GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will be forwarded $500,000 courtesy of the National Endowment for the Humanities!
Rep. Hillary Scholten announced the grant Tuesday.
We’re told the funding will help the museum update its Community Archives and Research Center. The project will add a new public area for research, teacher training and K–12 education.
“The Grand Rapids Public Museum plays an absolutely essential role in telling the stories of West Michigan’s history, people, and communities,” says Representative Scholten. “This grant will help the museum continue its work and expand its ability to educate West Michiganders of all ages.”
The news comes months after GRPM embarked on a $50 million expansion project to accommodate visitor growth with riverfront accessibility, enhancements in the north lawn, a rock wall and more.
READ MORE: Grand Rapids Public Museum to begin construction on $50 million expansion
GRPM Chief Curator Alex Forist released the following statement:
"The Grand Rapids Public Museum is thrilled to receive this Infrastructure Challenge Grant from the NEH for our Community Access to Collections project. The funding will be used to renovate a portion of the GRPM's collection storage facility in downtown Grand Rapids to create a new community space designed to promote accessibility to museum collections for K-12 students, teachers, and members of the public. The two-story space, adjacent to both the Grand Rapids Public Museum High School and the Community Archives and Research Center, will feature an artifact lab, classroom, and meeting spaces where visitors of all ages can engage in research and hands-on learning with artifacts and specimens from the GRPM collections. This grant is a significant step towards realizing the GRPM's vision of a 21st century archives that balances the preservation of collections with increased access for learning, tours, professional development, and community programming. The Community Access to Collections project is an important part of the GRPM's ongoing campaign to raise $50M for an expansion that will double the number of students we can serve and transform the museum and the banks of the Grand River into a dynamic regional educational center for generations to come.”
