The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our work and personal lives in unprecedented ways. Here is a list of resources compiled from various organizations and partners. We look forward to the time when museums, historic sites, and archives are able to reopen and welcome visitors. Be safe and be well!

The Wisconsin Historical Society is actively documenting the impact of COVID-19 on Wisconsin and the world. Our tradition of balancing the collection of artifacts and material with personal experiences is a critical part of this process. To learn more about the COVID-19 Journal Project and how you can participate, click here.

For history groups organizing collecting initiatives locally, we hope to collaborate in the future on a digital project that brings together the Society's COVID-19 Journal Project with materials collected by other historical institutions to tell an even larger story. Learn more here.

From March 31 through April 15, 2020, the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Federation of Museums partnered to survey their affiliates and members about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Wisconsin's museums, historical societies, and collecting organizations. Aggregated and summarized responses to the COVID-19 Local History Impact Survey may be found in the final report, linked here. For more information on the survey, please contact Janet Seymour at the Wisconsin Historical Society at janet.seymour@wisconsinhistory.org or Greg Vadney at the Wisconsin Federation of Museums at wfmpresident@wisconsinmuseums.org.

The Wisconsin Historical Society's Local History Outreach Team has also hosted the following webinars:

• Reopening Wisconsin Museums and Historic Sites
• Strategies for Fundraising Success during COVID-19

NEW! The Wisconsin Humanities Council has announced two new rounds of funding. Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grants help our state prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the pandemic. Funding for these grants is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Deadlines are July 19 and October 15, 2021. Applications will open in the grant portal on June 18 and September 15, 2021. Learn more here.

View the American Alliance of Museums' free webinar Museums and Cultural Institutions: Framing the Impact of COVID-19 Relief for an outline of actions that museums and cultural institutions can take to continue serving the community, preserving value, and protecting their workers.

Visit the National Countil of Nonprofits to learn about the types of loans available to non-profits thorugh CARES Act funding.

Visit Independent Sector for information on how to apply for nonprofit relief funds.

Governor Evers has announced the Cultural Organization Grant Program for music, visual art, live performances, and other cultural organizations. Applications are due September 30. 

Other Funding

On April 6, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced the first of a number of critical measures to aid museums, libraries, and communities across the nation in response to COVID-19. The new guidelines outline how institutions with open IMLS grants may adapt their existing fund balances to address immediate needs and extend timelines for their work to accommodate the disruption caused by coronavirus. Additionally, on March 27, the CARES Act allocated $50 million in funding for IMLS to address the COVID-related digital divide. More information on the availability of these funds will be forthcoming. For the latest information, subscribe to IMLS News or click here.

The Otto Bremer Trust, one of Minnesota’s largest charitable organizations, announced the creation of a $50 million emergency fund to be set up through its Community Benefit Financial Company subsidiary to provide financial support to Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Montana nonprofits and other community organizations. The new fund will provide emergency funding, loans, lines of credit, and other financial resources to organizations impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As history organizations around the state plan for the eventual reopening of sites to the public, the following resources may provide helpful information. Organizations should follow the guidance of public health officials and local and state government agencies. Some of the resources we are posting are state guidelines, like those from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).

Wisconsin Historical Society:

• Reopening Wisconsin Museums & Historic Sites

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Guidelines:

• Reopen Guidelines
• Wisconsin General Guidelines for All Businesses
• Wisconsin Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

AASLH webinars:

• Guidelines and Procedures for Reopening Your Historic Site, with Ellen Busch, Kenneth Turino, and Sean Sawyer
• Planning for Reopening, with Martha Dixon Akins, Trina Nelson Thomas, and Lauren C. O'Brien
• You Are Not Alone: Reopening Small to Mid-Sized Institutions, with LaNisha Cassell, Ray Giang, and Kathleen Maher

Other resources:

• American Alliance of Museums - Preparing to Reopen
• American Alliance of Museums - Reopening Starter Kit for Museums
• American Alliance of Museums - Should My Museum Require Staff and Visitors to Wear Face Masks When We Reopen?
• International Council for Museums - Museums and the End of Lockdown: Ensuring the Safety of the Public and Staff
• Know Your Own Bone - How COVID-19 is Impacting Intentions to Visit Cultural Entities
• National Center for Preservation Technology and Training - COVID-19 Basics: Re-Entry to Cultural Sites (Webinar)
• State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions - Emergency Guidance on Annual Meeting Requirements
• The REALM Project - Reopening Archives, Libraries, and Museums

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) offers a variety of resources to assist local history organizations during this time. Click here to explore blog posts, webinars and resources, and links to external resources.

AASLH webinars:

• Building a No-Cost Virtual Tour of Museums and Historic Sites with Clio, with David Trowbridge
• Consultants Weathering the Storm, with Anne Ackerson, Dina Bailey, and Max van Balgooy
• Deaccessioning in a Recession? Why and Why Not, with Heather Hope Kuruvilla, Dr. Erin Richardson, and Sally Yerkovich
• Digital Internships, with Gretchen Sorin, Sara Phalen, and Laura Schiavo
• Emergency Remote Teaching, with Katie Stringer Clary, Abigail Gautreau, and Tara White
• Empathetic Audience Engagement During a Crisis, with Andrea Jones
• Guidelines and Procedures for Reopening Your Historic Site, with Ellen Busch, Kenneth Turino, and Sean Sawyer
• Historic Sites and COVID-19, with Erin Carlson Mast, David Janssen, and Kara Newport
• How to Spot Opportunity When It Is Disguised as Chaos, with Brooke Salvanto
• Inclusivity during COVID-19 and Beyond, with Marian Carpenter, Omar Eaton-Martinez, and Richard Josey
• Insurance Best Practices, with Kevin Sullivan, National Trust Insurance Services
• Leadership, Boards, and Response to COVID-19, with Christy Coleman and Katherine Kane
• Local Advocacy Matters, with Sean Blinn
• Museum Closed. Open for Impact. Sponsored by Timelooper
• Planning for an Uncertain Financial Future, with Rebekah Beaulieu
• Planning for an Uncertain Financial Future, Part Two, with Rebekah Beaulieu
• Planning for Reopening, with Martha Dixon Akins, Trina Nelson Thomas, and Lauren C. O'Brien
• Structural Weaknesses Exposed by COVID-19, with Lisa Anderson and Dr. Bill Peterson
• Transforming Museum Work After COVID-19, with Kimberlee Kiehl and Michelle Moon
• Working with Your Board During a Crisis, with Catherine Keene Fields, Irene Rodriguez, and Norman Burns
• You Are Not Alone: Reopening Small to Mid-Sized Institutions, with LaNisha Cassell, Ray Giang, and Kathleen Maher

The American Alliance of Museums website offers a full directory of resources for museums affected by the COVID-19 pandemic here. These include:

• Financial Relief and Resources, including important information on the CARES Act and eligibility for loans to non-profit organizations
• Preparing to Reopen
• Tips for Using Digital Platforms to Remain Connected to Audiences During Closures

The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training has created a brief on Cultural Resources and COVID-19 and offers several instructional videos. These include:

• COVID-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources
• COVID-19 Basics: Personal Protective Equipment
• COVID-19 Basics: Re-Entry to Cultural Sites

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has assembled a collection of resources for historic places. Additionally, they are offering the following webinars:

• Transforming Digital Engagement at Historic Sites
  
• Leveraging Insurance to Aid Your Organization During the Coronavirus

Selected resources on collections care:

• Collections Care During COVID-19, AASLH Field Services Alliance
• Collections Care Amid COVID-19, American Institute for Conservation
• Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections, Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Steps for Collections Professionals (English, Spanish), American Alliance of Museums

Learn More

Resources for Local Historical Societies

Have Questions?

Contact:

Janet Seymour
c/o University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
105 Garfield Avenue, Hibbard 728
Eau Claire, WI 54701-4004
Phone: 715-836-2250

janet.seymour@wisconsinhistory.org