US agency targeted for elimination provided vital funding to Beck Center, Zoo Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A recent executive order is seeking to eliminate several federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). As one of the only federal agencies dedicated to funding library and museum services, many organizations in Knoxville received grant funding from the institution.
The University of Tennessee, Zoo Knoxville, and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center are all examples of organizations that have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding from the IMLS. According to the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, they received over a $100,000 from IMLS back in 2018.
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'That grant was the foundation for getting us to where we are today, getting our collection digitized,' said Beck Cultural Exchange Center President Renee Kesler. 'But there are other grants that we're using as well as making it available to the community and getting oral histories.'
While they received the funding up until 2020, Kesler said it propelled their program to what it is today.
'There are more people in Knoxville, and indeed throughout the country, who know about urban renewal in Knoxville than ever before,' she said. 'More people are interested in learning more about it, more research has been done, more students have done essay papers on it in research, academia, all kinds of things.'
With the urban renewal being a primary reason the Beck Cultural Exchange Center was created, she said the impact from earning the grant is still felt today. Kesler said the community's involvement and partnerships are crucial.
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'This work is so important. History has not stopped, it's continuing. Research is continuing, and so I think it's going to propel all of us to think strategically about how can we really involve each other and maybe how we can we collaborate and partner in ways that we've never done before, so that we support each other because it is critical,' said Kesler.
Regardless of receiving federal funding or not, Kesler said their work will carry on.
'Beck's going to be for another 50 years and beyond, so I'm excited about the future, irrespective of the challenges that lay ahead,' she said. 'It's still going to be good because we're still committed to this work, and we believe Knoxville is the beloved community that also believes in it.'
In a statement Zoo Knoxville said they have received over $750,000 from IMLS throughout the years. Most of that funding supported STEM-focused learning opportunities in their Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus.
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While both the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and Zoo Knoxville have said IMLS grants have been foundational in progressing their work, they did add they try to diversify where their funding comes from. However, the cut in federal funding could prohibit them from applying for future grants.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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