Cohen Announces $750K for National Civil Rights Museum

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced the National Civil Rights Museum was awarded $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to establish an endowment fund dedicated to educational programming.

“The National Civil Rights Museum is one of the most prestigious museums in the country,” said Congressman Cohen. “These new federal funds will be used to establish an endowment fund dedicated to educational programming that will help future generations better understand and appreciate the Civil Rights Movement.”

The National Civil Rights Museum -- located at the Lorraine Motel, the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- chronicles key episodes of the American Civil Rights Movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.

The NEH made the funds available via their We the People program, which encourages and strengthens the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture. The funds are part of a challenge grant. The Museum was one of only five from across the country to be awarded this competitive and prestigious grant.

The museum received the full $750,000 -- which is a rare occurrence -- and has to raise $3 for every $1 they were awarded. At the end of five years, the museum will have an endowment of $3,000,000 for education that would have been raised as a result of the NEH grant.