Media Alert
September 8, 2022
Taylor Fuqua, Manager of PR & Marketing; tfuqua@VirginiaHistory.org; 804.342.9661

RICHMOND, Va. – In October 2022, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) will begin accepting applications from historical organizations within the state for its second annual Commonwealth History Fund grant cycle. The VMHC plans to award approximately $400,000 to a slate of recipients selected at the end of the year.

The Commonwealth History Fund, established through the generous support of Dominion Energy and others, and administered in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources (DHR), will provide grants to history projects across Virginia. Key selection criteria include the significance of the project or resource as well as its impact on its community and the Commonwealth, the emphasis of the project on historically underrepresented topics and communities and the need for funding and the urgency of the project.

In July 2022, the VMHC awarded more than $400,000 to twelve projects in the Commonwealth as part of its pledge to award approximately $2M in the History Fund’s first five years of operation. Those inaugural recipients included The Historic First Baptist Church (Williamsburg, VA); the Chickahominy Tribe (Providence Forge); the Rappahannock Tribe (Indian Neck, VA); Calfee Community & Cultural Center (Pulaski, VA); Richmond Public Library Foundation (Richmond, VA); Richmond Hill (Richmond, VA); The Manassas Museum (Manassas, VA); The Fairfield Foundation (White Marsh, VA); Jewish Museum & Cultural Center (Portsmouth, VA); Louisa County Historical Society (Louisa, VA); Prince William Historic Preservation Foundation (Prince William, VA); and Clarke County Historical Society (Berryville, VA).

“It has been exciting to watch these projects take off,” said Jamie Bosket, President and CEO at the Virginia Museum of History & Cultural. “My hope is that the impact of these projects on Virginia as a whole will inspire more organizations to submit applications for the second cycle of grants.”

Submission will be accepted October 1-31, 2022 for the second round of funding. Awards will be announced in February 2023.

More information on The Commonwealth History Fund can be found at VirginiaHistory.org/HistoryFund.

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The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is owned and operated by the Virginia Historical Society — a private, non-profit organization established in 1831. The historical society is the oldest cultural organization in Virginia, and one of the oldest and most distinguished history organizations in the nation. For use in its state history museum and its renowned research library, the historical society cares for a collection of nearly nine million items representing the ever-evolving story of Virginia.

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