The Georgia Museum of Art, the state’s official art museum and an extension of the University, was granted $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The grant will allow construction to continue for the museum’s new Study Centers in the Humanities, which will include expansion for the museum’s fine arts library and three research centers, according to a news release from the University’s public affairs department.

Construction plans also include a conference room, a classroom and a display gallery for art and exhibition pieces.

“The Georgia Museum of Art is not only the state’s official museum of art, it is one of Georgia’s great treasures,” University President Michael Adams said in the news release. “We are honored that the National Endowment for the Humanities has recognized its value with this challenge grant.”

The grant, which was awarded in a ceremony on Dec. 13, is a rare honor, said Betty Alice Fowler, grants coordinator for the Georgia Museum of Art, in a telephone interview Monday.

“It’s a very, very prestigious grant, and it’s also very difficult for a museum to get a challenge grant,” said Fowler. “It’s one of the largest humanity grants given to the University by the [National Endowment for the Humanities].”

In order for the museum to qualify for the challenge grant, the University had to apply for the money in May 2006 and was notified of the award in January 2007, Fowler said.

A challenge grant is a monetary contribution that requires its recipients to match the donation through other contributions.

Per the grant requirements, the museum had to raise $2.25 million in non-federal contributions in order to establish long-term support for the construction process.

The museum raised $2.5 million from private contributions to continue its expansion, exceeding grant requirements.

Fowler said the challenge grant was instrumental in helping the museum generate other private contributions.

“The grant was important for construction, but it also helped us receive private donations,” she said.

“The University of Georgia is deeply indebted to the private donors who rose to the challenge with $2.5 million in gifts to establish these study centers and to expand the museum library,” Adams said.

“A university museum is not a disposable luxury – it’s a vital educational tool,” said Bruce Cole, National Endowment for the Humanities chairman. “[The museum] is as important for learning about the humanities as a laboratory is for the sciences.”