CSA Small Museums Collection Care Grant

CSA Small Museums Collection Care Grant is sponsored by Costume Society of America. This program assists small museums with limited budgets and staff in the care, conservation, and exhibition of historic costume and textile collections. Funding can be used for supplies, display items, or the services of a consultant or specialist.

CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant P. O. Box 852 Columbus, GA 31902-0852 A CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant of $1,500 is intended to assist the costume and textiles collection of a small museum (including historical societies, historic houses or sites, and other similar institutions) that has a very limited budget and staff.

Funding may be used to support the care, conservation, and/or exhibition of costume and textiles that have historic, regional, or other significance and are intended for preservation. First awarded in 2003, one or more Small Museum Collection Care Grants are awarded annually.

These grants may be used for appropriate supplies or display items, the services of a consultant or specialist, or other projects that relate directly to the institution’s costume collection and foster the care or use of the collection at a level appropriate to the particular collection’s most pressing needs.

This grant does not permit an “overhead” or “operational cut” that many colleges and universities typically take from grant funds they receive. A CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant is intended to make a dramatic, beneficial impact on the receiving institution’s costume collection.

Institutions must: Be a small museum, historical society, historic house or sites, or other similar institution; Have a collection of tangible costume objects; Have an overall annual operating budget of $300,000 or less and a staff of five or fewer individuals directly supporting the costume collection, with each individual performing multiple responsibilities.

We understand that budgets vary widely within larger institutions, but this grant is intended to support organizations operating on modest means as a whole.

Utilize volunteers to perform key staff functions; Be a non-profit organization as recognized under IRS Section 501; Be regularly open to the public for a minimum of forty days a year; Propose a project relating to maintaining the costume and textile collection; An institution is not eligible to receive a grant more than once in three years. CSA Membership is not required at the time of application.

However, to receive the grant, the recipient must: be or become a CSA Library or Museum & Association Member, or have a staff member who is or becomes an Individual CSA Member. Note: Budget size and access to other financial resources will be taken into account when selecting grant recipients, with strong preference given to institutions with very limited budget and resources.

If the applying institution has previously completed a Conservation Assessment Program , please describe the findings. A complete application should be uploaded as one (1) pdf document under 100MB using this online form and include the following information in listed order: A cover page including applicant's contact information. Project Proposal (1000 words) including: a.

Brief description of the proposed project; include specific information about the costume objects to which it pertains; b. Statement of impact, detailing why the institution needs this grant and how the project meets the collection’s most pressing needs; c.

Description of the institution, including institutional history, the institutional mission, the institution’s annual budget, and a list of the paid and unpaid staff (reported as full-time equivalents, i.e. half-time, quarter-time, etc.); d. Description of the institutional holdings, especially the size and scope of the costume and textile collection and its relationship to the institutional mission; e.

Overview of what, if anything, has been done with the costume collection in terms ocataloguing, care and storage, research, interpretation, exhibition, and publication to date; f. Timeline and how the work will be accomplished; g. Roster of the people who work with the collection.

If museum staff are involved, name the staff person, describing the staff member’s qualifications and experience. Consultants/project directors should have training in the care of fiber-based objects; h. If the project involves a consultant or specialist, name the person, describing the individual’s qualifications and experience.

Attach a letter of intent from that person agreeing to work for the compensation outlined in the budget and within the time frame of the project. To find a qualified conservator, please visit https://www. culturalheritage.

org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator. An electronic copy of your institution’s most recent IRS Form 990/990- EZ. Budget and narrative: Include an estimate of supplies, personnel, materials needed.

*Note*: For a list of archival supplies and suppliers, please consult the Archival Supplies List. 3 to 5 images of your proposed project’s goals. Each criterion is rated on a scale from 1 - 10 (from lowest to highest).

The impact of the project on the collection’s well-being The impact of the project on the collection’s mission The feasibility of the project in terms of budget, time line, and personnel to carry out the project The significance of the applicant’s collection to the public and academic researcher the level of commitment demonstrated by the applicant’s institution towards the collection The financial need of the collection/level of importance to the preservation of the objects The application deadline is November 1, 2026.

Grant recipients will be notified by February 15, 2027 and announced at the CSA National Symposium. Grant funds will be available by the date of the Annual Meeting. Funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2028.

Recipient must publicly acknowledge CSA in all lectures, publications, publicity pertaining to the award. Upon completion of their project, each institution must submit a brief report of activities (1 page) with before and after images detailing the use of funds to the grant committee chair. Completed projects will be publicized in CSA's e-News .

Please Contact the Vice President for Grants and Projects Nora Carleson, for more information. North Bennington, Vermont Coastal Mississippi Mardis Gras Museum Old Trails Museum, Winslow Historical Society Gresham Historical Society The Brunswick Heritage Museum Historical Society of Mt.

Pleasant, Ohio Tahoe Heritage Foundation Humphrey History Park and Museum Berkeley County Historical Society Miami County Historical Society Steel Plant Museum of Western New York The Museum of Culpeper History Franklin County Historical Society-Kittochtinny The American Museum of Magic The Denver Museum of Miniatures The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian Monroe County Historical Society Giles County Historical Society New Castle Historical Society Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum Cedar Falls Historical Society Clarke Historical Society Shelton Historical Society Tecumseh Area Historical Society Casa Grande Valley Historical Society The Barnacle Society, Inc. Poultney Historical Society Avery House Historic District Guild Watkins Community Museum of History The Historical Society of Pomona Valley, Inc. P.

O. Box 852 Columbus, GA 31902-0852 national. office@costumesocietyamerica.

com