Digitizing janm's collections [the japanese american national museum (janm) seeks NEH funding to digitize up to 10,000 items from its extensive permanent collection, which chronicles the japanese…

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) received a $349,920 Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) under the Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access program (CFDA 45.149), awarded September 1, 2025, with a completion date of August 31, 2027. The grant supports the digitization of up to 10,000 items from JANM's permanent collection, which documents the Japanese American experience from the 19th century to present day. The digitized materials will be made freely accessible online to researchers, scholars, educators, and the general public, addressing critical gaps in mainstream historical narratives regarding Japanese American contributions to U.S. history.

The project focuses on artifacts exploring themes central to scholarly inquiry, including immigration, grassroots activism, and cultural enrichment by immigrant and minority communities. By emphasizing the lives and stories of ordinary Japanese Americans, the digitization initiative will enhance humanities education and scholarship while promoting a more inclusive understanding of American history. The deliverables align with NEH's program priority of providing free, public access to digitized humanities collections and strengthening institutional capacity for collections stewardship.

Digitizing janm's collections [the japanese american national museum (janm) seeks NEH funding to digitize up to 10,000 items from its extensive permanent collection, which chronicles the japanese american experience from the 19TH century to today. Despite their significant contributions, japanese americans are often overlooked in mainstream historical narratives. Janm aims to rectify this by making its collection accessible to researchers, scholars, educators, and the public. What sets janm?s collection apart is its focus on the lives of ordinary individuals with extraordinary stories, creating a community archive rich in artifacts that resonate universally. The selected items for digitization explore themes crucial to scholarly inquiry, including immigration, grassroots activism, and cultural enrichment by immigrant and minority communities. By digitizing these artifacts, janm will significantly enhance humanities education, scholarship, and research and promote a more inclusive understanding of american history.]