Museums awarded $133k in grants
The Museum of Appalachia in Norris has received a $55,000 grant from the state of Tennessee for some electrical improvements to its facilities. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The money comes from a pool of $5 million in grant funds for museums appropriated by the Tennessee General Assembly in the state’s 2025-26 fiscal-year budget.
Grant recipients are:
• Museum of Appalachia, Norris, $55,000 to support an electrical-improvement project.
• American Museum of Science and Energy, Oak Ridge, $17,000 to support visitor access and ADA accommodations
• Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, $18,850 to support a plumbing-improvement project.
• Coal Creek Miners Museum, Rocky Top, $42,063 to support building foundation work and ADA accommodations for visitors
There were more than 170 grant applications submitted, totaling $12 million in funding requests, according to the Tennessee State Museum.
The State Museum has made full or partial awards to 99 museums across the state, representing 46 counties.
In the three years of the program, the grants have supported 173 museums in 73 counties across the state.
Last year, the Museum of Appalachia received a $100,000 grant from the same program, which was used to install an elevator in the museum’s Hall of Fame, a large two-story building at the front of the property along Andersonville Highway, to give disabled visitors access to the second floor.
That building houses thousands of artifacts that are on display for guests, but the second floor had been accessible only by stairwells.
Also last year, the Coal Creek Miners Museum was awarded $50,000 from the same program to help with its plans to open a second floor of exhibits.
That money also was earmarked for an elevator, and to allow the Miners Museum to add heating and air conditioning, along with ADA-compliant restrooms, to the second floor.
The grants help these museums upgrade some of their facilities to comply with the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The Tennessee State Museum serves the state of Tennessee through history, art, and culture,” said Ashley Howell, the state museum’s executive director.
“There is incredible work being done throughout the state by our strong network of Tennessee museums and historic homes,” she said.
“This grant is an extension of how we can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history,” Howell said. “We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee Museums.”
Capital improvement and maintenance grant applications allowed for a minimum requested amount of $5,000 and a maximum of $100,000 each.