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Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (IMLS) is a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that funds project-based educational programs, exhibitions, and community partnerships at small museums of all disciplines. Awards range from $5,000 to $75,000 for grant periods of one to three years.
No cost share is required for requests between $5,000 and $25,000; requests between $25,001 and $75,000 require matching funds from non-federal sources equal to the IMLS request. The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity is currently available. Eligible applicants are small museums across all collecting and non-collecting disciplines in the United States.
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Application: The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 898KB) is now available. Grant Amount: $5,000–$75,000 Grant Period: One to three years Cost Share Requirement: If your total request for federal funding is between $5,000 and $25,000, then no cost share is required.
If your request for federal funding is between $25,001 and $75,000, you must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.
IMLS Priorities Cover Letter: Inspire Cover letter (PDF, 144KB) Inspire Grants for Small Museums (Inspire) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program designed to support small museums of all disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities.
The goal of the Inspire program is to build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities through supporting: The development of experiential learning and discovery in small museums; and The management and care of collections in small museums. The primary audiences for this program are small museums, museum professionals, and the publics they serve.
IMLS does not have fixed parameters to determine the size of a museum. All applicants have the opportunity to describe structural or organizational issues that restrict the abilities and capacity of the museum in the Organizational Profile.
Attributes that should be addressed include, but are not limited to: number of staff members and volunteers; estimate of total person-hours worked per week; operating budget and sources of revenue; number and types of objects in the collection; size of facility and property; types and numbers of audiences served; and size relative to other organizations of the same discipline, or within the same geographic region.
Interested in learning more about this grant program? Watch the informational video (below) for specific details about this grant program and the process of preparing an application. Schedule a counseling call with a program officer.
Find an available time on the calendar using the links (below). If you have questions, please contact the staff members listed under the objective that best fits your project. Collections Stewardship and Access Senior Museum Program Officer To schedule a time to talk to Reagan Moore about Lifelong Learning, click here .
Senior Museum Program Officer To schedule a time to talk to Mark Feitl about Collections Stewardship and Access, click here . We invite you to view our pre-recorded webinars. Getting Started with IMLS Museum Grants for FY 2026 is a general presentation on IMLS museum grant programs.
We recommend that you view this presentation for an overview before considering a specific grant program. Click here to access the recording or to read the transcript. Preparing a Budget and Budget Justification provides information to help you prepare these two required parts of the grant application – the IMLS Budget Form and the Budget Justification.
The information in this video supports the instructions in the Notices of Funding Opportunity for each grant program. Click Here to access the recording or to read the transcript. *All grant programs are subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion.
Deadlines are tentative. In 2024, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded $266. 7 million through grantmaking, research and policy development, to advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations.
Inspire! Grants for Small Museums Advance | Support | Empower Office of Special Counsel
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Private nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3)), local governments, tribal organizations. ([uasd. org](https://www. uasd. org/nsdc-grants-update? utm_source=openai)) Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates Funding amounts vary based on project scope and sponsor guidance. Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is March 13, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
The Museums for America 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. Museums for America has three project categories:• Lifelong Learning• Community Engagement • Collections Stewardship and Access Funding Opportunity Number: MFA-FY23. Assistance Listing: 45.301. Funding Instrument: G. Category: AR,HU. Award Amount: $5K – $250K per award.
The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that address critical needs of the library and archives fields and have the potential to advance practice and strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Successful proposals will generate results such as new models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment. Applications to IMLS should both advance knowledge and understanding and ensure that the federal investment made generates benefits to society. Specifically, the goals for this program are to generate projects of far-reaching impact that: • Build the workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure and serving the information and education needs of the public. • Build the capacity of libraries and archives to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement. • Improve the ability of libraries and archives to provide broad access to and use of information and collections with emphasis on collaboration to avoid duplication and maximize reach. • Strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster. • Strengthen the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to work collaboratively for the benefit of the communities they serve. Throughout its work, IMLS places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may be reflected in an IMLS-funded project in a wide range of ways, including efforts to serve individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals with disabilities; individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; individuals having difficulty using a library or museum; and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line. Application Process: The application process for the NLG-L program has two phases; applicants must begin by applying for Phase I. For Phase I, all applicants must submit Preliminary Proposals by the September 20th deadline listed for this Notice of Funding Opportunity. For Phase II, only selected applicants will be invited to submit Full Proposals, and only those Invited Full Proposals will be considered for funding. Invited Full Proposals will be due March 20, 2024. Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-LIBRARIES-FY24. Assistance Listing: 45.312. Funding Instrument: G. Category: AR,HU. Award Amount: $50K – $1M per award.
An organization may submit only one application through one of the following FY 2014 Grants for Arts Projects categories: Art Works or Challenge America Fast-Track. The Arts Endowment's support of a project may start on or after January 1, 2014 The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved; at least one of the underserved characteristics noted above also must be present. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development. This category encourages and supports the following two outcomes: Engagement: Engaging the public with diverse and excellent art. Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts. You will be asked to select the outcome that is most relevant to your project (you also will be able to select a secondary outcome). When making selections, you should identify the outcome(s) that reflect the results expected to be achieved by your project. If you receive a grant, you also will be asked to provide evidence of those results. Challenge America Fast-Track grants: Extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Are limited to the specific types of projects outlined below. Are for a fixed amount of $10,000 and require a minimum $10,000 match. Receive an expedited application review. Organizations are notified whether they have been recommended for a grant approximately six months after they apply; projects may start shortly thereafter. Funding Opportunity Number: 2013NEA01CAFT. Assistance Listing: 45.024. Funding Instrument: G. Category: AR. Award Amount: Up to $10K per award.
NEA Grants for Arts Projects 2, FY 2026 is sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts. Provides project-based funding for organizations in areas including Arts Education, Challenge America, Dance, Design & Our Town, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Museums, Music, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater & Musical Theater, and Visual and Media Arts.