Grant will be used for enhanced operational safety measures.
Nashville, TN: Adventure Science Center is a recipient of a $26,762 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used to replace a large steel door at the entrance of the center’s Exhibition Workshop, ensuring continued safe separation between behind the scenes operations and front of house STEM exploration.
The Tennessee General Assembly made available $5 million in funding from the 2025-2026 Appropriations Act, “for the sole purpose of providing grants to museums with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or affiliated with a governmental entity for capital maintenance and improvements.”
In the third year of the grant program, it remains a highly competitive process. In total, the Tennessee State Museum received 178 applications, totaling $12,031,874 in requests. The Museum has made full or partial awards to 99 museums across the state, representing 45 counties. In the three years the Museum has administered the grant program, it has served museums in 73 counties across the state. A complete list of 2025-26 grantees, counties, and amounts is posted at TNMuseum.org/grants.
“The Tennessee Capital Improvement Grants continue to support and strengthen the infrastructure of institutions preserving our state and local history and culture,” said Ashley Howell, Tennessee State Museum Executive Director. “We are honored to help support the commitment of those institutions to better serve their communities and visitors through collection care and visitor accessibility these last three years. We are inspired by the dedication of their staff and volunteers. None of it would be possible, of course, without the State of Tennessee’s unwavering support for Tennessee history.”
"We are incredibly thankful for this funding, which supports keeping Adventure Science Center a safe, enjoyable experience for the over 250,000 individuals who walk through our doors each year,” said Leah Melber, Ph. D., President & CEO of Adventure Science Center. “With a building over 50 years old, capital funding is a critical part of maintaining this dynamic learning space. We greatly appreciate the state's support and partnership."
The Capital Maintenance and Improvements grant had a minimum request amount of $5,000 and a maximum request amount of $100,000. All projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.
For 80 years, Adventure Science Center has been bringing science to life for students, teachers, and families in Middle Tennessee and across the U.S. The organization offers engaging learning experiences and science fun through hands-on, interactive exhibits, innovative programs, and full-dome productions in the state-of-the-art Sudekum Planetarium. Adventure Science Center strives to open every mind to the wonders of science and technology, fostering a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Each year the science center provides reduced or free admission to more than 20,000 guests and remains free for teachers and MNPS students.
Adventure Science Center is located at 800 Fort Negley Blvd. in Nashville. Visit adventuresci.org to learn more.
Celebrating its 88th Anniversary in 2025, the Tennessee State Museum, located on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is your home to thousands of years of Tennessee history, art, and culture. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey–through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing–from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day.
Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.
###
