Native American, Native Hawaiian Communities Receive $1.4 Million in Grants
IMLS Funds Museum Work to Preserve Tribal Heritage and Culture

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced 18 grants totaling $1,472,000 to support museum services of federally recognized tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. IMLS received 29 applications through the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program, requesting grants totaling $2,689,197, an increase of more than half a million in requested funding than the previous year.

“For over fourteen years, IMLS has been investing in tribal museum services to help communities flourish,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “This year's funding awards continue the support for Native American and Native Hawaiian tribes as they preserve the unique heritage, culture, and knowledge of their communities.”

The funded grant projects fund exhibitions, educational services and programming, professional development, and collections stewardship for tribal communities. Examples include:

• The Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska, will enhance the “Our Grandparents’ Names on the Land” exhibit, which features a touchscreen tabletop with 3,500 Native place name locations displayed on a satellite map of Southeast Alaska. The collection includes audio and audiovisual recordings that document Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian language, culture, and history.
   
• The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians will develop a strategic plan and a master architectural plan for a museum/cultural center. The new facility will house a growing collection of material artifacts and historic documentation to help the community connect and learn about the Chemehuevi people.
   
• The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma will address the need to increase online access to collections and archives of the Myaamia Heritage Museum & Archive. The tribe will appoint a full-time archivist to guide digitization work with fragile National Council Books and a large artifact collection, which represents many aspects of Myaamia traditional life, such as planting, harvesting, hunting, and playing games. The project will also include creating records for the manuscript collections of stories, pictures, and documents donated by tribal members.

More information about museum grant programs and open funding 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.