FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov

Congressman Trone Announces Washington County Museum of Fine Arts to Receive Over $127,000 in CARES Act Federal Funding 

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) announced that WCMFA was awarded $127,526 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This federal funding came from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Cultural Organizations Grant, which were made possible by the CARES Act. Congressman Trone sent a letter to the Chairman of the NEH supporting the museum’s application.

“This funding for the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts will allow this multi-state gem to keep staff on payroll as the museum continues to fulfill their mission to provide equal access to state of the art historical and cultural exhibits,” said Congressman David Trone. “The coronavirus has hit everyone hard – and the WCMFA is no exception. We need to ensure that during these unprecedented times organizations like WCMFA are supported and protected so they can continue to serve our communities for years to come.”

“The Trustees, staff, and volunteers of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) are delighted with the news of a grant award from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ CARES grant program,” said Rebecca Massie Lane, Director of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. “The funds will help the museum develop public humanities programming for the period of July 1 – December 31, 2020. The NEH CARES grant will assist the Museum in underwriting salaries of at-risk humanities staff who will plan programs associated with current and future exhibitions and enhance WCMFA’s online programming and arts and humanities content. NEH CARES will help the museum cope with the loss of usual operating revenues including those from in-person fundraising events, facilities rentals, event registrations, gift shop revenue, and other sources.”

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees, where he is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research. 

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