Palo Alto History Museum Receives $3M in Federal Grants

Thanks to earmarks in the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill Congress passed in March, a history museum in Palo Alto, California, one of the wealthiest communities in America, received a $3 million grant. Palo Alto, home to Silicon Valley, has a median household income of $174,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Median income in the United States is $67,521, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to Citizens Against Government Waste, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) earmarked the funds to rehabilitate the Roth Building at the Palo Alto History Museum.

In a press release from Eshoo’s office, she touted the grant as a way to “expand education” in her district, even though the money will go to renovating the historic building.

Eshoo earmarked 10 projects in this omnibus bill, costing $12.5 million, with the Palo Alto History Museum being the largest recipient.

Earmarks are a way for members of Congress to funnel funds to their district with little oversight on how the money is being used. Learn more about earmarks from OpenTheBooks.com’s interactive map.

In addition to the museum, Citizens Against Government Waste found that Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) gave the Joliet Area History Museum $3 million to rehabilitate the Old Joliet Prison, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand got $3 million for the Brooklyn Museum, and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) secured $2.2 million to open a Bahamian Museum of Arts and Culture in Florida. 

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