TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM AWARDED $100K STATE GRANT
TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM AWARDED A CAPITAL MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS GRANT FROM THE TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM
GRANT WILL BE USED FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO GRAND JUNCTION CAMPUS
CHATTANOOGA, TN. NOV 11, 2025 TENNESSEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM is a recipient of a $100,000 grant for Capital Maintenance and Improvements from the State of Tennessee as administered through the Tennessee State Museum. The grant award will be used for three Grand Junction improvement projects, including 1) Replacement of additional windows in the Depot to improve energy efficiency, 2) Additions to the electrical system in the Grand Junction yard to reduce engine idling, and 3) additional outside lighting to facilitate nighttime events.
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.”
“These grants allow us to make additional improvements that would otherwise not be possible at this time,” said Penelope Soule Gault, TVRM Senior Director, Marketing, Communications, and Guest Experience.
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.
About Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The mission of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) is to collect for preservation, operation, interpretation, and display railroad artifacts in an authentic setting to educate the public concerning the role of railroads in the history and development of our region.
About Tennessee State Museum
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 programming–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.