Museums for America

 

Museums for America (MFA) is designed to strengthen the ability of individual museums to serve the public more effectively by supporting high-priority activities that advance their missions, plans, and strategic goals and objectives. MFA has three program goalsLifelong Learning, Community Engagement, and Collections Stewardship and Accesswith three associated objectives each. Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff, a special initiative of the MFA grant program, supports using the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes. It has four program goalsDigital Technology; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Evaluation; and Organizational Managementwith two associated objectives each. Inspire! Grants for Small Museums, a special initiative of the MFA program, supports 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. It has one program goalto build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communitieswith four associated objectives. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for details of the specific goals and objectives for these grant programs.

Active 45.301 The Institute of Museum and Library Services B - Project Grants; C - Direct Payments For Specified Use Fiscal Year 2015 202 awards made in FY15
Fiscal Year 2021 IMLS made 113 awards in Museums for America, 22 awards in Museums Empowered, and 53 awards in Inspire! Grants for Small Museums, for a total of 188 awards.
Fiscal Year 2023 IMLS made 122 awards in Museums for America, 17 awards in Museums Empowered, and 59 awards in Inspire! Grants for Small Museums, for a total of 198 awards. 20 USC Chapter 72 Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 U.S.C. § 9101-9176; in particular § 9173 (Museum services activities)
Public Law 115-410
The Act authorizes the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to enter into grants and other forms of assistance to support museums in providing learning and access to collections, information, and educational resources. An applicant to Museums for America or its initiatives must meet geographic and governance criteria and qualify as one of the following types of organizations: 1. 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. 2. A public or private nonprofit agency that is responsible for the operation of a museum that meets these criteria. Applicants should consult the Notices of Funding Opportunity for MFA and the special initiatives for more details. Public and private non-profit museums. Through activities and projects funded, beneficiaries include the general public. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 1. Ensure that required registrations are active and user names and passwords are in place. 2. Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity carefully to get all the information required for applying. 3. Compose the complete application, using resources available through www.imls.gov (e.g. on-demand webinars, instructions, Sample Applications, Reviewer Resources). 4. Contact an IMLS staff member to ask any questions about the application and review process. 5. Submit the application via Grants.gov by the deadline. IMLS staff review applications for eligibility and completeness. IMLS uses a peer review process to evaluate all eligible and complete applications. Peer reviewers are experts in the field with relevant knowledge and expertise in the types of project activities identified in the applications. IMLS instructs reviewers to evaluate applications according to the review criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Peer reviewers must comply with Federal ethics and conflicts of interest requirements. The IMLS Director takes into account the input provided by the review process and makes final funding decisions consistent with the purposes of the agency's mission and programs. August 15, 2023 to November 15, 2023 Complete applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm U.S. Eastern Time, November 15, 2023. More than 180 days. IMLS will not release information about the status of an application until the applications have been reviewed and all deliberations are concluded. IMLS expects to notify both successful and unsuccessful applicants of the final decisions by email by August 2024. IMLS will provide copies of reviewer comments and scores to all unsuccessful applicants and invite them to consult with specific IMLS staff when determining whether to revise the proposal and submit it again to IMLS or another funding agency. IMLS may extend particular grants at the discretion of the Director. Successful applications in this grant program are structured to address a key goal identified in the institution's strategic plan; reflect a thorough understanding of current practice and knowledge about the subject matter; present a work plan consisting of a set of logical, interrelated activities tied directly to addressing the key need or challenge identified in the application; and are designed to generate measurable results that tie directly to the identified need or challenge. Grant funds must be used for the purposes outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, and in accordance with the Institute of Museum and Library Services General Terms and Conditions. Examples of allowable costs include personnel salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for project staff; travel expenses for key project staff and consultants; materials, supplies, software, and equipment related directly to project activities; adaptive and/or assistive technologies and other resources and services to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities; equipment to improve collections storage and exhibit environments; third-party costs; publication design and printing; program evaluation; staff and volunteer training; paid internships/fellowships; and indirect or overhead costs. Performance Reports: Grantees are required to submit a performance report annually. Reports are due according to the reporting schedule provided as part of the official award notification. Grantees must submit reports using the IMLS electronic grants management system. In support of the agency’s commitment to open government, interim and final performance reports may be made accessible on the IMLS website to engage the public in communities of practice and to inform application development and grant-making strategies. Not applicable. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other project records must be retained for three years following the submission of the final financial report. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. Museums for America and Museums Empowered (special initiative): At least one-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required. Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (special initiative): For FY2024, cost sharing is allowed but not required for projects requesting between $5,000 and $25,000 in federal support. At least one-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required for projects requesting between $25,001 and $75,000 in federal support.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Museums for America and Museums Empowered projects must begin on September 1, 2024 and project activities may be carried out for one to three years. Inspire! Grants for Small Museums projects must begin on September 1, 2024, and project activities may be carried out for one to two years. Funds are released as advances or reimbursements in response to requests for payment. None/Not specified. Connie Bodner
955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW
Suite 4000
Washington, DC 20024 USA
cbodner@imls.gov
Phone: 202-653-4636

Sandra Narva
955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW Suite 4000
Washington, DC 20024 USA
snarva@imls.gov
Phone: 202-653-4634 https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/museums-america 59-0300-0-1-503 (Project Grants) FY 22$27,899,000.00; FY 23 est $30,330,000.00; FY 24 est $27,330,000.00; FY 21$26,899,000.00; FY 20$25,899,000.00; - Museums for America: FY2022 awards ranged from $50,759 to $250,000. Average = $190,308. FY2023 awards ranged from $16,325 to $250,000. Average = $199,125. In FY2024, requests may range from $5,000 to $250,000. Museums Empowered (special initiative): FY2022 awards ranged from $124,511 to $250,000. Average = $214,970. FY2023 awards ranged from $28,383 to $250,000. Average = $207,620. In FY2024, requests may range from $5,000 to $250,000. Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (special initiative): FY2022 awards ranged from $7,730 to $50,000. Average = $43,147. FY2023 awards ranged from $8,721 to $50,000. Average = $42,504. In FY2024, applicants may choose between two funding levels. Small projects will range from $5,000 to $25,000. Large projects will range from $25,001 to $75,000. 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 3187. 20 USC Chapter 72 Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, ? 9101-9176; in particular, ? 9173 (Museum services activities). Guidelines are available online at https://www.imls.gov/grants/grant-programs or upon request from IMLS, 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW, Suite 4000, Washington DC 20024-2135. See the IMLS website at www.imls.gov for the most current program information. Fiscal Year 2015 Visit the IMLS website at www.imls.gov to search awarded grants.
Fiscal Year 2016 Visit the IMLS website at www.imls.gov to search awarded grants.
Fiscal Year 2023 Visit https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded-grants. Choose Museums for America, Museums Empowered, or Inspire! Grants for Small Museums under “Program” and search by fiscal year, state, city, institution, and/or keyword.