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Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025)

ID: IGSM-FY25 • Type: Posted

Description

Posted: Aug. 15, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed 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. Inspire! has three project categories: - Lifelong Learning - Institutional Capacity - Collections Stewardship and Access
Posted: Aug. 15, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Posted: Aug. 8, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Posted: Aug. 8, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Background
The Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program, administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The program aims to support small museums across various disciplines in project-based efforts that enhance public service through exhibitions, educational programs, digital resources, policy development, technology enhancements, and collections management.

The initiative aligns with IMLS's mission to advance and empower America's museums and libraries.

Grant Details
The Inspire! program has three project categories: Lifelong Learning, Institutional Capacity, and Collections Stewardship and Access. Projects may include activities such as educational programming for all ages, exhibition development, digital media enhancements, institutional planning, professional training, collections management, digitization efforts, and conservation treatments.

Each project should focus on a key component of the museum’s strategic plan and demonstrate measurable results that address specific needs or challenges.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include units of State, local or Tribal government; private nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status; and museums that employ professional staff and regularly exhibit objects to the public. Organizations must be located in one of the 50 U.S. states or certain U.S. territories. Partnerships are encouraged but one organization must serve as the lead applicant.

Period of Performance
Projects funded under this grant may have a performance period ranging from one to three years, with anticipated start dates for new projects beginning on September 1, 2025.

Grant Value
The total funding available through this announcement is $3 million. Individual awards are expected to range from $5,000 to $75,000 depending on project size. The average funding amount per award in previous years has been approximately $43,147.

Place of Performance
The grant activities can be performed in small museums located throughout the United States and its territories.
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Overview

Agency
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Category of Funding
Arts
Humanities
Funding Instruments
Grant
Grant Program (CFDA)
45.301 - Museums for America
Grant Category
Discretionary
Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement
True
Source
Grants.gov
On 8/15/24 the The Institute of Museum and Library Services posted grant opportunity IGSM-FY25 for Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025) with funding of $3.0 million. The grant will be issued under grant program 45.301 Museums for America. It is expected that 75 total grants will be made worth between $5,000 and $75,000.

Timing

Posted Date
Aug. 15, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Closing Date
Nov. 15, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EST Past Due
Last Updated
Nov. 9, 2024, 10:22 a.m. EST
Version
2

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Info
See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility information. IMLS is extending the deadline for Inspire! Grants for Small Museums from November 15, 2024, to December 13, 2024, for institutions located in Federally declared emergency and/or major disaster areas who have not been able to meet the current November 15, 2024, deadline because they have been adversely impacted by such emergencies and/or disasters. An affected organization must, by December 13 at 11:59pm EST, submit its completed application with a written statement from its Authorizing Official that: • Specifies the applicable Emergency Declaration and/or Major Disaster Declaration for the area in which the applicant organization is located (see FEMA’s listing of Declared Disasters https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations) and • Confirms that the applicant organization was unable to meet the original application deadline of November 15, 2024, due to the emergency or disaster. This statement should be prepared as a Supporting Document and uploaded as part of the application submitted through Grants.gov. For those applicants who have not been adversely affected by such emergencies and/or disasters, the deadline remains November 15, 2024, at 11:59pm EST.

Award Sizing

Ceiling
$75,000
Floor
$5,000
Estimated Program Funding
$3,000,000
Estimated Number of Grants
75

Contacts

Contact
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Contact Email
imls-museumgrants@imls.gov
Contact Phone
(202) 653-4634
Additional Information Site
https://imls.gov/grants/available/inspire-grants-small-museums

Documents

Posted documents for IGSM-FY25

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