News…

Arts organizations and history museums have a special opportunity to apply for competitive funding to help make their buildings and programs more accessible to the public and to make needed repairs and renovations.

The Arts Section of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts will award grants of between $2,000 and $20,000 to qualifying arts organizations and history museums.

Priority for this special funding opportunity through the Cultural Facilities and Capital Resources Grants will be given to energy efficient projects; accessibility improvements and purchases needed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act; renovations and repairs; and capital purchases that assist with programming. Arts organizations are given first priority while history museums are second priority.

All projects require a dollar for dollar match. Each application will be reviewed by members of the commission and individuals with expertise in the applicant areas before the commission awards the grants.

Application forms will be available beginning Nov. 1. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2012. The grant period will run from April 1, 2012, through Sept. 20, 2012. Potential applicants must contact program coordinator Rose A. McDonough for materials and further information. McDonough can be reached at rose.a.mcdonough@wv.gov or by calling 304.558.0240, ext. 152.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.