Reviewers' comments

on an NEH grant proposal:

"...presented a well-researched and engaging proposal. The subject is scholarly, lively, and does a wonderful job of explaining one part of industrial history."

"I like this application and the project it champions. It is straightforward, solid work that has been executed with thoroughness and passion for the subject."

"This application’s strength lies in the clear, concise, exposition of the industrial and cultural history of …"

on an IMLS Museums for America
grant proposal:

"Project design is thorough and the benefits to the institution are clearly spelled out."

"The project narrative is well-written and the project thoughtfully designed."

"A straightforward, well-written grant."

Success stories

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
At this historic setting on the Narragansett Bay, they have completed the rehabilitation of a 1901 Lord & Burnham glasshouse for public use and propagating plants for the gardens' future. Three grant proposals raised $225,000 for the project, including $100,000 from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. The Commission also supported restoration of the mansion’s slate roof with a subsequent grant of $100,000.
            Blithewold also earned a grant of $32,000 from the Institute of Museum & Library Services' program Museums for America: Sustaining Cultural Heritage. The staff and consultant will create a collections management system with GPS integration for masterful intellectual control of their expansive, historically important, living collection.

New England Aquarium
We won a NOAA grant (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for nearly $100,000 to fund a marine mammal rescue team in Massachusetts, and the study of causes of stranding and death in marine mammals.

Sandwich Glass Museum
Grants for the Museum's expansion and renovation totaled over half a million dollars, including a $440,000 Challenge Grant award from NEH, one of only seven given to historical societies and museums in the country that year. This was significant for an organization that had not previously pursued institutional support and operated on an annual budget of $500,000.

Some major donors that have funded proposals created for clients (* indicates multiple awards )

Anonymous Foundations
The 1772 Foundation
Angell Foundation
Awards 4 All UK
Bafflin Foundation
The Boston Foundation*
The Champlin Foundations*
The City of Boston – Jobs & Community Services
Felicia Fund*
France-Merrick Foundation
The Hartford Courant Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services*
Kendall Foundation
Liberty Mutual Foundation
Maryland Historical Trust*
Maryland State Arts Council
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management
Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities *
Massachusetts Historical Record Advisory Board
Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund*
Massachusetts Society for the Cincinnati
Millipore Foundation
National Endowment for the Humanities*
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Trust for Historic Preservation*
New England Foundation for the Arts
Prince Charitable Trusts*
Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission*
Schrafft Charitable Trust*
The Thomas B. and Elizabeth M. Sheridan Foundation, Inc.
Sovereign Bank*
Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust*
State of Rhode Island, Human Resource Investment Council
State Street Foundation*
Sunfield Foundation
Yawkey II Foundation

Sample Client List (past and present)

American Association for State & Local History, TN
Barrier Islands Center, Machipongo, VA
Benjamin Franklin Institute for Technology, MA
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, RI
Connecticut Landmarks Society, CT
Dumbarton House, Headquarters National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, DC
Connecticut League of Historical Organizations, CT
The Frost Place, NH
Habitat for Humanity (Talbot and Dorchester Counties), MD
House of the Seven Gables, MA
Maryland Historical Society, MD
New England Aquarium, MA
Sandwich Glass Museum, MA
University of Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO
Vermont Law School, VT

Sustainable Museums
Copyright © 2009 bMuse, Sarah S. Brophy