Museums in Westmoreland, Allegheny receive operating grants

Several Westmoreland and Allegheny county museums were awarded grants to help with their general operations through the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

Three museums in Westmoreland and six in Allegheny were among 153 eligible museums that received part of a $2 million award aimed at strengthening those not supported by state funding programs.

In Westmoreland, the Ligonier Valley Historical Society was awarded $4,000, West Overton Museums received $5,566 and the Westmoreland County Historical Society received $4,463.

Several museums in Allegheny were awarded funds, including the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Science Center ($40,000), the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh ($40,000), the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania ($40,000), The Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh ($9,913), Rivers of Steel – Steel Industry Heritage Corporation ($30,875) and the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Trust, Inc. ($21,776).

Museums in Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana and Washington also received funds.

“Pennsylvania’s wonderful museums and historical societies help preserve and share the state’s rich history and culture through the stories they tell,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a news release. “These funds, awarded to museums and historical societies across the commonwealth will help ensure these facilities are able to continue serving as educational resources for all Pennsylvanians.”

To qualify, a museum must have an annual operating budget over $100,000 and at least one full-time staff person.

Award amounts are determined through an equation that is based on a percentage of the eligible museum’s previous year’s operating budget. The maximum award a museum could receive is $40,000 while county historical societies received a $4,000 minimum grant.