[Heritage] New Oregon Museum Grant Application Available

[Heritage Info]

For the first time in 40 years, major changes in Oregon's museum grant program are underway.

While the eligibility requirements for museums remains the same and the amount of available funds doubled, applications in the newly revised program will be evaluated competitively in three areas: heritage tourism, heritage preservation, and heritage education and interpretation.

Grant applications are available on the Heritage Commission website at http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/OHC/museum.shtml, or by sending an e-mail to heritage.info at state.or.us, by phoning Heritage Commission coordinator Kyle Jansson at 503-986-0673 or by writing the Heritage Commission, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301-1266. The deadline to submit applications is April 14, 2006.

There will be informational presentations about the new program in communities around the state. The first presentations will be:
Bend: The High Desert Museum, 59800 S. Hwy 97, 10:30 a.m., March 8.
Eugene: Oregon Museums Association meeting at the University of Oregon's Many Nations Plankhouse, 9:45 a.m., March 6.
Jacksonville: Program Space behind the Beekman House, California and Laurelwood streets, 10:30 a.m., March 7.
Klamath Falls: Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St., 3 p.m., March 7,

Additional presentations will be posted at the website and announced in Oregon Heritage News.

"It has been four years since the Heritage Commission, the Oregon Museums Association, and the Oregon Historical Society began work to change the program so that it could substantially increase the amount of support for Oregon museums and be more accountable to the public," says David Ellis, chair of the Heritage Commission. "We hope we have accomplished that."

Under the old program, qualifying museums that submitted applications equally shared funds, which in recent years had amounted to less than $300 per museum. The 2005 Oregon Legislature approved changes to make the program competitive. Under the new program, a six-person committee of museum, heritage and tourism professionals will evaluate each application and make funding recommendations to the Heritage Commission.

Because resources available to museums often vary, the Heritage Commission wants to make sure that a significant percentage of the funds continue to be awarded to smaller museums.
 
"We hope that all of the museums, including the science and art museums, that previously received museum grant funds will apply for the new museum grants," said Ellis.