With the 2024 season now behind it, New Hampshire Boat Museum (NHBM) is charting a course for the future with new exhibits, programs, and events at its new campus in Moultonborough in 2025. According to staff, grants from community foundations and local business support have proven instrumental.
“These contributions have been vital during the opening of our Moultonborough campus, and they will continue to play a crucial role as we continue to build our museum,” said Development Director Wendy Stocker. In 2022, a grant from the Putnam Foundation helped move the collection from Wolfeboro to Moultonborough, while financial support from the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation and Madeline G. Von Weber in 2023 supported new shelving and art racks. NHBM has also received substantial anonymous support.
“We received a $250,000 anonymous donation to fund facility renovations that include a climate-controlled storage area and rooms for the museum’s small object and permanent collections,” added Stocker. In May 2024, NHBM was awarded a Collection Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “This is a really important grant for us,” explained Stocker. “Assessors study our collection and help facilitate a preservation plan…This grant prepares the museum to apply for a multi-year IMLS grant in 2025 that would allow us to hire our first full-time curator.” In 2024, NHBM also received a grant from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association to buy tools. “Grants like this are crucial because they support our infrastructure,” added Stocker.
In addition to grants, Belletetes donated lumber and hardware for multiple projects in Moultonborough. These donations included boat cradles, a collapsible bar, and a boat house facade that will be displayed in the Mahogany Marvels exhibit once complete. “Belletetes has been a presenting sponsor for the season, demonstrating a commitment to our mission throughout the year,” said Stocker. “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of local and regional sponsors and funders.” Other donations have included a service kitchen installed by Home Comfort of Center Harbor, new appliances for the kitchen from the Board of Trustees, and a gift of tools from LaValley Middleton Building Supply in 2023.
About NHBM
Founded in 1992 by antique and classic boating enthusiasts, NHBM offers dynamic exhibits and engaging events and programs tailored to the diverse boating lifestyles and values of people of all ages. NHBM exhibits, events and programming covers everything from boat charters, boat trips and race boats to canoes, wooden boats, outboard motors, sculling, sailing sunfish, and Lyman and Johnson motors. Some of our hands-on programs take place on Lake Winnipesaukee. NHBM is sponsored in part by Belletetes, Eastern Propane & Oil, Epoxy Floor New England, Goodhue Boat Company, Kingswood Press and Design Studio, KW Coastal, Lake and Mountains, North Water Marine, and Taylor Community.