Muse Knoxville Awarded a Capital Maintenance and Improvements Grant from the Tennessee State Museum
GRANT WILL BE USED FOR CARPET REMOVAL, SAFETY FENCES, AND ACCESSIBILITY UPGRADES
Muse Knoxville is a recipient of a $41,950.00 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for carpet removal, safety fence installation, and other needed accessibility upgrades.
The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2024-2025 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”
It was a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 157 applications, totaling $10.5M in funding requests for the $5M appropriation. As of this release, the Museum has made full or partial awards to 83 museums across the state, representing 46 counties.
“In our second year facilitating this funding, we continue to be inspired by the incredible work being done throughout the state by our strong network of Tennessee museums and historic sites,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “This grant is an extension of our mission to preserve the history, art, and culture of Tennessee by supporting the efforts of local, regional, and state institutions. We again thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee museums.”
“The Tennessee State Museum Grant award is a transformative boost for us, enabling essential building upgrades like carpet removal, safety fencing, and other much needed accessibility improvements. This support directly enhances the safety and inclusivity of our space, ensuring all children and families can engage comfortably and securely in our museum experience.” – Allison Comer, Executive Director
The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2025.
About Muse Knoxville
Muse Knoxville is a non-profit children’s science museum located in Chilhowee Park with a mission to inspire and empower all children through transformative learning experiences. We exist to serve East Tennessee by bringing hands-on, inquiry-based programming to children ranging from infants to 12 years old. In FY 23-24, Muse Knoxville served over 143,000 individuals throughout 48 states plus Washington, D.C. www.themuseknoxville.org.
About Tennessee State Museum
Celebrating its 87th Anniversary in 2024, the Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is home to 13,000 years of Tennessee art and history. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey – through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programming – from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day. Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.
