New York State Council on the Arts
Grants for Museum Advancement
administered by the Upstate History Alliance

New in 2010, we are please to announce the Get Set (Plus) grant!
A pilot program to encourage creative and inspirational thinking about your museum. A collaboration between the New York State Council on the Arts, New York Council for the Humanities and Administered by the Upstate History Alliance. Any organization that received a Get Set between 2007 and 2009 may request a Get Set (Plus)! as an opportunity to spark ideas or move forward goals of already established strategic plans.  Current Get Set applicants may also add a Get Set (Plus)! to an upcoming application.
Click here for more information on the Get Set (Plus)!

New York's museums and historical agencies are many and diverse. These institutions collect and interpret art, history, science, and culture. These valuable organizations are places of life-long learning, where New York's citizens can expand their knowledge.

The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) provides support for museums and historical societies, their staffs and volunteers in their efforts to strengthen and develop their institutions and work with their communities. The following three grant programs are designed to make it easy for organizations to access professional help and improve their institution.

General Information for Grants for Museum Advancement

1. We encourage you to contact the Upstate History Alliance to discuss your project before submitting an application. Please contact the UHA staff by e-mail at info@upstatehistory.org or by phone at 800.895.1648.

2. Organizations may receive one Get Ready! and Get Set! grant in each calendar year. A second Go! grant application is permissible if the yearly $750 grant allotment has not been reached on the first application.

3. Additional support will not be awarded until a final report for a previous project is submitted. The Museum Program at NYSCA is regularly updated on outstanding final reports.

4. Only organizations holding a charter from the New York State Board of Regents as a museum or historical society or institutions that are a unit of local government may apply.

5. Grants do not support out-of-state travel for staff or consultants.

6. While an organization may apply for grants within the NYSCA Museum Program and the Get Ready, Get Set, Go! in the same year, these applications must be for different projects.  Requests for the same project are considered “double dipping.”

7. From time to time the Grants for Museum Advancement Program may issue a special Requests for Proposals (RFP). Information on RFPs will be posted on this website and promoted through state and regional service organizations.


I. GET READY!

Just as an individual needs a clear destination and road map on a journey, an organization can best move forward and effectively meet its mission with a strategic plan that serves as a blueprint for the future.

GET READY! grants provide a way for organizations to learn about the planning process and help your organization begin creating a plan. A GET READY! grant provides your organization with a consultant experienced in museum planning who spends up to half a day with your organization and provides a follow-up report. This consultant will introduce strategic and long range planning concepts to your board and staff and help you initiate planning. The process will be interactive and the consultant will provide sample plans and help your organization establish a framework for planning.

If your organization does not have a current strategic or long range plan, you must complete a GET READY! grant before your institution can apply for the GET SET! grant. There is no deadline for a GET READY! grant. Applications may be submitted at any time and applicants will be notified within one month of submission. To apply, complete the GET READY! application available here, or click here for a Word version or here for a PDF of the application.

To be eligible for a GET READY! grant, your organization must be chartered as a museum or historical organization with collections by the New York State Board of Regents or be a museum with a parent that is a non-profit organization or local governmental agency.

Before you begin writing your GET READY! grant application, please check our tips for a successful grant. It is also recommended that you contact UHA at 800.895.1648 with any questions or to discuss your grant application before submission. Note: GET READY! applicants must submit two (2) copies of their application and supporting materials. Applications should be mailed to the Upstate History Alliance, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820.

II. GET SET!

For our cars and our homes, each of us occasionally secures the assistance of a professional to perform a tune-up, recommend improvements and make changes. All organizations can benefit from the assistance of outside help from time to time.

The goal of the GET SET! grant is to provide your organization with access to professional ideas and opinions, knowledge, and expertise not found in your institution. These skills and new ideas will strengthen your organization and increase your institution's level of professionalism.

Grants of up to $3000 can be used only for consultants' fees and travel expenses. If you do not have a formal strategic plan, please apply for a GET READY! grant. If your organization has completed a GET READY! grant, you may apply for a GET SET! grant to work with a consultant in developing a strategic plan. What is a strategic plan? It is a formal document, adopted by an organization’s board of directors that determines the direction of the organization for a three-five year period.

For an organization with a plan in place, your Get Set! grant must clearly relate to the goals within your strategic plan. The review panel will evaluate your application with the following criteria in mind:

  • Does the task proposed represent a step forward in the organization’s strategic plan?
  • Is the consultant working in a clearly advisory manner? (For example, we CAN fund a consultant to train volunteers or staff in cataloging; we CANNOT pay for a consultant to do the cataloging.)
  • Is the plan of work clear?  Have the responsibilities of the consultant and the organization been clearly defined?
  • Can the work be accomplished within the proposed time frame?
  • Are the costs appropriate?  (For example, Grants may be awarded up to $3000 with no required match, but the funds may ONLY be used to cover consultant fees and consultant travel.  We do not put a cap on consultant fees)
  • Is the consultant appropriately qualified for the described work?
  • Is the proposal clear and understandable?  If not, where do you see particular weaknesses?

Consultants may work in any area of museum operations, including, but not limited to strategic planning, board/staff relationships, interpretive planning, exhibition development, collections management, conservation, educational programs, technology, fund raising, and marketing. For your reference, click here to find examples of successful projects.

We can help locate an expert in your field of interest if needed. To begin the process of locating a consultant, visit the Museum Association of New York consultant database at www.manyonline.org. We strongly suggest that you contact several consultants to find the best fit for your organization.

There are four GET SET! postmark deadlines per year: February 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. If that day falls upon a Sunday or legal holiday, your application must be postmarked the next business day.  Grant applications will not be accepted by email. Grant awards are made approximately 60 days after the application date.  We recommend sending applications via certified mail. To apply, complete the GET SET! application located here (or click here for a Word version or here for a PDF of the application), making sure to include all supporting materials. Note: GET SET! applicants must submit four (4) copies of their application and supporting materials. Applications should be mailed to the Upstate History Alliance, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820.

GET SET! projects must start after the date of the award letter, generally about sixty days after the application deadline. Your organization has one year to complete the grant. The final report must be submitted within sixty days of the grant completion.  Any change in consultants must be approved by UHA.

Before you begin writing your GET SET! grant application, please check our tips for a successful grant. We also recommend that you contact the UHA staff at 800.895.1648 with any questions or to discuss your grant application before submission.

II.5 GET SET (Plus)!

A collaboration between the New York State Council on the Arts, New York Council for the Humanities and Upstate History Alliance

Do you see what I see?

Announcing Get Set (Plus)! a pilot program to encourage creative and inspirational thinking about your museum.

Get Set (Plus)! provides funding to engage a local humanities scholar and/or artist in conversation with your staff and board.  This is an opportunity to introduce a fresh perspective to your museum, helping you develop new relationships in your community and spark ideas for new programming and audience development.  You may choose to work with either a humanities scholar or an artist, or both.  Get Set (Plus)! grants provide honorariums of $500 for one scholar/artist; $1,000 if both are involved.  We will make awards for 10 humanities scholars and 10 artists during 2010. 

Any organization that received a Get Set between 2007 and 2009 may request a Get Set (Plus)! as an opportunity to spark ideas or move forward goals of already established strategic plans.  Current Get Set applicants may also add a Get Set (Plus)! to an upcoming application.  We encourage unusual or “out-of-the-box” choices of local artists or scholars. We hope that Get Set (Plus)! support provides the beginning of what can become a longer term relationship with an artist and/or scholar.

Application process

There are two Get Set (Plus)! postmark deadlines: February 1, April 1. Grant awards are made approximately 60 days after the application date.  We recommend sending applications via certified mail. To apply, complete the Get Set (Plus)! application located here, (or click here for a PDF version) making sure to include all supporting materials. Applications should be mailed to the Upstate History Alliance, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta, NY 13820. Note: GET SET (Plus)! applicants must submit five (5) copies of their application and supporting materials. Grant applications will not be accepted by email.

Get Set (Plus)! projects must start after the date of the award letter, generally about sixty days after the application deadline. Your organization has six-months to complete the grant. The final report must be submitted within sixty days of the grant completion.  Any change in artist/scholar must be approved by UHA.

Before you begin writing your GET SET (Plus)! grant application, please check our tips for a successful grant. We also recommend that you contact the UHA staff at 800.895.1648 with any questions or to discuss your grant application before submission.

III. GO!

It is said that "the world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only one page."

To advance our institutions and encourage individual development, NYSCA advocates professional travel. GO! grants provide museum staff members and volunteers the opportunity to expand their horizons through the support of travel to other museums or professional conferences and workshops. Organizations may apply for travel grants of up to $750 per year. If the full $750 yearly allotment is not expended in the first application a second application will be accepted for the remainder of the funds upon availability. Go grants are available to:

  • Travel to view exemplary exhibitions, collections management projects or interpretive programs in New York state.
  • Travel to attend professional conferences or workshops in New York state.
  • Travel to conduct research in New York state related to your institution's collections or exhibitions.
  • Conference registration fees for regional and national museum conferences such as those offered by the American Association of Museums or the American Association of State and Local History.
  • Registration fees for online training courses & in person classes.

GO! Grants cannot support out-of-state travel expenses such as mileage,  airfare or hotel. There is no deadline for a GO! grant. Applications may be submitted at any time, but must be postmarked at least 30 days in advance of the proposed travel. Applicants will be notified within 30 days of receipt. To apply, complete the GO! application located here, or click here for a Word version or here for a PDF of the application.

Before you begin writing your GO! grant application, please check our tips for a successful grant. It is also recommended that you contact UHA at 800.895.1648 with any questions or to discuss your grant application before submission.