Heritage Philadelphia Program Awards Grants to Regional Historic Sites

Press Release Source: The Heritage Investment Program Pew Program to Award $756K in Nine Grants to Delaware Valley Historic Sites Thursday February 6, 11:30 am ET PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Heritage Investment Program (HIP), supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the Independence Visitor Center Corporation, today announced nine grants totaling approximately three-quarters of a million dollars to historic sites in the Delaware Valley. According to HIP Executive Director Barbara Silberman, the funds will go "to preserve historic buildings, develop visitor services, and increase accessibility to historic collections at house museums, mills, cemeteries, and other significant places in the region." In alphabetical order, the awardees, the purpose of each award, and the award size (in parentheses) are as follows:

-- Cliveden of the National Trust: To implement a two-year transitional period of the merger of Cliveden and Upsala, two historic houses in the Germantown section of Philadelphia ($150K)

-- Fonthill Museum on Behalf of the Tri-State Coalition of Historic Places: To organize historic sites and collections into tour packages, and to develop marketing strategies for these tours in cooperation with regional tourism promotion agencies ($150K)

-- Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery: To develop an overall interpretation and program strategy for increased tourism and community outreach ($15K)

-- Mill at Anselma Preservation & Educational Trust: To complete the restoration of the historic grist mill to prepare for increased visitor access ($150K)

-- Pearl S. Buck International: To produce a plan for a site rental and catering program to provide a model for other historic sites in the region and the nation ($15K)

-- Pennsbury Society: To further develop Pennsbury's "distance leaning" program ($15K)

-- Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks: To develop a strategic plan to establish policy in areas such as the organization's mission, governance, visitor services, programming, and stewardship ($15K)

-- Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks: To prepare Historic Structure Reports for each of the four historic properties this group administers, including Grumblethorpe, Historic Waynesborough, Physick, and Powel Houses ($96.8K)

-- Stenton/NSCDA/PA: To implement the History Hunters Youth Reporter Program for students in grades 4, 5, and 8 ($150K)

This year's awards were adjudicated by a panel of noted museum professionals and historians representing a national cross-section of marquee organizations. Panel Chair Martha Storm Dyckes was assisted in the decision process by John Herbst, Mike Jackson, Candace Tangorra Matelic and Tara White. The Heritage Investment Program, founded in 1998 by The Pew Charitable Trusts, provides grant funding and professional development services to more than 300 historic sites located in nine counties in the tri-state Delaware Valley region. Since its inception, HIP has awarded more than $3 million in grants and has provided over a half-million dollars for workshops, conferences, site visits, and other developmental activities for historic sites. "HIP is recognized as one of the most innovative public history programs in the country," said Executive Director Silberman. "The Delaware Valley is home to an unparalleled national treasury of buildings and collections covering a wealth of historical periods and themes. It's our job to support those sites in providing the best stewardship possible. "We are uniquely positioned to help such organizations provide the best possible experience for their visitors," she said. "That's something that's good for not only historic preservation, but for our local economy as well. In addition to making good cultural sense, it makes good business sense to provide this kind of support to the area." The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.com) support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, the Trusts, often through programs like HIP, make strategic investments to help organizations and citizens develop practical solutions to difficult problems. In 2002, with approximately $3.8 billion in assets, the Trusts committed over $166 million to 287 nonprofit organizations.

Source: The Heritage Investment Program