Grant program guidelines for the current fiscal year are now available:

Access FY 2012 Grant Program Guidelines Online

Read more about the Museums for America program on the IMLS Web site.
 
Web Conferencing with Program Staff
IMLS staff are available by phone and through e-mail to discuss general issues relating to Museums for America grants. We also invite you to participate in one of two pre-application Web conferences to learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to the questions and comments of other participants.

The Web conference schedule for the FY12 Museums for America program is as follows:

Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time
Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at 3-4 p.m. Eastern Time

A few minutes before the start time, go to the following Web page through your browser:
https://imls.megameeting.com/?page=guest&conid=MFA_Applicant_Webinar

You will be asked to enter your name and your e-mail address. For the audio connection, dial 888/272-8702 on your phone, and when prompted, enter the code 7475003#.

Please note that the schedule is subject to change. The week the Webinar is scheduled, visit here to confirm the date and time.

Museums for America is IMLS’ largest grant program for museums, supporting projects and ongoing activities that build museums’ capacity to serve their communities.

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. Museums for America grants can be used for a wide variety of new or ongoing museum activities and programs, such as improvement of institutional infrastructure, planning, management of collections, public access, professional development, purchase of equipment or services, research and scholarship, public programming and exhibitions, development and/or implementation of education programs, or efforts by museums to upgrade and integrate new technologies into their overall institutional effectiveness.

Grants are awarded in the following categories:

• Engaging Communities (Education, Exhibitions, and Interpretation): Support projects that represent a broad range of educational activities through which museums share collections, content, and knowledge to support learning.
• Building Institutional Capacity (Management, Policy, and Training): Support projects that serve to improve the infrastructure of museums to better serve their communities.
• Collections Stewardship (Management of Collections): Support projects that museums undertake to maintain and improve the management of museum collections in order to fulfill a museum’s public service mission.

Museums that fulfill the eligibility criteria for museums may apply.