Ready to serve: interpreting USS intrepid?s 2ND deck [the intrepid museum proposes an implementation grant under the historic places category to transform more than 7,000 square feet of historic…

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the Intrepid Museum Foundation $750,000 on September 1, 2026, under the Promotion of the Humanities Public Programs (CFDA 45.164) to create a permanent exhibition on the USS Intrepid's second deck.

The museum will transform more than 7,000 square feet of historic spaces by opening four adjacent compartments—post office, barber shop, sick bay, and torpedo workshop—and installing multisensory interpretive experiences including historical photographs, artifacts, hands-on and digital interactives, projections, and soundscapes. Exhibition themes center on military readiness and the preparation of the ship's crew for operational missions, with personal crew narratives highlighting stress, sacrifice, resilience, and perseverance. The exhibition invites audiences to reflect on the valor of those who served and connect their experiences to broader narratives of military service and American history.

The award funds a permanent exhibition on view for at least three years, consistent with the program's support for permanent exhibitions at historic sites. Performance is located in New York, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The Intrepid Museum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operator of the maritime, aviation, and space museum centered on the historic aircraft carrier, is the direct recipient.

Ready to serve: interpreting USS intrepid?s 2ND deck [the intrepid museum proposes an implementation grant under the historic places category to transform more than 7,000 square feet of historic spaces on the former aircraft carrier USS intrepid into a permanent exhibition. The museum will open four adjacent spaces on the ship?s 2ND deck - post office, barber shop, sick BAY and torpedo workshop - and introduce an array of engaging, multisensory interpretive experiences including historical photographs, artifacts, hands-on and digital interactives and immersive technologies including projections and soundscapes. The exhibition themes focus on military readiness, exploring the ways in which the ship?s crew was prepared for any mission. Personal stories of crew members will highlight their stresses and sacrifices, alongside their resilience and perseverance. The exhibition will invite audiences to reflect on the valor of those who served and connect their experiences to broader narratives of military service and american history.]