Museum and Community Connections Program


ACTA - Posted on 30 August 2010

MetLife Foundation

Event Date(s)
10/15/2010




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In 2010, the MetLife Foundation  expects to award grants totaling $500,000 through the Museum and Community Connections program. The purpose of the program is to encourage art museums in select cities in the United States to reach out to large numbers of people of all ages and backgrounds through imaginative programs and/or exhibits that help us understand and appreciate each other and our world.

Individual grants will not exceed $75,000 and will vary in amount depending on the nature and scope of the proposed project. Collaboration and partnership with other organizations is a plus.

The guidelines and definitions of funding categories are intentionally broad to encourage innovation.

Museums may request funding for one or a combination of the following categories, although the requested project does not have to be limited to these categories.

Collaborations — Partnerships between 1) mainstream museums and culturally specific museums; 2) museums and nonprofit organizations serving diverse populations whose primary mission does not focus on the arts (e.g., community centers, social service organizations, immigrant and refugee organizations, and others); and 3) museums and arts organizations of all types.

Artist Residencies — Bringing artists with diverse perspectives to conduct programs for a museum and/or community.

Exhibits — Displays of works by artists that engage audiences and promote understanding of our world and different cultures.

Offsite Programming — Programs that extend the reach of the museum into diverse and underserved communities, including new immigrant communities, such as off-site lectures, exhibits and programs, mobile museums, and other projects.

To be eligible, museums must have been in existence for at least five years; must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status; and must be located in one of the following cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Los Angeles County, San Francisco/Oakland, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, or Phoenix. For this program, science and technology museums, museums of natural history, botanical gardens, zoos, children’s museums, and university/college museums are not eligible.

Visit the MetLife Foundation website for further information.