National Leadership Grants for Museums (2024)

Background
The National Leadership Grants for Museums program is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which aims to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The program is designed to support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public.

Grant Details
The National Leadership Grants for Museums Program supports projects that are expected to generate results such as models, new tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend the benefits of federal investment. Projects are also expected to reflect a thorough understanding of current practice and knowledge about the subject matter and an awareness of and support for current strategic priorities in the field.

Additionally, projects should use collaboration to demonstrate broad need, field-wide buy-in and input, and access to appropriate expertise.

The program has three project types:
- Non-research projects with a period of performance of 1 to 3 years and a cost share requirement of 1:1.
- Research projects with a period of performance of 1 to 3 years and no cost share requirement.
- Performance measures including effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and timeliness.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include units of State, local, or tribal government or private nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code located in specific geographic areas.

Museums must be organized on a permanent basis for educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes; own or use tangible objects; care for these objects; and exhibit these objects to the general public on a regular basis through facilities that they own or operate.

Other eligible entities include organizations or associations that engage in activities designed to advance the well-being of museums and the museum profession; institutions of higher education; public or private nonprofit agencies responsible for operating eligible museums; and Native American tribal organizations.

Period of Performance
Projects must begin on September 1, 2024. Project activities may be carried out for one to three years.

Grant Value
$5.8 million is expected to be awarded through this announcement with an anticipated number of awards being 15. The total value of individual grant awards ranges from $50,000 to $750,000.

Place of Performance
Projects must be carried out within 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.