Overview
Share ThisDeadline: March 13, 2026
Application: The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 889KB) is now available.
Grant Amount: $5,000–$300,000
Grant Period: Up 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.
IMLS Priorities Cover Letter: MFA Cover letter (PDF, 147KB)
Program Overview:
The Museums for America (MFA) program invests in museums of all sizes and disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities.
The goals of the program are to advance a museum’s capacity to:
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Serve people of all ages and backgrounds through experiential learning and discovery;
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Respond to community needs; and
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Manage and care for collections and their associated documentation.
The primary audiences for this program are museums, museum professionals, and the publics they serve.
Interested in learning more about this grant program?
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Watch the informational video (below) for details about this grant program and the process of preparing an application.
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Schedule a counseling call with a program officer. Find an available time on the calendar using the links (below).
Program Contact:
If you have questions, please contact any of the staff members listed under the objective that best fits your project.
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Lifelong Learning |
Community Engagement |
Collections Stewardship and Access |
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Helen Wechsler Supervisory Grants Management Specialist 202-653-4779
To schedule a time to talk to staff about Lifelong Learning click here, |
Sarah Glass Senior Museum Program Officer
To schedule a time to talk to Sarah Glass about Community Engagement, click here. |
Mark Feitl
To schedule a time to talk to Mark Feitl about Collections Stewardship and Access, click here. |
Webinars:
We invite you to view these 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.
