IMLS Releases FY 2021 Annual Financial Report
Federal Funds Bolstered Strength and Resilience of Museums, Libraries, and Tribal Communities

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that the agency’s Annual Financial Report (AFR) is now available for FY 2021. The report details the health of the agency’s finances from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, as required by the Office of Management and Budget.

The AFR showcases key financial impacts of the agency’s grant programs for FY 2021. Highlights from the report include:

• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IMLS awarded $178 million in ARP Act funds across the 59 State Library Administrative Agencies in America. The Agency received 572 applications for its ARP grant program, requesting over $22.8M for museums, libraries, Native American Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations to address community needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and in assisting with recovery. IMLS also applied a total of $4,644,267 in ARP funds to support awards for ARP-related projects that were submitted as applications to other FY 2021 grant programs.

• With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and IMLS, the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), in collaboration with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), will lead Communities for Immunity, which provides funding to museums and libraries to enhance vaccine confidence at the local level.

• The Agency reinstituted the National Medals for Museum and Library Service in 2021 with funds from the National Leadership Grants program. Three museums and three libraries received the nation’s highest honor for significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.

• IMLS completed an evaluation of its Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program in early 2021. The first AAHC grants were awarded in 2006, and since that time, IMLS has awarded 179 grants totaling $17,551,735 of federal funds and $20,861,925 in matching funds. While this illustrates that the Agency has funded a range of projects at many of the nation’s African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the evaluation identified valuable opportunities for deepening the program’s impact and expanding its already broad reach.

“Once again IMLS has responded to the pandemic and the needs of libraries, museums, Tribes, HBCUs, and the nation’s communities,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “In a polarized and challenged world libraries and museums bring people together to share our culture and our ideals together. Using our regular grant cycles and programs as well as the significant ARP funds entrusted to us by Congress and the Administration we helped our professions stand up for those ideals in very complex and tough times.”

For more information about IMLS’s financial activities in FY 2021, the full report is available on the IMLS website. The agency’s detailed performance report will be available in February 2022.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services 
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.