By Jack Brammer
NKyTribune reporter
The more than 300 museums and history-related groups throughout the state that are looking for more financial dollars are getting some help through a special fund that allows Kentuckians to donate part of their state income tax return to save local history.
The so-called Kentucky Local History Trust Fund, administered by the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort, mailed about 700 cards this week “to friends and followers” urging participation in the program as taxpayers begin to file their returns.
In its six years, the fund has helped 74 organizations in 39 counties with $105,326, according to its website, history.ky.gov/lhtf.
Scott Alvey, executive director of the state historical society, said the mailed cards were used in hopes of drawing attention to the fund during tax season.
He said the fund, for various reasons, is not generating as much through the tax-check off program as had been expected.
The society’s news letter said the demand from the local history organizations is much larger than the available pool of funds.
For 2022, the fund covered only 12 percent of requests, it said.
Alvey said the society is in the process of announcing the latest recipients.
A recipient last year was the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington. It got about $2,475 from the fund to buy a large gun safe to preserve about 10 newly acquired Civil War-era weapons and for weapons safety and handling training by the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office.
A few years ago, the Erlanger Historical Society got $856 for collections management and the Fort Thomas Military and Community History Museum in Campbell County received $1,430 for collections management.
Kentucky museums, local history organizations, libraries, educational institutions and applicable governmental agencies are eligible to apply for a grant from the fund.
Non-governmental entities must be non-profits. Grant funds are not awarded to for-profit businesses or to private individuals.
Organizations may only apply for one grant during each grant cycle.
The grants support research, collections assessments, exhibition planning and event programming and planning.
“All kinds of diverse projects are considered for the trust money,” said Jodi Lewis, director of the society’s Learning Team.
Funding ranges between $290 to $2,500. Funds may not be used for brick-and-mortar historic preservation projects, purchasing collections, public art, state historical markers, building maintenance, insurance or debt payments fundraising events and oral history projects.
Final funding decisions are made by the staff of the Kentucky Historical Society.
The next deadline to apply for the fund’s dollars is Oct. 15.