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"Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff" is currently closed and not accepting applications.
Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff is sponsored by Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This program supports projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes.
It aims to strengthen the museum workforce, train and recruit future museum professionals, and identify and share effective practices in museum workforce education and training.
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Museums Empowered | Institute of Museum and Library Services Deadline: November 13, 2026* Application Instructions: The FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available. Apply Here: https://www. grants.
gov/search-results-detail/363776 Grant Amount: $5,000–$350,000 Grant Period: One to three years Cost Share Requirement: You must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.
Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program, designed to support projects that use learning and training to generate change and growth within museums of all types and sizes.
Museums Empowered supports projects that strengthen museum staff through professional development in three key areas: organizational management The program aims to build staff skills in creatively and effectively using digital tools, communication platforms, and new and emerging technologies that expand access to collections; improve staff ability to apply evaluation methods, use data effectively, and tailor evaluation approaches to specific audiences or needs; and enhance organizational resilience by offering learning opportunities that address emerging institutional priorities and support staff identified growth needs.
Strengthening museum staff includes building the capacity of individual museums to grow their own professional development programs using apprenticeships and other alternative pathways to upskill early-career professionals and provide opportunities for non-traditional applicants to enter the museum workforce. The primary audiences for this program are museums and museum professionals.
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 link below. Supervisory Grants Management Specialist To schedule a time to talk to Mark Isaksen, click here . The FY 2026 pre-recorded webinars are available for reference: 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.
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. Advance | Support | Empower
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Museums of all types and sizes. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $250,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
The published deadline was November 1, 2025, which has passed. Check the official notice for any future application windows before investing time in a proposal.
Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff is funded by Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
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