FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Leaders with the Fort Wayne Museum of Art are preparing for a series of major campus and program improvements after securing a massive $2.5 million grant.

The funding comes courtesy of the Lilly Endowment as part of a statewide initiative targeting twelve art museums across Indiana to help them strengthen their community impact and long-term sustainability.

According to museum officials, the multi-million dollar investment will immediately breathe life into several highly anticipated projects. Among the planned upgrades are the purchase of new vehicles to expand the museum’s mobile educational outreach program for local students, a complete redesign to make the museum’s website more user-friendly, and critical upgrades to their collection storage facilities.

Museum Vice President Amanda Shepard emphasized that the primary goal of the improvements is to make the facility significantly more welcoming and accessible for both local families and traveling tourists.

“We want to be the Art Museum in Northern Indiana that responds to that growth and really gives people value in their community and reminds them why they chose to stay in Northeast Indiana,” Shepard said. “We’re also attracting more visitors to the region every year, and we want to be an art museum that is well worth your visit and meets the needs of a variety of people.”

In addition to the physical and digital infrastructure upgrades, a portion of the grant will also be utilized to fund specialized professional training programs for museum staff.

The grant funding is scheduled to run through 2029, with museum leadership indicating that the initial phases of the improvement projects will begin immediately.