Skip to Content

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grant Opportunities

How to Strategically Position Your Museum to Win IMLS Funding

The U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced a variety of funding opportunities to support museums with November 15th deadlines.

Now is the time to begin building your application.

Below, Grants Plus has compiled a list of select funding opportunities from IMLS, complete with everything you need to know about the application process, and how to best position your museum to win funding.

By the Numbers

$57m+

Total funding available

$750k

Award maximum

315+

Est. number of awards

Select IMLS Grant Opportunities

Museums for America

This program supports museums of all sizes and disciplines in strategic, project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation.

National Leadership Grants for Museums

This program is designed to support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public.

21st Century Museum Professional

The 21st Century Museum Professional grant program supports projects that offer professional development to the current museum workforce, train and recruit future museum professionals, and identify and share effective practices in museum workforce education and training.

Museums Empowered

Museums Empowered is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It supports projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes.

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture

The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The AAHC program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access.

Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture

The Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program supports projects that build the capacity of American Latino history and culture museums to serve their communities, and broadly advance the growth and development of a professional workforce in American Latino cultural institutions.

“We were new to pursuing federal grants. Grants plus helped us to identify new federal funding opportunities that were in close alignment with our work, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums for America opportunity, and guide us through the application complexities to submit a highly competitive, polished proposal.” – Development Coordinator at a national museum

Need support?

Grants Plus clients achieve an 80% award rate on applications to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  

Contact us to learn more about the requirements and how Grants Plus can support your organization’s application. 


Related Reading

6 Tips for Museums to Win Government Grant Funding

As government grant opportunities glitter on the horizon, positioning your museum to successfully compete begins with six key steps.