Grant program guidelines for the current fiscal year are now available:
Access FY 2012 Grant program Guidelines Online
Read more about National Leadership Grants on the IMLS Web site.
Webinars with National Leadership Grants Staff
IMLS staff are available by phone and through e-mail to discuss general issues relating to National Leadership Grants. We also invite you to participate in one of four 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 National Leadership Grant program is as follows:
General Information about the NLG program, grant categories, funding types, and tips on applying:
Wednesday, December 7, 2012, at 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Eastern Time
Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. 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=NLG_SPARKS. You will be asked to enter your name and your e-mail address. For the audio connection, dial 1-888-272-8702 on your phone, and when prompted, enter the code 7475003#. |
| Grant Amount: |
Project Grants: $50,000-500,000. Planning Grants: up to $50,000. Nat. Forum Grants: up to $100,000. |
| Grant Period: |
Up to three years for Project Grants. Up to one year for Planning Grants and National Forum Grants. |
| Matching Requirement: |
1:1 for requests over $250,000, except research projects. Cost sharing of at least one-third is encouraged for requests under $250,000 and for research projects. |
National Leadership Grants support projects that address challenges faced by the museum, library, and/or archive fields and that have the potential to advance practice in those fields. Successful proposals will seek innovative responses to the challenge(s) identified in the proposals, and will have national impact.
The National Leadership Grant program accepts applications under four main categories:
- Advancing Digital Resources—Support the creation, use, presentation, and preservation of significant digital resources as well as the development of tools to enhance access, use, and management of digital assets.
- Research—Support research that investigates key questions that are important to museum, library, and archival practice.
- Demonstration—Support projects that produce a replicable model or practice that is usable, adaptable, or scalable by other institutions for improving services and performance.
- Library Museum Collaboration Grants— Support collaborative projects (between museums and/or libraries and other community organizations) that address the educational, economic, cultural, or social needs of a community. In 2012, a funding priority will be projects that promote early learning.
Applicants may choose to submit a Project Grant, Planning Grant, or National Forum Grant proposal in any of the above categories.
- Project Grants support fully developed projects for which needs assessments, partnership development, feasibility analyses, prototyping, and other planning activities have been completed.
- Planning Grants allow project teams to perform preliminary planning activities that could lead to a subsequent full project, such as needs and feasibility analyses, solidifying partnerships, developing project work plans, or developing prototypes or proofs of concept. Applications for Planning Grants must include at least one formal partner in addition to the lead applicant.
- National Forum Grants provide the opportunity to convene qualified groups of experts and key stakeholders to consider issues or challenges that are important to libraries, museums, and/or archives across the nation. Grant-supported meetings are expected to produce widely disseminated reports with expert recommendations for action or research that address a key challenge identified in the proposal. The expert recommendations resulting from these meetings are intended to guide future proposals to the National Leadership Grant program.
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Libraries that fulfill the general criteria for libraries may apply. See program guidelines for special conditions of eligibility for this program.
Museums that fulfill the general criteria for museums may apply. Public or private nonprofit agencies, organizations, or associations that engage in activities designed to advance museums and the museum profession may also apply. In addition, institutions of higher education, including public and non¬profit universities, are eligible. |