Worcester, MA – Worcester Historical Museum (WHM) has received a grant for $129,030 from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) CARES fund to help maintain and expand its unique community partnerships to capture, archive, and share the stories of community that make Worcester the exciting city it is.
The NEH CARES grant provides six-month support (July-December 2020) allowing Worcester Historical Museum to preserve five humanities positions and create one new short-term documentation position. NEH support will ensure WHM’s ongoing efforts to capture oral histories of communities in Worcester, document the effects of the coronavirus pandemic locally, plan for the development and implementation of school curricula, transition recent and planned exhibitions to digital formats, and develop expanded virtual programming.
WHM was selected from over 2,300 applicants across the country to be one of only 317 cultural organizations, and one of 19 in Massachusetts, to receive NEH CARES funding. WHM Executive Director William D. Wallace shared, “Worcester Historical Museum is honored to be included as one of the 14 percent of applicants funded for COVID support in this highly competitive program. This endorsement of WHM’s commitment to community partnerships will help to secure a vibrant future for Worcester’s shared past, present and future in this moment of uncertainty and reinvention.”
In response to this significant vote of confidence/support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, WHM Trustees have issued a challenge: Help us build this support to $250,000 to guarantee continued programming and partnerships through June 30, 2021, our fiscal year.
Gail Ciborowski Ferreira, WHM Board President, stated, “This is a critical moment for the museum as we all adapt to be more digital, and with so much to record and share amongst the uncertainty of COVID-19. The WHM Board proposes we challenge ourselves to raise a similar amount, an additional $120,000, to help secure Worcester’s history now and for the future. Community support is critical, and all gifts are appreciated. Please help us now as we extend THE TOMORROW FUND that we initiated to assist WHM operations during the pandemic to meet this challenge.”
For information on how you can participate in this important community match through WHM’s
THE TOMORROW FUND, please make your contribution HERE.
In March, NEH received $75 million in supplemental grant funding through the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Requests to NEH numbered more than 2,300 eligible applications and totaled $370 million. On Monday, June 22, 2020, NEH announced the award of a total of $40.3 million in new CARES Act economic stabilization grants to support essential operations, two of which are in Worcester—Worcester Historical Museum and American Antiquarian Society.
YOUR HISTORY MATTERS.
About Worcester Historical Museum Founded in 1875, Worcester Historical Museum is the only organization solely dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of Worcester’s unique and diverse history from all time periods and subject areas. The holdings of WHM encompass thousands of documents and artifacts vital to the study of Worcester history. Worcester’s history is interpreted through a calendar of exhibitions, educational programming, tours, and publications. WHM features both permanent installations and changing exhibits.
