Organizational Planning and Development Grants. are available in two different amounts. The grants are administered on a competitive basis, and the awards are made annually based on a peer review process.

Availability of Funds. Grant awards are subject to the availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding is based on the state fiscal year, July through June.

Who May Apply. Organizations that meet the American Association of Museums' definition that "a museum must be a legally organized nonprofit institution, essentially educational in nature, with professional staff, which owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule" may apply for grant assistance. The following are the types of museums that are eligible to apply:

• Aquariums
• Arboretums
• Art Museums
• Botanical Gardens
• Children's Museums
• General Museums (with two or more equally significant disciplines)
• History Museums
• Historic Houses/Sites
• Military/Maritime Museums
• Natural History Museums
• Nature Centers
• Planetariums
• Science/Technology Centers
• Zoological Parks
• Consortiums of museums that clearly demonstrate benefit to member organizations (These will be considered collaborative grants.)
• Museums and historic sites that are owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and operated by independent nonprofit organizations
• Multipurpose Organizations. Multipurpose government or tax-exempt organizations that own and operate two or more museums that meet the American Association of Museums' definition of a museum and that meet the eligibility criteria may apply for Museum Project Grants that benefit the museums under their management. For purposes of the grant program, these will be considered collaborative grants.

Individual museums within multipurpose organizations may also apply for grants if they function as a discrete unit within the parent organization. A museum that is part of a larger organization will be deemed eligible if:

• The museum has administrative autonomy for its operations;
• The museum has a fully segregated and itemized operating budget within that of the parent organization; and
• The museum is able to separately and distinctly fulfill all eligibility and application requirements as defined in these guidelines.

Each parent multipurpose organization controlling more than one museum may submit only one collaborative grant application on behalf of the museums under its management. Qualified individual museums may also submit grant applications individually or may collaborate with other qualified museums that are not affiliated with the parent organization.

Who May Not Apply. Museums and others that are not eligible to apply include:

• Museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission;
• Associate groups at museums and historic sites operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission except as a partner of a collaborative grant with a nonaffiliated organization;
• Museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies except through an associate or management group;
• State government;
• Federal government; and
• Individuals.

Eligibility Requirements. To apply for an Organizational Planning and Development Grant, a museum must meet the following requirements:

• Must be located in Pennsylvania;
• Must have tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service or be an entity of government;
• Must have been incorporated and have been exhibiting to the public for at least two years prior to the submission of the grant application; and
• Must be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State: Bureau of Charitable Organizations, as required. Information may be obtained by writing Bureau of Charitable Organizations, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, P.O. Box 8723, Harrisburg, PA 17105 or by calling 1-800-732-0999 or see: Pennsylvania Department of State: Bureau of Charitable Organizations .
  

Levels of Funding. There are two levels of funding for Organizational Planning and Development Grants:

• Grants in amounts up to and including $5,000 require no matching funds.
• Grants in amounts of $5,001 and up to and including $15,000 require 50/50 matching funds.

All eligible museums have the option to apply for one or the other level of funding. The $5,000 grant (with no matching provision) was especially designed to provide competitive funding opportunities for smaller museums whose operating budgets generally do not exceed $100,000.

Applicants are especially encouraged to use the $5,000 grant to address the recommendations of a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Technical Assistance Grant.

General Conditions. There are a number of general conditions for Organizational Planning and Development Grants:

• Grants in excess of $5,001 are awarded on a 50/50 matching basis. In-kind contributions may be used to satisfy the matching requirement; however, cash matches of new dollars are strongly encouraged and will be considered in the evaluation process.
• Grant awards will not exceed $15,000.
• The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will not fund the same grant request. They will, however, fund different and discrete parts of a larger project, e.g., conservation of objects for an exhibition and exhibition production itself.
• Work cannot begin on the project until the successful applicant has received a fully executed Grant Agreement.

Categories of Support. The following categories of support are broadly defined and include examples of projects that may be considered for funding. The examples are by no means a complete list of eligible projects. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their projects and ideas with the appropriate grant manager. Please refer to the section on " PHMC Grants Staff. "

Organizational Planning and Development. Grant assistance is available to provide increased organizational effectiveness through organizational study, system improvement, planning, and analysis. Examples of projects include:

• Strategic Planning
• Business Planning
• Development
• Fundraising
• Marketing
• ADA Planning
• Board, Staff and Volunteer Development
  

Ineligible Activities. Collections Management Project Grants may not be used to fund the following:

• Endowments;
• General operating support;
• Overhead or indirect costs for operation of organization;
• Acquisition of objects for the collection;
• Capital improvement projects;
• Existing part-time or full-time staff positions (this includes hiring part-time staff during their nonworking hours);
• Projects that have been initiated prior to the date of the award;
• Projects that serve a religious purpose or promote religious dogma;
• Exhibitions or programs not available to the public or taking place primarily outside of Pennsylvania;
• Prizes and awards;
• Expenses for entertainment; and
• Lobbying-related expenses;

Grant Period and Implementation Timetable. The Application Submission Deadline for FY2008-2009 is December 1, 2007. Application submission deadlines in future years may be obtained by visiting the PHMC Grants Website at http://www.artsnet.org/phmc.

The following timetable for processing grant applications and implementing projects is provided for your information and as a planning guide. Remember, grant awards are subject to the availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. No commitments or announcements can be made until after July 1, 2008 or such time as the Commonwealth Budget is approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor.

Maximum Number of Awards
Eligible applicants may apply for and may receive under the Pennsylvania History and Museum Grant Program one Museum Project Grant, one type of General Operating Support Grant and a Technical Assistance Grant. The applicant may also serve as the lead partner of a collaborative grant.

Applicants meeting the relevant eligibility requirements may apply for and may receive one grant under the Certified Local Government Grant Program and one grant under the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program.

Please take the time to read the material provided on this website to determine if you are eligible to receive other grants from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Applications
Applicants for Museum Project Grants are required to use the web-based electronic grant application process. Exceptions are generally only made for those applicants who do not have access to the necessary equipment. Exceptions must be discussed in advance with the appropriate grants manager. (See the section entitled " PHMC Grants Staff " for names, telephone numbers and email addresses.)

The electronic grant application process has been in use for several years now and provides a mechanism for you to complete your grant application on-line. It is a relatively simple process that allows you to submit your application as late as midnight of the appointed deadline date. Commission staff can also review your application while in progress and are available to assist you

To download a PDF of the Museum Project Grants Application Click Here.