How Federal Funding Supports the NSCDA
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America supports funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts because these agencies provide critical support for preservation and education programs in communities nationally.
The NSCDA National Headquarters and Museum, Dumbarton House, proudly participates in Blue Star Museums. A collaboration of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense, Blue Star Museums offers free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families each year from Memorial Day through Labor Day. More than 2,000 participating museums serve nearly one million service members and their families each year.
Grant funding from these agencies also provides critical support for our museum’s preservation and community outreach efforts: to the tune of over $700,000 since 2010. IMLS grants have allowed us to catalogue and inventory our collection of over 2,600 artifacts and artworks documenting life in the early nation, creating a new Collections Assistant (now Manager) position to care for our artifacts so they can continue to inspire and educate future generations. Currently, two IMLS grants are supporting creation of a new Collections Storage and Archives Center, and development of a new Interpretive Plan to guide exhibition and tour development that engages our 21st century community.
Meanwhile, NEH funding supported a comprehensive study and redesign of our failing HVAC system, now underwriting a portion of the replacement of the system. The new system will allow us to better care for our centuries-old artifacts, maintain a more comfortable climate for our guests, and efficiently operate so that we can conserve resources moving forward.
Funding from NEH also supports the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC Humanities Council, both of which have supported Dumbarton House preservation efforts and educational programs in recent years. All of these grants have been competitively awarded through a rigorous peer-review process, and all have required matching funds or cost-share. As a result, federal dollars invested go that much farther, motivating private and local giving to extend our reach and deepen our community investment.
Across the country, NSCDA-affiliated museums and collections supported through our Corporate Societies have benefited similarly from grant programs like those highlighted above, as well as through the Save America’s Treasures grants, a collaborative venture of the NEA, NEH, IMLS, National Park Service, and President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
These are just a few examples that the NSCDA museums offer, and there are thousands of others across the nation that benefit from grant programs like these. Together, museums directly support over 726,000 American jobs and contribute $50 billion to the US economy each year. To learn more about the impact of museums nationally, or in your state, visit the American Alliance of Museums website.
Read our original statement of support HERE.