The Longmont Museum has received a grant for $20,000 from the Dodge Family Fund to support a new initiative called the Equitable Access Project. The Equitable Access Project (EAP) is designed to create opportunities for impactful art and culture encounters at the Museum for children in Boulder and Weld Counties by eliminating financial barriers. It will fully subsidized tuition for summer camps for children who qualify based on need.
Starting in the fall, the grant will also provide fee-free school tours for schools with high rates of free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. This new project joins an existing camp scholarship program in place at the Museum.
“The Dodge Family Fund’s support for our Equitable Access Project ensures access for students who would otherwise be financially unable to participate in our school tours and camp programs – up to as many as 1,170 students for school tours and 70 children for summer camps,” said Ann Macca, curator of education for the Longmont Museum.
The Dodge Family Fund’s mission is to improve the chances that children in families with low incomes will succeed in school and in life through funding innovative approaches to early learning.
“We know these experiences are valuable to children and families because they come back year after year.”
Ann Macca, Longmont Museum
Summer camps create weeklong, welcoming learning spaces to link children ages 3 to 18 with history, art, performance, culture, science, technology, and more. Need-based eligibility for scholarships follows the MIT Living Wage Calculator.
“We know these experiences are valuable to children and families because they come back year after year. We have seen campers grow up to become teen volunteers in our camps, and even return after college to lead camps of their own and mentor younger children,” said Macca. “These experiences support learning outside of school and offer opportunities for exceptional cultural encounters with an impact that can last a lifetime.”
The EAP is timely in serving Boulder County, where trends show rapidly growing income inequality, skyrocketing housing costs, and an increasingly stark divide in the amenities and opportunities available to families based on income level.
“The Longmont Museum seeks to offer the same high-quality museum experiences to all children, regardless of economic status,” said Macca. “Thanks to this funding from the Dodge Family Fund, we will be able to take the first steps toward making that vision a reality.”
To learn more about the educational opportunities at the Museum and to apply for a scholarship, visit www.longmontmusuem.org or call 303-651-8374. Summer camps run now through August 3, 2018. The Longmont Museum is located at 400 Quail Road, Longmont CO 80501.
