Museum Grants for African American History and Culture

 

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The program has two goals with three or four objectives each. GOAL 1: Build the capacity of African American museums and their ability to serve their communities. Obj. 1.1: Develop, enhance, or expand public programs, exhibitions, and/or school programs. Obj. 1.2: Enhance professional management. Obj. 1.3: Improve care and conservation of museum collections and expand access to collections and associated data. Obj. 1.4: Foster partnerships and collaborations among museums and institutions of higher education. GOAL 2: Support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. Obj. 2.1: Develop and implement internship, fellowship, and mentoring programs structured to support emerging professionals entering the museum field. Obj. 2.2: Develop and implement equitable and inclusive staff recruitment and retention programs. Obj. 2.3: Create learning and growth opportunities designed to build skills, enhance knowledge, and provide opportunities to share expertise.

Active 45.309 The Institute of Museum and Library Services B - Project Grants; C - Direct Payments For Specified Use Fiscal Year 2015 17 awards made in FY15.
Fiscal Year 2021 IMLS made 24 awards in Museum Grants for African American History and Culture.
Fiscal Year 2023 IMLS made 34 awards in Museum Grants for African American History and Culture. Public Law 108-184
20 USC Chapter 72 Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 U.S.C. § 9101-9176; in particular, § 9173 (Museum services activities); § 80r (National Museum of African American History and Culture), in particular § 80r-5 (Educational and liaison programs)
The Act authorizes the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to establish grant programs with the purpose of improving operations, care of collections, and development of professional management at African American museums. An applicant to Museum Grants for African American History and Culture must meet geographic and governance criteria and qualify as one of following types of organizations: 1. A museum whose primary purpose, as reflected in its mission, is African American life, art, history, and/or culture, encompassing: the period of slavery; the era of Reconstruction; the Harlem renaissance; the civil rights movement; and other periods of the African American diaspora; and 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. For more information, please see 2 C.F.R. ?3187.3. 2. A public or private nonprofit agency that is responsible for the operation of a museum that meets the eligibility criteria in 1, 2, and 3(a), applying on behalf of the museum. 3. A museum service organization or association whose primary purpose, as reflected in its mission, is to support museums whose primary purpose, as reflected in their mission, is African American life, art, history and/or culture; or 4. A historically black college or university, as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. Section 1061, and pursuant to Executive Order 13256, dated February 12, 2002. Not applicable. 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 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 evaluate all eligible and complete applications according to the review criteria listed in the NOFO. Reviewers are professionals in the field with relevant knowledge and expertise in the types of project activities identified in the applications. Peer reviewers must comply with IMLS's 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 June 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 build the capacity of a museum and/or support the growth and development of museum professionals at an African American museum and/or HBCU; reflect a thorough understanding of current practice and knowledge about the subject matter; define a work plan consisting of a set of logical, interrelated activities tied directly to addressing a key need or challenge; 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; student tuition and fees; 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 online 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. The requirements to provide cost share differ according to funding level requested in the AAHC program. Cost share is not required for requests from $5,000-$100,000. At least one-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required for requests from $100,001-$500,000.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Projects must begin on July 1, 2024, and project activities may be carried out for one to three years. Funds are released as advances or reimbursement in response to requests for payment. None/Not specified. Connie Bodner
955 L'Enfant Plaza North, SW
Suite 4000
Washington, DC 20024 US
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/museum-grants-african-american-history-and-culture 59-0300-0-1-503 (Project Grants) FY 22$5,231,000.00; FY 23 est $6,000,000.00; FY 24 est $6,000,000.00; FY 21$3,231,000.00; FY 20$2,731,000.00; FY 15$1,407,000.00; FY 16 est $1,481,000.00; FY 17 est $1,407,000.00; - FY2022: Awards ranged from $46,905 to $300,000. Average = $125,590. FY2023: Awards ranged from $75,369 to $500,000. Average: $176,471. In FY2024, requests may range from $5,000 to $250,000. In FY2024, applicants may choose between two funding levels. Small projects will range from $5,000 to $100,000. Large projects will range from $100,001 to $500,000. 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); ? 80r (National Museum of African American History and Culture), in particular ? 80r-5 (Educational and liaison programs). 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 Museum Grants for African American History and Culture under “Program” and search by fiscal year, state, city, institution, and/or keyword.