The Tennessee State Museum told the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 18 that it will begin moving its collection into a new state collection storage facility in East Nashville in April and that the agency is administering capital grants to smaller museums statewide and preparing to host the state’s America250 commission activities.

Executive Director Ashley Howell said the new collection storage building — located on state property in East Nashville near state laboratory facilities — is essentially complete and that the museum will begin moving artifacts in April. Howell described the new storage as climate‑controlled, secured and designed to improve conservation and access for loans and exhibitions.

“How we are storing our current artifacts and their susceptibility to water damage and other kind of damage” has been cited in past audit findings, said State Museum Commission Chairman Beau Watson, and the new facility will address those concerns by moving items out of the Legislative Plaza basement and into purpose‑built storage.

Howell also reviewed the museum’s Capital Grants program, funded by a $5 million annual appropriation, and said the museum has awarded grants to 52 museums in 68 counties for critical capital needs such as HVAC, roof replacement and water mitigation, with 75% of awards going to museums with operating budgets under $500,000. Howell said the museum received about $12 million in requests against the current $5 million pool during the first round.

The museum reported visitor and education numbers: more than 220,000 visitors served annually through on‑site attendance and capital programs, with K–12 engagement reaching all 95 counties in the prior year and 76 counties in the first six months of the current year. Howell said the museum is planning exhibitions, a military museum and a Capitol Visitor Center exhibit scheduled to open in 2027 in the former Legislative Plaza space.

Howell said the museum’s FY26 budget asks include modest increases for increased rent on the new storage facility, funding adjustments to support the National Civil Rights Museum (the Lorraine Motel property under state care), and the second year of America250 operational funding to be regranted across the state for local programming tied to the 2026 national commemoration.

The committee approved the museum’s budget by roll call vote during the hearing. Museum leaders asked members to visit the new storage facility once moves begin, and Howell said artifact relocation and collection moves will take approximately a year to complete.