The Museum at Warm Springs received a $10,000 short-term grant through the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Native Institutions. This grant opportunity is intended to help Native cultural institutions recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide humanities programming to their communities. Funds were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 passed by the U.S. Congress.
Funds support The Museum at Warm Springs Pandemic Recovery project that will help it recover from loss of operating revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Museum showcases Native American art exhibitions and arts/humanities educational public and community programs to Native American and non-Native American audiences throughout Oregon, the United States, and to scholars and travelers from around the world.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is not only responsible for the loss of culture keepers, Native language speakers, elders and government leaders but also the closure of cultural institutions, furloughed staff, and reduced programming,” said ATALM Board Chair Walter Echo-Hawk. “We are grateful to the NEH for recognizing the unique ways Native communities are experiencing this pandemic and we are pleased to have this additional opportunity to provide ongoing support.”
The Museum at Warm Springs was selected by an independent Peer Review Panel and is one out of 34 awardees to receive funding. Other Round Two awardees representing 17 states include tribal governments and Native nonprofit organizations, as well as higher education institutions and non-Native nonprofit organizations working in partnership with state or federally recognized tribal entities. A list of grantees is available at here.
“The National Endowment for the Humanities is grateful to the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums for the association’s important work in administering American Rescue Plan funding to help Native American cultural institutions recover from the pandemic,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “These grants provide valuable humanities resources to tribal communities and represent a lifeline to the many Native heritage sites and cultural centers that are helping preserve and educate about Indigenous history, traditions and languages.”
