Maryland Congressional Delegation Announces Funding for $ 475,000 US Rescue Plan for Maryland Museums and Libraries

November 03, 2021

Institute of Museum and Library Services Provides Funding to Museums and Libraries in Maryland through its US Bailout Grants

US Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) Announced today hui a US bailout package of $ 474,461. (ARP) through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support museums and libraries in their adjustments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our museums and libraries are essential cultural and learning hubs in our communities. Demand for their resources, whether in person or online, has increased during the pandemic ”, said the legislators. “By digitizing their collections and creating hybrid study programs, this federal investment will expand Marylanders’ access to the many resources our libraries have to offer.”

Funding comes from the IMLS ARP grant program which was created to support communities through COVID-19 by improving museum and library resources. This state-wide funding will allow museums and libraries to digitize their collections, improve their outreach to students and increase the accessibility of their content. The winners include:

• $ 50,000 for the B&O Railroad Museum, Inc. in Baltimore improve its website and publicly upload the museum’s collections and archives and update its virtual programming, especially for students learning at home during the pandemic

• $ 30,283 for the Baltimore Children’s Museum Inc. to develop programs that support children with disabilities and help alleviate some of the additional stress these children, families and educators have had to endure due to the pandemic

• $ 50,000 for the Baltimore Art Museum implement hybrid versions of their successful in-person learning programs for school-aged children

• $ 50,000 for the Chesapeake Children’s Museum in Annapolis to add functionality to their nutritional content and healthy activities as well as to facilitate workshops

• $ 36,000 for the Maryland Jewish Museum in Baltimore increase their digital services and accessibility. Museum to hire communications and content coordinator to meet growing demand for hybrid programming

• $ 44,000 for Foundation of the City of London at Edgewater revive and rebuild its horticultural education programs by re-hiring a horticultural educator to launch the new park-based curriculum

• $ 49,918 for the Maryland Department of Planning to support the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in Saint-Léonard implement a project to preserve and understand the cultural heritage of the region, in particular its agricultural history

• $ 40,000 for Prince George County Memorial Library System in Largoexpand computer and internet access in a county where 36% of people do not have high-speed internet access at home

• $ 48,535 for Sand Source Museum, the state-designated Montgomery County Regional Folklife Center to promote and rebuild the folk tradition and capacity of folk performers who have been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• $ 50,000 to the trustees of Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore hire an Educational Resources Specialist and Curriculum Outreach Educator to create and develop new ways for the museum to reach students in a post-COVID environment

• $ 13,575 to the Ward Foundation to fund the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury presenting a suite of materials that focuses on a new series of works of art that reflects the experiences of black people on the east coast of Maryland

• $ 12,150 for the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown to create an augmented reality platform and engaging outreach program for students at home, daycare, classroom or museum