American Association for State and Local History

Building on the creation and piloting of a "standards toolkit" for history museums, the American Association for State and Local History will launch a cohesive national program to implement the achievement of best practices in the areas of mission, vision, and governance; audience; interpretation; stewardship of collections; stewardship of historic structures and landscapes; and management. "ExCEL: Expanding Capacity, Excellence, and Leadership in History Organizations" will target small and mid-sized historical societies and museums with tools and resources to improve their abilities to care for collections and provide leadership within communities. Grant funding will support the creation of an online standards community and clearinghouse of resources, as well as webinars supporting the six standards areas. The project will also create curricula for state museum associations and other field service providers to support onsite courses and train-the-trainer sessions for regional museums.