The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine has been awarded a federal grant of more than $200,000 to help expand programs bringing ethnic, African American and Wabanaki studies to public schools curricula.

The museum will use the Museums for America grant to develop and expand programs that comply with Maine’s mandated African American, ethnic and Wabanaki studies curricula. The $224,143 grant is from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary federal support for U.S. libraries and museums.

“This grant brings augmented and interactive resources to connect with the culturally diverse history and background of the land we currently call Maine,” said Julie Butcher Pezzino, the museum’s executive director.

The museum will collaborate with local organizations, artists, musicians, performers and storytellers to establish outreach programs. Professional development opportunities will be available to Maine educators to develop the new curricula. Funding also will support the production of a play adapted from a children’s book authored by a member of one of the represented communities.

With the programming and professional development, the museum intends to advance knowledge from early childhood to fourth grade. It will develop and launch the program in the next three years, linking it to its 2024-27 strategic plan.

The museum will partner with Indigo Arts Alliance, I’m Your Neighbor Books, Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network and other community partners, including Passamaquoddy musician and storyteller Dwayne Tomah, and artists and performers, to develop programming and opportunities for learning and performance that support Maine students and educators.

The Maine grant is part of $23.4 million in federal funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums For America program, its largest museum grant funding opportunity. As many as 115 museums will receive support for strategic, project-based work.