Six local museums were among 50 state-wide nonprofit arts and humanities organizations that will receive relief funds totaling $1.5 million, the Connecticut Humanities Board of Directors announced Monday.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, the Mystic Seaport Museum, and Old Lyme's Florence Griswold Museum were each awarded $45.454.50. The Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, the Mystic Museum of Art, and Mystic's Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center each received $22,727.25.

"We're thrilled. It's going to make a big difference," said Joe Baker, executive director of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. "This is going to provide much-needed funding we can use now to help out with expenses from this year that will make it easier to go into 2021 with a positive spirit."

"What an incredible list of recipients, each so important to enriching the lives of citizens across the state," Becky Beaulieu, director at Florence Griswold Museum, said in an email. "This grant is a lifeline for our Museum. With these funds we will be able to keep our staff working to provide inspiring resources for visitors both online and onsite."

According to a press release from Connecticut Humanities, which is the state's affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities, the grants were made possible by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD)/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) through an allocation to the State of Connecticut from the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) enacted by Congress last March.

The grants are to be used to reimburse organizations for eligible operating expenses incurred between March and December of 2020. The total estimated financial losses due the pandemic is over $25.4 million for the 50 museums, with over 300 full- and part-time jobs lost.

In th press release from Connecticut Humanities, executive director Jason Mancini said, "Like performing arts venues, museums and other public humanities organizations are dependent on various revenue streams that simply evaporated because of the pandemic. These are vital and vibrant places in our communities that also need a bridge to the future."

With an eye towards the end of the year and mounting deficits for museums, Connecticut Humanities announced last month that the organization was accepting applications for grants that would be awarded in late December.

"This happened at lightning speed, and we're so grateful that Connecticut Humanities is in investing in the states museums at the critical moment," Samuel Quigley, director of the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, said by phone Tuesday. "We had to prioritize quickly to get the application in, and we're grateful for the opportunity. And, yes, we're spending it when we get it! Seriously, this is a big list of museums getting these grants, and it's a good list — and it's important recognition of the role museums play in this country. We all need the spiritual nourishment and stimulation museums provide, and these grants are a tremendous help in anxiety-filled times."

In a statement, Mystic Museum of Art executive director Susan Fisher expressed gratitude to Gov. Lamont, the DECD and COA who facilitated the grants. She also addressed the critical timing of the grants. She said, "Being able to end such a relentlessly difficult year with this general operating support makes all the difference in the world. This grant, together with news of the COVID-19 vaccines, finally brings the future into focus."

"This is so welcome," said Dan McFadden, spokesman for Mystic Seaport Museum. "These funds go to support for general staffing, which is sometimes a difficult area in which to raise money. So this is a shot in the arm for all of us. It was a quick turnaround from filing to getting the grant, and the Seaport appreciates the speed and support of Connecticut Humanities."