FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal agency that supports the nation's museums and libraries, awarded $2,295,352 to museum to collaborate with neighboring organization to address pressing community needs. The awards are funded under IMLS' prestigious National Leadership Grants program, the Museums in the Community category. The museums will match the grants with an additional $4,880,867. For a complete list of funded museums and descriptions of their partnership projects, please see the attached list.

"Working together, neighboring educational, community, cultural, and charitable organizations can build civic engagement and create new opportunities for learning," said Dr. Robert S. Martin, IMLS Director. "These grants will help museums and their partners promote lifelong learning and address real community concerns."

Among the museums selected for funding are the Zoological Society of Buffalo to partner with First Hand Learning, Inc. to develop after-school programs for disadvantaged youth, the Wing Luke Asian Museum to work with the Sikh Coalition to establish a Sikh Community Advisory Committee for planning exhibitions and educational programs, and the Missouri Historical Society to collaborate with St. Louis' Anti-Defamation League to build a curriculum to help teachers impart the skills to eliminate discrimination and foster tolerance.

Museums in the Community grants support projects that cultivate partnerships between museums and community organizations. Projects strengthen museums services to youth, family, and adult audiences to promote lifelong learning. Priorities for 2004 grants include projects that support museum leadership in the education of a nation of learners, and projects that strengthen long term relationships between museums and community organizations to meet the documented needs of the community.

There are four categories of funding through IMLS' National Leadership Grants for Museums: Museums in the Community (today's grants), Museums Online, Professional Practices, and Library-Museum Collaborations. The remaining three grant categories will be announced in September 2004.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Institute fosters leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation's 15,000 museums and 122,000 libraries. The Institute also encourages partnerships to expand the educational benefit of libraries and museums. To learn more about the Institute, please log onto: http://www.imls.gov