Deadline: March 13, 2026
Application: The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 895KB) is now available.
Grant Amount: $5,000–$500,000
Grant Period: One to three years
Cost Share Requirement: If your request for federal funding is between $5,000 and $100,000, then no cost share is required. If your request for federal funding is between $100,001 and $500,000, you must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your federal funding request.
IMLS Priorities Cover Letter: AAHC Cover letter (PDF, 145KB)

Program Overview:

The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program builds the capacity of African American museums and supports the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  

The goals of this program are to: 

• Build the capacity of African American museums and HBCUs to serve their communities; and 

• Support the growth and development of a professional workforce at African American museums and HBCUs. 

The primary audiences for this program are museums, museum service organizations, institutions of higher education (especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities), and museum professionals. 

Interested in learning more about this grant program? 

1. Watch the informational video (below) for details about this grant program and the process of preparing an application.  

2. Schedule a counseling call with a program officer. Find an available time on the calendar using the links below. 

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:

We invite you to view our pre-recorded webinars: 

Getting Started With IMLS Museum Grants for FY 2026 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.

Preparing a Budget and Budget Justification provides information to help you prepare these two required parts of the grant application – the IMLS Budget Form and the Budget Justification. The information in this video supports the instructions in the Notices of Funding Opportunity for each grant program. Click here to access the recording or to read the transcript. 

*All grant programs are subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion. Deadlines are tentative.