Eight federal grant programs for museums close Nov. 13
The Institute of Museum and Library Services posted its fiscal 2027 museum grants on Sept. 1. Awards run from $5,000 to $750,000; several programs waive the cost share for small requests, and every award depends on money Congress has yet to settle.
Washington. Museums that want federal money for projects starting next fall have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 13 to apply. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency that funds the field, posted eight museum grant programs for fiscal 2027 on Grants.gov on Sept. 1, all with the same deadline.
The agency expects to announce decisions in August 2027, and funded projects must begin on Sept. 1, 2027. Projects may run one to three years.
What is on offer
The largest program, Museums for America, pays $5,000 to $350,000 for exhibits, educational programs, community partnerships and the care of collections. The agency expects to award $21.7 million through it in about 122 grants, and applicants must match the request with at least as much from nonfederal sources.
Inspire Grants for Small Museums, meant for small, rural and remote museums and those that have never had federal funding, pays $5,000 to $75,000 from a $3 million pool. Requests up to $25,000 need no match. National Leadership Grants for Museums, for projects that advance practice across the field, range from $50,000 to $750,000, with $8 million expected to go out. The 21st Century Museum Professionals program pays $100,000 to $500,000 for training and career pathways.
Four programs serve particular museums. Museum Grants for African American History and Culture require no match on requests up to $100,000. Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture and Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services require none at all. Museums Empowered pays for professional development of museum staff and requires a full match.
A museum qualifies if it is run by a state, local or tribal government or by a tax-exempt private nonprofit, has professional staff, cares for objects and shows them to the public on a regular basis.
Priorities and the budget
A letter at the front of the notices, signed by Lisa Solomson, the official performing the duties of the agency's director, says its museum office particularly welcomes projects tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence, projects that use new technology such as artificial intelligence, and projects that present "uplifting and positive narratives of our shared American experience." It asks applicants to consider several executive orders, among them one titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."
Every program page notes that awards are subject to the availability of funds. The White House budget for fiscal 2027, released April 3, would end funding for the agency, according to the American Library Association, which said Congress had increased library funding after earlier proposals to eliminate it.
About this story
501c3.help wrote this story from the sources listed with it, not from material an organization sent. Our editors approved it on Oct. 28, 2026. Stories in The Nonprofit Herald are free, and nothing is asked in return. Editorial rules.
Found an error? Write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
For American Library Association: put the badge on your website
Put it on your About page or wherever you list press mentions, rather than in a footer that repeats on every page. It links to this story.
Linking is welcome and never required. Nothing about the story changes either way.