Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago Recieves Prestigious Grant From Institute of Museum and Library Services

GLENVIEW, IL – Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago recently became the proud recipient of a $69,188 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS). This important funding will support the Traveling Exhibit Seed Program, a collaborative planning project that will create a leadership model for the creation and distribution of high quality, developmentally appropriate and engaging traveling exhibits.

“Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago is honored to receive this national recognition for its important work in quality early learning environments for young children,” said Sheridan Turner, the Museum’s President and CEO. “Through this project, our expertise in exhibit development will lead to dynamic new concepts with universal appeal that will attract new audiences and support the nearly 30 million children, parents, teachers, and other adult role models that visit children’s museums across the country each year.”

Over the course of the next year, the Museum will partner with the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) to conduct a needs assessment of children’s museums that will result in at least one fully conceived exhibit that will be created by the Museum and additional exhibit concepts that will be available to other organizations for further development. This project will have immediate impact on the field by actively engaging children’s museums in the identification of traveling exhibit themes and needs.

“There is an urgent need to create new, high-quality traveling exhibits that are flexible enough to be used by smaller and emerging children’s museums with smaller budgets and limited staff resources,” noted Turner. “With its proven ability to create accessible, developmentally appropriate, and engaging exhibits for young children, Kohl Children’s Museum is in a strong position to take a leadership role in addressing this need.”

In addition, the Traveling Exhibit Seed Program will create opportunities to impact the economic vitality of the nearly 350 children’s museums nationwide; of these museums, 65% are located in urban areas, 35% are flagships in downtown revitalization projects, and 75% offer outreach programs that support underserved communities.

“Museums and libraries are trusted stewards of our nation’s cultural heritage, and are an important part of our education, community, and identity. The institutions receiving National Leadership Grants have developed programs that will elevate the museum and library practice, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services is proud to support their endeavors,” shared Anne-Imelda M. Radice, PhD, Director of the Institute.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.