Museums for America
The next competition is expected to have a December 1, 2013 deadline. The FY 2014 guidelines will be made available approximately 90 days before the deadline. Until then, stations are encouraged to use the FY 2013 guidelines as a reference.
Grant: Museums for America
Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Deadline: The deadline was January 15, 2013.
Description: Museums for America grants strengthen a museum’s ability to serve the public more effectively by supporting high-priority activities that advance the institution’s mission and strategic goals. Grants can be used for a wide variety of new or ongoing museum activities and programs, including public access, professional development, public programming, exhibitions, development and/or implementation of education programs, or efforts by museums to upgrade and integrate new technologies into their overall institutional effectiveness.
Institutions may apply for projects in the following categories:
- Learning Experiences. This category supports engaging experiences in museums that prepare people to be full participants in their local communities and the global society. Projects should deliver high quality, inclusive, accessible and audience-focused programs and services for lifelong learning in formal or informal settings.
- Community Anchors. This category supports efforts to make museums strong community anchors that enhance civic engagement, cultural opportunities and economic vitality. Projects may include capacity-building activities that position a museum to be more effective in fulfilling its role as a community anchor institution.
- Collections Stewardship. This category supports exemplary stewardship of museum collections and promotes the use of technology to facilitate discovery of knowledge and cultural heritage. Projects should reflect systematic, holistic, logical approaches to the documentation, preservation, and conservation of tangible and digital collections to sustain and improve public access.
New in FY 2013, the Museums for America grant program will accept proposals that previously fell under the Conservation Project Support Program. IMLS maintains its commitment to collections care, conservation and preservation, and encourages a stepwise, progressive approach to conservation. Applications in this category will be reviewed and evaluated by conservation professionals.
Fit for Public Broadcasting: Only museums are eligible to apply for this grant, but IMLS has stated that partnerships may strengthen applications, if they are appropriate to the project. Read more about what is required of partners in an IMLS grant application here. Applications may include one or more partners. Public media stations may be able to partner with a local museum, especially one that is planning to apply to the Learning Experiences category, and lend media, education, teacher training and public programming expertise.
See the program notice for examples of recently funded projects in the Learning Experiences, Community Anchors and Collections Stewardship categories.
Eligibility: Applicants to this program must be either a unit of state or local government or a private nonprofit organization, must be located within the United States and must qualify as a museum. A museum is defined as having a professional staff, being organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes, owning tangible objects and exhibiting those objects to the general public.
How to apply: Applicants must have a DUNS Number and be registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). Applications must be submitted electronically, via Grants.gov. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the deadline.
Anticipated funding: Grant amounts will range from $5,000 to $150,000. In order to receive a grant, an applicant must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of the grant. Projects will must begin on October 1, November 1, or December 1, 2013. Generally, project activities supported by this grant program may be carried out for up to three years.
Resources:
Program Notice
Program Website
IMLS will host five pre-application web conferences, so that applicants can learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to questions and comments of other participants. Web conferences will take place between October 25, and December 19, 2012. Access the program website for a full list of conference dates and times, with information on how to participate.
