Natural Resources Agency Awards Nearly $1 Million to California Museums

Published Date:

SACRAMENTO – With a thank you to Snoopy and the Californians who feature the specialized license plate on their vehicles, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) today announced the first round of grants to promote the arts, science, history and culture available at museums.

The nearly $1 million in grant funding will support 25 projects for museums that have been severely affected by COVID-19 and that serve historically underserved communities, including some Title 1 school communities. Title 1 schools are recognized by the federal government and receive benefits aimed at improving the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.

“Too many Californians cannot easily access our museums, historical sites, state parks and outdoor spaces,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “We’re tackling this challenge by providing grants to institutions across our state that enable more Californians to visit these institutions and to learn and grow from these experiences.”

Assembly Bill 482 (Atkins, Chapter 590, Statutes of 2013) authorized the creation of a competitive grant program for museums, administered by the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, with funds generated by fees collected from the sale of specialized license plates featuring the image of Snoopy, courtesy of Peanuts Worldwide.

Beneficiaries include the Wiyot Tribe located in Humboldt County. The Tribe will receive $31,050 to create demonstration videos that teach and preserve Tribal cultural practices for future generations. Videos will be presented live on a platform like YouTube and on the Tribe’s website for public viewing. Online videos will increase access for Tribal members and the general public.

The Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco will receive $20,000 to produce and distribute creative art-making kits into the hands of children and families acutely affected by COVID-19. The museum will partner with organizations serving families in need, such as food banks, libraries and community centers, to distribute the kits.

The Kern County Museum Foundation will receive $40,000 to repurpose an existing 1,600-square-foot storage facility into exhibit space, telling the story of the “Bakersfield sound,” a sub-genre of country music made famous by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. The new exhibit will celebrate Kern's history and the musical legacy of the Dust Bowl.

The California Science Center Foundation in Los Angeles will receive $40,000 to develop and implement a virtual field trip pilot program for K-5th grade students at Title I schools by offering high-quality science learning experiences.

The Living Coast Discovery Center located in San Diego County will receive $40,000 to update and enhance interpretive signage throughout the three-acre zoo and aquarium to increase visitor safety aligned with COVID-19 health guidelines. 

LIST OF AWARDS

Alameda County:

  • Chabot Space & Science Center, $40,000, Native Skies at Chabot Space & Science Center.
  • Conservation Society of California, $40,000, Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Curriculum Integration Program.

Humboldt County:

  • Wiyot Tribe, $31,050, The Wiyot Tribe’s Cultural Center Virtual Programming and Access Project.

Kern County:

  • Kern County Museum Foundation, $40,000, The Bakersfield Sound Exhibit at the Kern County Museum.

Los Angeles County:

  • American Museum of Ceramic Art, $39,903, American Museum of Ceramic Art: Mobile Museum & Virtual Visits.
  • California Science Center Foundation, $40,000, Virtual Field Trips Pilot Program.
  • Friends of Antelope Valley Indian Museum, $29,400, AVIM Virtual Tours.
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation, $40,000, La Brea Tar Pits Virtual Classroom Project.
  • Los Angeles Poverty Department, $40,000, Walk the Talk: Revealing the Underrepresented Stories and Histories of Skid Row.

Marin County:

  • Bay Area Discovery Museum, $39,933, Try It Truck: Mobile Classroom & Engineering Lab.

Riverside County:

  • Riverside Art Museum, $40,000, Youth Art Education Outreach.

Sacramento County:

  • Crocker Art Museum, $38,935, Teacher2Teacher.
  • Latino Center of Art and Culture, $40,000, Chicano Art Collection Online.

San Bernardino County:

  • San Bernardino County Museum, $39,348, SBCM-Connect: Implementing Strategies to Achieve Equity & Accessibility in the Covid-19 Era.

San Diego County:

  • California Center for the Arts, Escondido, $39,960, Digitization for Educational Impact on Underserved Communities.
  • Living Coast Discovery Center, $40,000, Interpreting our Coastal Environment. 
  • Museum of Photographic Arts, $37,950, Photo Club: Teaching local youth visual literacy.
  • San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum, $40,000, Virtual Educational Workshops for Low-Income Children.
  • Timken Museum of Art/Putnam Foundation, $40,000, Arts on Tour Program.

San Francisco County:

  • Museum of Craft and Design, $20,000, MCD Mobile MakeArt Kit Distribution-putting creative art-making into the hands of disadvantaged children and families.

    Santa Barbara County:

  • Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, $33,096, Creating a Museum Without Walls: 2021 Educational Programming & Digital Archive Creation.

    Santa Clara County:

  • San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, $38,600, Textile Arts Integration in the Humanities.

    Santa Cruz County:

  • Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery, $31,011, Moving On: Mobile Museum Expansion to Build Post-COVID STEM Capacity in Schools.

    Sonoma County:

  • Museum of Sonoma County, $40,000, Art4Kids.

    Tulare County:

  • Tulare City Historical Society, $27,025, Tulare Historical Museum Safety retrofits/improvements and technology/equipment necessary for virtual online learning.

 

###