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Great American Treasures Museum Alliance Grant

The Museum Alliance Grant Fund awards funds through an annual competitive application process open to all NSCDA Great American Treasures member museums. Designed to further preserve our historic buildings, collections and landscapes, as well as enhance programming, the grant program seeks to encourage public interest in these properties and promote broader understanding of America’s vibrant, complex history.

2026 Grant Focus

The Grant Fund Subcommittee annually selects a special theme or designates general need-based requests.  Applications are evaluated by outside museum professionals for project excellence before being forwarded to Dames reviewers who decide the final award selections.

 

“Needs Now!” is the 2026 focus, with $45,000 to be awarded in amounts from $5,000 to $15,000.  Applicants must identify a top priority requiring action within one year at their museum, present a compelling case for its funding, and describe anticipated benefits to the GAT site.

 

Requests can include, but are not limited to:
• “bricks and mortar,” projects to help restore, maintain, and enhance the fabric of the buildings and grounds
• collection acquisition, restoration, or maintenance
• staff development, including professional conferences
• public history consultants
• equipment upgrades
• improved accessibility with ADA accommodations

 

The online application will be available beginning June 1, 2026 on the NSCDA website, with the deadline for submissions on July 17.  The 2026 winners will be announced in October at the NSCDA Biennial Conference in Washington, DC.
2025

Museum Alliance 2025 Grant Awards

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, located in Honolulu, is awarded $12,900 for its project, Past Forward:  A Digital Reimagining of Hawaii’s History

As stewards of one of the world’s largest archives of printed materials in the Hawaiian language, the Mission Houses site is boldly moving forward with technology-enhanced storytelling.

Interactive displays – with user-driven content – will bring stories of Native Hawaiians, working class immigrants, and missionaries to life.  The displays will include 3D renderings of cultural artifacts, rare documents, historical portrayals, and audio recordings.

The site of the two oldest houses in Hawaii, this GAT property was once headquarters for the Protestant missionaries who were sent in 1819 to introduce Christianity and literacy to the native people.  Many of the state’s 29 Dames, descendants of these early missionaries, volunteer at the site.

By illuminating personal and cultural stories often overlooked, this project will expand the knowledge about our 50th state and its rich contributions to America’s story.

 

Stenton, also known as the James Logan Home in Philadelphia, is receiving $12,900 to support a video, “The Women of Stenton:  Dinah, Deborah, and the Dames”

“The Women of Stenton” is the capstone to the Pennsylvania Society’s new docuseries, “For the Common Good.” There are now 10 films highlighting the contributions of women to the founding of our nation with names and stories which have seldom been acknowledged.

The video format will enable this series to be seen in person, plus educate vast audiences over streaming and social media platforms.

This final film focuses on the women who have preserved Stenton across the centuries . . . from Dinah, an enslaved woman who, freed in 1776, saved the house during the Revolution; to Deborah Logan whose early 19th century diaries preserved memories from earlier generations; to Mary Chew who convinced fellow Dames in 1899 to take on stewardship of the property; and to all the Dames since who support this landmark house and its place in America’s history.

Travellers Rest Historic House Museum, in Nashville, is awarded $9,200 for a new exhibit, Following Emancipation:  The History of the Overton Family

Committed to telling the stories of all who lived at Travellers Rest, this project adds that of Emmaline Overton and her 9 children who, once freed, left Tennessee and settled in Texas.

It is a remarkable narrative, demonstrating perseverance against nearly insurmountable odds.

Fifth generation descendent Roscoe Overton, age 90, has compiled the family’s information.  Katie O’Bryan, the museum’s Executive Director, will travel to Austin to photograph places of importance to the family and interview Mr. Overton.  His oral history is being supplemented by professional research into primary sources, including public records and newspapers.  DNA testing is also being used.

Panels for the exhibit are designed to be easily moved throughout the museum site, shared with community groups, and even shipped to Texas.  The Overton family history after 1865 tells not just a Tennessee story, but an important national one.

Past Project Winners

2021 Grant Awards

  • Beauvais-Linden House, Center for French Colonial Life

    • NSCDA-MO  (Medium)
    Award: $5,000
    Project: Linden/Hands-on House Fencing Replacement

  • Joel Lane Museum House

    • NSCDA-NC (Large)
    Award: $5,000
    Project: Joel Lane Museum House Interior Paint Analysis

  • McAllister House Museum

    • NSCDA-CO (Petite)
    Award: $5,000
    Project: Sustainability Based Horticulture Initiative

  • Webb Deane Stevens Museum

    • NSCDA-CT (Medium)
    Award: $5,000
    Project: Mobilizing Educational Programs: George Washington Really Did Sleep Here!

    2022 Grant Awards

  • Craik-Patton House

    • NSCDA-WV (Medium)
    Award: $12,500
    Project: Rear Gallery Restoration and Damage Mitigation

  • Historic Indian Agency House

    • NSCDA-WI (Petite)  **state society dissolved: historic site remains GAT member
    Award: $12,500
    Project: Remediation and a Road Map: Meeting Critical Preservation Needs

    2023 Grant Awards

  • Hermann-Grima House

    • NSCDA-LA (Large)
    Award: $10,000
    Project: Restoration of Wooden Balconies on Enslaved Quarters

  • Hoover-Minthorn House Museum

    • NSCDA-OR (Petite)
    Award: $10,000
    Project: Water Damage Restoration and Painting House Interior

  • The Powder Magazine

    • NSCDA-SC (Large)
    Award: $5,000
    Project: Restoration of Forged Iron Door and Surround

    2024 Grant Awards

  • Andrew Low House Museum

    • NSCDA-GA (Large)
    Award: $9,500
    Project: Sarah and Amy Low Portrait Conservation

  • Mount Clare Museum

    • NSCDA-MD (Medium)
    Award: $9,000
    Project: Assess Twenty Paintings with Conservation of Three Works

  • Peachfield

    • NSCDA-NJ (Medium)
    Award: $6,500
    Project: Stabilize and Conserve Rare 1782 Bed Rug for Peachfield’s Tricentennial

    2025 Grant Awards

  • Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives

    • NSCDA-HI (Petite)
    Award: $12,900
    Project: Past Forward:  A Digital Reimagining of Hawaii’s History

  • Stenton

    • NSCDA-PA (Large)
    Award: $12,900
    Project: The Women of Stenton: Dinah, Deborah, and the Dames video

  • Travellers Rest Historic House Museum

    • NSCDA-TN (Large)
    Award: $9,200
    Project: Following Emancipation:  The History of the Overton Family exhibit

    TOTALS through 2025:

    $130,00 in grant funds distributed
    5 grant cycles
    15 grant awards
    15 different state societies
    3 membership sizes: 6 Large; 5 Medium; 4 Petite