CT Summer at the Museum Grant Program

NOTE: This is an archived page with information about CT Summer at the Museum from 2023. This program was previously run using American Rescue Plan Act funds, which have since run out. As a result, this program is not running in 2024.

CT Humanities is honored to partner with the CT Office of the Arts to administer the CT Summer at the Museum Initiative in 2023.

For the list of museums participating in CT Summer at the Museum 2023, please click here.

On this page, you will find:

  1. CT Summer at the Museum Overview
  2. Apply
  3. FAQs for Grantees
  4. Resources for Grantees

CT Summer at the Museum Overview

What is CT Summer at the Museum?Eligibility RequirementsGuidelines and ApplicationImportant DatesFAQs

CT Humanities is honored to partner with the CT Office of the Arts again to administer the CT Summer at the Museum Initiative in 2023.

The Department of Economic and Community Development, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, Connecticut State Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood, and Connecticut Humanities, will deliver these financially accessible summer enrichment opportunities to families and children of all ages using funding provided through ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act).

These grants are made available to CT Museums to facilitate free admission for all CT children aged 18 and under and one adult caregiver between July 1, 2023 and September 4, 2023.

In summer 2023, we are anticipating that award decisions will be calculated based on summer 2022 revenue from admissions for CT visitors under 18 and a base award determined by your operating expenses in 2022 and previous years.* “Summer 2022” is defined as July 1 – September 5, 2022. All eligible organizations will receive a minimum award of $1,000. Organizations that do not charge admission will receive funding to help cover expenses related to increased visitation.

*For 2022 CT Summer at the Museum participant organizations, actual visitation figures and normal admission fees will be used to calculate your revenue figures.

All 501(c)(3) non-profit museums should apply through CT Humanities. For-profit museums should complete an applications with the CT Office of the Arts.

Are you interested in participating in this free admission initiative but don’t want to apply for funding? You are invited to join the listing of organizations with free admission by registering here. (Please note that this registration link is only for organizations that will be free this summer but are not applying for a CT Summer at the Museum grant.)

Questions? Email grants@cthumanities.org.

This program is designed to support all CT museums. To be eligible for funding, an organization must meet the following definition of a museum:

A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.

For the purposes of this initiative, “museums” refers broadly to historic house museums, historic sites, historical societies, art museums, children’s museums, science centers, special-interest museums, natural history museums, university museums, arboretums/botanical gardens and zoos.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

All of the following requirements must be met:

  • Applicant organizations must be one of the following:
    • A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Connecticut for at least one year and governed by a board of directors that meets regularly, OR
    • Be owned by a municipality in the state of Connecticut, OR
    • Be run by a Connecticut-based federally or State recognized tribe, OR
    • Be a CT State-operated Museum

For-profit museums should complete an application with the CT Office of the Arts.

  • Be registered with the Secretary of the State to do business in the State of Connecticut and be in Good Standing (able to obtain a current Certificate of Legal Existence/Good Standing)  Note:  This does not apply to municipally-owned museums.
  • Have its primary place of business and operations in the State of Connecticut
  • Have financial documents/statements for the period of time that covers July 1 – September 5, 2022
  • Will be open for in-person visitors at least eight (8) hours a week between July 1 – September 4, 2023. If you are open less than (8) hours per week, but are also available to the public by appointment, please submit an application and note this in the narrative.

NOTE:  The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) and/or Connecticut Humanities reserves the right to request documentation as needed to determine an applicant’s eligibility.

Please read the CT Summer at the Museum guidelines before applying.

View Grant Guidelines

Applications for the CT Summer at the Museum grant have closed.

Is your museum interested in participating in this free admission initiative without applying for funding? You are invited to join the listing of organizations with free admission by registering here. (Please note that this registration link is only for organizations that will be free this summer but did not apply for a CT Summer at the Museum grant.)

Virtual Information Session: You can view a recording of the 2022 information session here.

2023 Application Deadline: The deadline is: Friday, June 23, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

Award Notification: 

All eligible applicants will receive awards. The Department of Economic and Community Development and CT Humanities will determine award amounts after June 26, 2023 and notify applicants as soon as possible after that date.

Payments will not begin until late July.

Grant Period: July 1, 2023 – September 4, 2023

Grant funds may be expended on eligible expenses within the period of March 3, 2021 – December 31, 2024.

Where does this funding come from?

CT Summer at the Museum grant program and other financially accessible summer enrichment opportunities to families and children of all ages are being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

We are not open to the public for eight (8) hours a week but are available to the public by appointment. Are we eligible to apply?

Yes. If you are open to the public less than eight (8) hours per week but are also available to the public by appointment, please apply and note this in the narrative section.

What happens if I can't get my UEI by the application deadline?

If you are unable to obtain your UEI by the application deadline, please submit your application listing your UEI as “xxxxxxxxxxxx.” Doing so will not impact your award. However, we will need your UEI by the end of the summer. Please email grants@cthumanities.org once you have received your UEI to update your grant file.

For more information on UEIs and how to obtain one, visit the DECD’s information page here.

We are a for-profit museum. How do we apply?

For-profit museums should complete an application with the CT Office of the Arts.

Non-profit museums, museums run by municipalities or the State, and museums run by federally or State-recognized tribes should complete an application through the CT Humanities grant portal.

If awarded, what can funds be used towards?
The grant funds are to offset lost revenue from admission. Funds may be used toward any of the following:

  • Salary (Regular staff including benefits) – Current Positions
  • Salary (Regular staff including benefits) – New Positions
  • Salary (Regular staff including benefits) – Returning Positions
  • Salary (Contracted staff) – Current Positions
  • Salary (Contracted staff) – New Positions
  • Visitor Health and Safety – Including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), assisting with traffic flow, creating safer visitor spaces to prepare for future needs, or additional visitor services that effect health and / or safety
  • Advertising/Marketing
  • Programming Supplies
  • Educational Programs

Grant funds may be expended on eligible expenses within the period of March 3, 2021 – December 31, 2024.

What if we don't charge admission? Can we participate anyway?

Yes. Eligible museums that do not charge admission may apply and will receive funding to help cover expenses related to increased visitation. The minimum award size is $1,000.

Organizations choosing to participate in the free admission initiative but not apply for funding are invited to join the listing by registering here.

The award size is calculated based on revenue from admission. Will our award size be affected if we were free because we participated in CT Summer at the Museum last summer?

No. If you were free to the public last summer, we will calculate what your revenue from admissions would have been by using your visitation numbers and regular cost for admission.

Are 18-year-olds considered children or adults?

The CT Summer at the Museum initiative considers 18-year-olds to be children. These grants are being made to CT Museums to facilitate free admission for all CT visitors aged 18 and under and one adult caregiver between July 1, 2023 and September 4, 2023.

The application asks for visitation data for CT visitors under age 18 and CT visitors aged 18 and over. The reason for this discrepancy is that CT Humanities has been collecting data and advising organizations to collect data in these categories. If your organization collects visitation data considering 18-year-old visitors to be children, you may use the data as collected by your organization. If your organization does not collect visitation data by age, best estimates are acceptable.

The application asks for financial documents that detail our revenue and expenses. What documents can we submit?

Acceptable uploads for financial data could include audited financial statements, profit/loss statements, or budgets with actuals. Please note that we cannot accept 990s.

We are an operating museum but have never charged admission. However, we just completed and will be opening a major section/exhibition for which we will be charging admission. Are we eligible to apply for this program?

Yes, you may apply since you will be charging fees in 2023.  Estimate from the number of walk-in visitors in 2022, and then explain in the text box in the application that you will be charging admission in 2023, but did not previously because the section/exhibit was under construction/not open. Give us as much information as you are able based on past attendance.

Can I count I interpreted all of the verbiage strictly as regular admission/visitation only. Can you confirm that this would not include any classes or programs (studio classes, community days - free or paid), and groups (school tours, home-school days - grant-funded or paid)?

This program is intended to accommodate CT visitors 18 and under and an accompanying adult. It is not intended to accommodate classes, programs, or groups. Only walk-in, individual visitors should be counted in your admission/visitation numbers. Do not count classes, programs, or group/school tours in your attendance numbers.

What benefit is there to participate in this initiative besides receiving a grant award?

Regardless of whether you apply for funding, you may opt to participate in the free admission initiative. In doing so, your museum will benefit from the state’s marketing and promotion. Organizations choosing to participate in the free admission initiative but not applying for funding are invited to join the listing by registering here.

How will we know what our award will be?

We will not know the amount of the awards until we receive and review all the requests for funding.  After that time, you will receive an email from the grants management system through which you applied indicating the amount of your award. You will then be asked to accept the grant award or to decline.

After the grant contract is completed, when will we receive the actual funds?

We anticipate being able to distribute the funds no sooner than late July. Please see the “Important Dates” tab for more information.

 

Apply

Applications for the CT Summer at the Museum grant have closed.

Is your museum interested in participating in this free admission initiative without applying for funding? You are invited to join the listing of organizations with free admission by registering here. (Please note that this registration link is only for organizations that will be free this summer but did not apply for a CT Summer at the Museum grant.)

FAQs for 2023 CT Summer at the Museum Grantees

Should camp groups receive free admission through this program?
No. The CT Summer at the Museum program is intended for Connecticut children aged 18 and under plus one accompanying Connecticut resident adult to visit participating museums free of charge. The program is geared towards families exploring together, not large camp groups.

Can we require proof of residency?
Yes, participating museums may require proof of residency, such as a CT driver’s license or ID card as this program is intended for Connecticut residents. If this is a requirement for visiting your museum, please make sure that this requirement is clearly stated on your website.

Can we require online advance ticketing or reservations?
Yes. If your museum requires online advance ticketing or reservations, please make sure that this requirement is clearly stated on your website.

Can we restrict free admission if capacity is limited?
Yes. Participating museums have discretion to administer the CT Summer at the Museum program to the best of your ability and according to your needs. Restrictions such as limit to one adult per household, block-out dates, or exclusions for special events are allowed. Please make sure that any restrictions are clearly stated on your website.

Resources for Grantees

The following resources are for 2023 CT Summer at the Museum grantees.

Grantee Checklist

Grantee Checklist – PDF

Public Relations Toolkit

CT Summer at the Museum Promotions and Marketing Webinar (recorded June 2022) – YouTube (Please note that we do not have a CT Summer at the Museum Marketing Toolkit with social media badges and posters for 2023. Please use the 2023 CT Summer at the Museum logos at the bottom of this page.)

CT Summer at the Museum Public Relations Guidelines – PDF

CT Summer at the Museum Sample Press Release – Word

CT Summer at the Museum Sample State Legislator/Governor Letter of Appreciation – Word

CT Summer at the Museum Badge/Logos
To download these badges/logos, click on the link for the version you want. This will open the image in a separate tab. Right-click the image and select “save image as” to download the image to your computer.

English – JPG (has white background)

Spanish – JPG (has white background)

English – PNG (no background)

Spanish – PNG (no background)

Find Your Legislators

Find Your Legislators

Who to Contact

Have questions about your grant, museum’s listing on the CT Visit website, or looking to join the list of non-funded participating museums for CT Summer at the Museum 2023? Please use this list of contacts to find the correct person to reach out to!

Who to Contact

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