Deadline: November 14, 2025*
Application: The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity is not yet available. The FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 852KB) is available for reference.
Grant Amount: $5,000–$250,000
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.
Program Overview:
Museums Empowered is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It supports projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate organizational growth within museums of all types and sizes.
IMLS recognizes the many challenges facing individual museums and the need to invest resources, time, and energy towards nurturing the professional development of staff and strengthening museum operations.
We expect successful Museums Empowered projects to:
- Reflect a solid understanding of relevant theory and effective practices in professional development, organizational dynamics and change management.
- Engage staff, leadership, and volunteers in a series of training activities tied to directly to a key need or challenge.
- Generate systemic change or organizational growth that results in a more agile and sustainable museum.
Interested in learning more about this grant program? Here are a few resources to look at next:
- View selected examples from recently funded projects posted on the Sample Applications webpage.
- Search awarded grants to find similar projects, you can search by location or keyword.
- 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 this link.
Program Contact:
Mark Isaksen
Supervisory Grants Management Specialist
misaksen@imls.gov
202-653-4667
To schedule a time to talk to Mark Isaksen, click here.
Webinars:
The FY 2025 webinars are available for reference.
Getting Started With IMLS Museum Grants for FY 2025 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.
FY 2025 Museums Empowered provides detailed information about the goals of this specific grant program and how to apply. Click here to access the recording or to read the transcript.
To view all archived webinars, please click here.
*All grant programs are subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion. Deadlines are tentative.