The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is inviting applications to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, policy development and institutional planning, technology enhancements, professional development, community outreach, audience development, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation.
Goal and Objectives
Goal: Build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities.
Objective 1: Support the development of cross-disciplinary learning experiences in small museums.
Objective 2: Support the professional development of the small-museum workforce.
Objective 3: Support the development of policies and institutional plans for small museums.
Objective 4: Support the management and care of collections in small museums.
Projects may involve, but are not limited to, activities such as educational programming for all ages; exhibition development, design, fabrication, and interpretation; digital media and technology enhancements; institutional planning and policy development; professional training, internships, and mentorships; collections information management, research, and planning; digitization and digital asset management; and conservation surveys, treatments, and environmental improvements.
Funding Information
Total amount of funding IMLS expects to award through this announcement: $2,600,000
Anticipated number of awards: 60
Expected amount of individual awards
Small Project: $5,000 – $25,000
Large Project: $25,001 – $75,000
Anticipated start dates for new awards: Projects must begin on September 1, 2024.
Anticipated period of performance: September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2026. Project activities may be carried out for one to two years
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for an award under this Inspire! Grants for Small Museums Notice of Funding Opportunity, your organization must meet all three of the following criteria:
Must be either a unit of State, local, or tribal government or be a private, nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code;
Must be located in one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau; and
Must qualify as one of the following:
A museum that, using a professional staff, is organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes; owns or uses tangible objects, either animate or inanimate; cares for these objects; and exhibits these objects to the general public on a regular basis through facilities that it owns or operates.
What types of institutions are included in the term “museum”? If they otherwise meet these requirements, “museums” include, but are not limited to, aquariums, arboretums, art museums, botanical gardens, children’s/youth museums, general museums (those having two or more significant disciplines), historic houses/sites, history museums, natural history/anthropology museums, nature centers, planetariums, science/technology centers, specialized museums (limited to a single distinct subject), and zoological parks.
What does it mean to be “using a professional staff”? An institution uses a professional staff if it employs at least one staff member, or the full-time equivalent, whether paid or unpaid, primarily engaged in the acquisition, care, or exhibition to the public of objects owned or used by the institution.
What does it mean to “exhibit the objects to the general public”? An institution exhibits objects to the general public if such exhibition is a primary purpose of the institution. An institution that exhibits objects to the general public for at least 120 days a year is deemed to exhibit objects to the general public on a regular basis. An institution that does not have the exhibition of objects as a primary purpose and/or does not exhibit objects to the public for at least 120 days a year may be determined to be eligible as a museum under certain circumstances.
A public or private nonprofit agency that is responsible for the operation of a museum that meets the eligibility criteria applying on behalf of the museum.
Native American tribal organizations may apply if they otherwise meet the above eligibility requirements.
