Welcome to Community Outreach

From Page to Douglas, Quartzsite to Clifton, in every corner of the state, the Arizona Historical Society helps communities preserve and pass on their culture, folkways, and histories to school children, local residents, and tourists. Through our grants program, museum workshops, publications, history presentations, technical assistance, networking, the Arizona History Museum Guide and the Al Merito Awards, the Arizona Historical Society works with groups and individuals whose goals coincide with our mission to “Collect, preserve, interpret and disseminate the history of Arizona, the West, and Northern Mexico as it applies to Arizona.”

Certified Museum Program

Currently, 68 non-profit and tribal history museums in Arizona are designated as AHS Certified Museums. To qualify, museums must be self-governing non-profit organizations that are open at least 208 hours per year. In addition to funding eligibility, the Society provides the Certified Museums and other history-related organizations with technical support, workshops, presentations, networking, and visibility on our web site and in our Arizona History Museum Guide. Click here for a map and list of Certified Museums, as well as contact information, hours, and a brief description of each museum.If your museum is interested certification please review the AHS Certified Museum Profile and Explanation.

Grants Program

Each year Certified Museums may apply for grant of up to $2,000 to use for projects pertaining to the preservation and exhibition of Arizona history. The Arizona State Legislature provides appropriations for this purpose, and a generous gift from the Arizona History Convention adds to that sum. Applications are mailed to Certified Museums in April and the application deadline is June 30th. Qualified museums may download Guidelines and Application Form here. Grantees must file a final report by June 30th of the following year. Click here for the Final Report Forms.

Workshops

The Arizona Historical Society presents workshops on topics pertinent to local museums, including collections management and preservation, oral history, grant writing and fundraising, educational outreach, and exhibit design. The workshops are held in many locations around the state, and all are invited to participate. One of the Certified Museums usually hosts the workshop when they are not held in Flagstaff, Tempe, Tucson, or Yuma.