Museums Empowered

Deadline: November 13, 2026*
Application Instructions: The FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity is now available.
Apply Here:  https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/363776
Grant Amount: $5,000–$350,000
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: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program, designed to support projects that use learning and training to generate change and growth within museums of all types and sizes. 

Museums Empowered supports projects that strengthen museum staff through professional development in three key areas:  

• digital technology 
• evaluation 
• organizational management 

The program aims to build staff skills in creatively and effectively using digital tools, communication platforms, and new and emerging technologies that expand access to collections; improve staff ability to apply evaluation methods, use data effectively, and tailor evaluation approaches to specific audiences or needs; and enhance organizational resilience by offering learning opportunities that address emerging institutional priorities and support staff identified growth needs. 

Strengthening museum staff includes building the capacity of individual museums to grow their own professional development programs using apprenticeships and other alternative pathways to upskill early-career professionals and provide opportunities for non-traditional applicants to enter the museum workforce. 

The primary audiences for this program are museums and museum professionals. 

Interested in learning more about this grant program? 

1. Watch the informational video (below) for specific 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 link 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:

The FY 2026 pre-recorded webinars are available for reference:

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.