The mark twain house and museum will develop a capacity-building initiative for staff and the board of trustees to improve internal and external engagement by placing audiences at the center of the…

The Mark Twain House and Museum was awarded a $585,920 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America (CFDA 45.301) federal grant program. The grant will fund a capacity-building initiative to improve the museum's internal and external audience engagement by placing audiences at the center of its work. Project activities include a series of learning workshops to generate an audience evaluation plan and a community engagement plan, as well as the development of three new pilot offerings - a public program, house tour, and exhibition component. The goal is to build staff capacity to identify and meet community needs through audience-centered practices. The project will run from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.

The mark twain house and museum will develop a capacity-building initiative for staff and the board of trustees to improve internal and external engagement by placing audiences at the center of the museum's work. The museum will build staff capacity to identify and meet community needs by learning about audience engagement topics and tools. These learnings will then be put into practice through evaluation and program development. Project activities include a series of learning workshops that will generate an audience evaluation plan and a community engagement plan. The project will result in staff creating three pilot offerings - including a new public program, a new house tour, and a new exhibition component - as well as increased staff capacity to implement audience-centered practices.