HOUSTON (TIP): The Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, the first US museum dedicated to preserve and promote Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and ideals, has received a grant of $475,000 from the Fort Bend County under the American Rescue Plan. The grant was announced by Fort Bend County’s Indian American judge KP George along with the county commissioners at a press conference on Dec 21. The Houston, Texas museum is expected to open sometime in 2023.vIts groundbreaking was conducted on July 3 this year in the presence of Congressman Al Green and Houston’s local community. The EGMH will be an interactive museum divided into three sections: ‘His Journey’ (Mahatma Gandhi’s Life), ‘Our Journey’ (Impact of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution in the world featuring, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and others around the world, and finally ‘My Journey’ where each visitor will be asked to make a commitment to make the community a better place to live in. “The Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston is delighted and truly grateful to the Fort Bend County Commissioners’ court for approving this grant,” volunteer, trustee and co-founder Atul B Kothari said.

“Indian-American Fort Bend County judge KP George has offered unflinching support to the activities of EGMH from day one, when he was invited to the memorial service for Mahatma Gandhi in February 2019 at the Unity of Houston,” he said.

“This grant will go a long way in bringing to life the first-ever museum in the US dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi,” Kothari added.

EGMH has acquired 3 acres of land in southwest Houston to house the museum. The proposed budget for construction is $6.5 million.
The proceeds from the capital campaign have touched $2.9 million, with the board of trustees committing another $1.1 million. The trust has also secured another $800,000 from private donor commitments. Recently, the Houston Endowment Foundation also awarded a capital grant of $500,000. A concerted fundraising campaign is currently underway through foundations, corporations and private donors to raise the remaining amount.