RALEIGH, N.C. MARCH 5, 2014 — The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) has received a grant from the John William Pope Foundation for $25,000 in support of the Museum’s School Bus Scholarship Fund. The NCMA School Bus Scholarship Fund, which was launched in 2008 to provide funding to North Carolina schools requiring financial assistance to transport students to the Museum, must be replenished annually.
Each year nearly 1,000 students from approximately nine schools visit the Museum with support from the School Bus Scholarship Fund. The John William Pope Foundation’s $25,000 grant will not only allow the NCMA to continue the program but will also allow it to serve an additional three to five schools.
“This grant will ensure that more students from across North Carolina will experience the treasures of their state’s art museum,” said Museum director Lawrence J. Wheeler. “We are incredibly thankful for the support from the John William Pope Foundation, as it helps guarantee that students will have the opportunity to visit the Museum’s collection despite their school’s geographic distance and financial limitations.”
“We were honored to add the North Carolina Museum of Art to our 2013 grants portfolio,” said Joyce L. Pope, Vice President of the John William Pope Foundation. “Without the School Bus Scholarship Fund, many children in our community wouldn’t have access to the Museum’s collection. We’re excited to play a small role in helping the Museum and educators bring art into students’ lives.”
To participate in the School Bus Scholarship Fund program, schools must demonstrate financial need as measured by the percentage of children enrolled in a free lunch program or other special circumstances. Each participating school may request up to three buses (55 students per bus) per visit. The NCMA selected Horizon Charter Service to transport school groups to the Museum. Horizon Charter Service is on the Department of Public Instruction’s approved charter list, and all drivers have undergone background checks.
About the North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art’s permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from ancient Egypt to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the South. The Museum’s collection provides educational, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The 164-acre Museum Park showcases the connection between art and nature through site-specific works of environmental art. The Museum offers changing national touring exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films, and concerts.
The Museum opened West Building, home to the permanent collection, in 2010. The North Carolina Museum of Art, Lawrence J. Wheeler, director, is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. It is the art museum of the State of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, governor, and an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, Susan Kluttz, secretary.
About the John William Pope Foundation
The John William Pope Foundation works to improve the well-being of the citizens of North Carolina and the nation through the advancement of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The Foundation makes grants to support public policy groups, educational institutions, humanitarian efforts, and the arts.
From its first grant in 1986 to the present, the Foundation’s giving has totaled over $100 million, primarily to charities and organizations in North Carolina.
About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR’s mission to enrich lives and communities creates opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state’s history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.
Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony, and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and economic stimulus engines for our state’s communities. NCDCR’s Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites, and State History Museums preserve, document, and interpret North Carolina’s rich cultural heritage. NCDCR’s State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state, developing and supporting access to traditional and online collections such as genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.
NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state’s creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.