ATHENS, TN 11/4/25 The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is a recipient of a $54,280 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used to replace the museum’s aging roof, gutters and downspouts to remedy steadily deteriorating damage to the roof and continue to preserve Athens’ premier Museum.  

The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2025-2026 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”

In the third year of the grant program, it remains a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 178 applications, totaling $12,031,874 in requests. The Museum has made full or partial awards to 99 museums across the state, representing 45 counties. In the three years the Museum has administered the grant program, it has served museums in 73 counties across the state. A complete list of 2025-26 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at TNMuseum.org/grants.

“The Tennessee Capital Improvement Grants continue to support and strengthen the infrastructure of institutions preserving our state and local history and culture,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “We are honored to help support the commitment of those institutions to better serve their communities and visitors through collection care and visitor accessibility these last three years. We are inspired by the dedication of their staff and volunteers. None of it would be possible, of course, without the State of Tennessee’s unwavering support for Tennessee history.”

“This project replaces a failing 27-year-old roof and gutters, ending chronic leaks that threaten irreplaceable 18th- and 19th-century artifacts on our vulnerable top floor,” said Museum Director Brett King. “By securing the building for decades to come, it guarantees that McMinn County’s 200-year story remains alive, accessible, and safe for every schoolchild, quilter, and visitor who walks through our doors.”

The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000.  All projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.

About The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum

The Mission of the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is to steward the history and heritage of McMinn County and the region. This mission is met by collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting artifacts, artwork, and other items representative of our community’s culture, both past and present. Meeting this mission offers education and enrichment for the public and visitors of all ages, races, and ethnicities.

About Tennessee State Museum

Celebrating its 88th Anniversary in 2025, the Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is your home to thousands of years of Tennessee history, art, and culture. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey–through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing–from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day.

ATHENS, TN 11/4/25 The MCMINN COUNTY LIVING HERITAGE MUSEUM is a recipient of a $6,660 grant for Tennessee America 250 initiatives from the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. The grant award will be used on Archival Support, digitizing and cataloging 2,000+ documents and images, as well as providing these digitized archives to the public for research and education free of charge through our website. The purchase of an overhead projector and 100-inch projection screen will enable large groups and classes access to our archives in a classroom setting, fostering more student and public engagement with our history.

The State of Tennessee made available $6,435,000 to the Tennessee State Museum to administer on behalf of the Commission, with the majority of funding to be regranted to Tennessee communities to support statewide America 250 activities.

The first round of the Tennessee America 250 grant program was a highly competitive process. In total, the Commission received 220 applications, totaling $3,995,982 in requests. The Commission has made full or partial awards for 80 grants across the state, representing 37 counties, for a total of $1,566,325 awarded. A complete list of first round Tennessee America 250 grantees, counties and amounts is posted at www.tn250.com. A second round of grants will open for application in mid-November.

“I am inspired by the excitement across the state to commemorate our nation’s 250^th anniversary,” said Ashley Howell, Executive Director of the Tennessee State Museum and Chair of the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial. “Next year will be filled with exhibitions, programs, festivals, and preservation of our local and state history. We hope that these projects inspire Tennesseans across the state to engage with the anniversary in 2026.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Tennessee America 250 Project Support Grant for this $6,660 award, which enables us to digitize and preserve over 2,000 vital documents that illuminate McMinn County’s role in America’s democratic story,” said Museum Director Brett King. “This funding directly advances the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum’s mission to safeguard our local heritage and make it freely accessible to students, researchers, and the public for generations to come.”

The Tennessee America 250 Project Support Grants and Community Support Grants had maximum request amounts of $20,000 and $25,000, respectively. All projects funded in the first round must be completed by April 30, 2027.

About The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum
The Mission of the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is to steward the history and heritage of McMinn County and the region. This mission is met by collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting artifacts, artwork, and other items representative of our community’s culture, both past and present. Meeting this mission offers education and enrichment for the public and visitors of all ages, races, and ethnicities.

ATHENS, TN 12/6/23 The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is a recipient of a $75,000 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvement from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for the modernization of the museum’s elevator to the latest solid-state technology, reducing elevator downtime, improving reliability and efficiency, and enhancing the museum’s access for visitors.

The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2023-2024 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”

It was a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 170 applications, totaling $12.5M in funding requests for the $5M appropriation. The Museum made full or partial awards to 108 museums across the state, representing 58 counties.

“The Tennessee State Museum serves the State of Tennessee through history, art, and culture,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “There is incredible work being done throughout the state by our strong network of Tennessee museums and historic homes. This grant is an extension of how we can further support their efforts and the preservation of local and state history. We thank the Tennessee General Assembly for their support for Tennessee Museums.”

“We at the Living Heritage Museum are very excited to have received this generous grant from the Tennessee State Museum,” said Brett King, The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum Executive Director. “The modernization of the elevator has been the highest priority for us for several years, and this modernization will further enhance not only safety and reliability, but access to all our citizens and visitors.”
The Capital Improvement and Maintenance grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000.  All projects must be completed by June 30, 2024.

About The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum
The McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is located at 522 W. Madison Ave Athens, TN. The Museum’s mission is to steward the history and heritage of McMinn County and the region. This mission is met by collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting artifacts, artwork, and other items representative of our community’s culture, both past and present. Meeting this mission offers education and enrichment for the public and visitors of all ages, races, and ethnicities. The museum offers a unique collection of over 10,000 artifacts with 30 permanent exhibit spaces and quarterly rotating exhibits throughout the year. Our exhibits trace a storyline that dates from the 1700’s to the present. The museum also offers special events and educational programs throughout the year.

About Tennessee State Museum
Celebrating its 86th Anniversary in 2023, the Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is home to 13,000 years of Tennessee art and history. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey – through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing – from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day. Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.