We are pleased to continue building the capacity of tribal museums with our support for these 22 projects.”

The newly-funded projects will help preserve tribal heritage, culture, and knowledge through exhibitions, educational services and programming, professional development, and collections stewardship.

Examples include:

• The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe's effort to digitize the collections of the Leech Lake Herbarium and make it available online through a searchable database.
• Papahana Kuaola's On-the-Go initiative to provide museum resources to 80 public and private school teachers and 3,000 students on the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Oahu, to increase knowledge and understanding of Hawaiian-based science.
• The Makah Cultural and Research Center effort to develop a website and app with a Makah lexical word list that will be alphabetized and searchable in two directions (Makah to English and English to Makah).

The Native American/Native Hawaiian grant awards were part of $3.7 million in museum grants that IMLS announced the week. The agency also awarded $2.2 million through the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture.

More information about museum grant opportunities can be found on the IMLS website.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.