The north carolina museum of natural sciences will provide long-term preservation and accessibility for over 100,000 fossil specimens in need of curation

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Friends of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences $1,173,376 on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to provide long-term preservation and accessibility for over 100,000 fossil specimens requiring curation.

The project encompasses cataloging, labeling, and digitizing fossils acquired from the University of North Carolina and several private collections, many recovered from sites that no longer exist or are closed to collecting. The museum's research curator and paleontology collections manager will hire and train a collections assistant to work with volunteers throughout the three-year performance period to complete this work. The project team will purchase archival materials to rehouse the specimens and make them available with associated data on the museum's searchable online database.

Work is performed in Raleigh, North Carolina. The project runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029.

The specimens include a recently acquired collection from the university of north carolina and several private collections, many of which were recovered from sites that no longer exist or are closed to collecting. The museum's research curator and paleontology collections manager will hire and train a collections assistant, who will work with volunteers throughout the three-year project to catalog, label, and digitize the fossils. The project team will purchase archival materials to rehouse the specimens and make them available with associated data on the museum's searchable online database.