Deadline: March 13, 2026
Application:  The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 913KB) is now available.
Grant Amount: $50,000–$750,000
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 the request, unless otherwise indicated in the FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity.
IMLS Priorities Cover Letter: NLG-M Cover letter (PDF, 144KB)

Program Overview:

The National Leadership Grants for Museums program (NLG-M) invests in projects that address critical needs of the museum field. NLG-M projects have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the public through the development and replication of model practices, tools, research findings, and collaborations.  

The goals of the program are to advance the museum field’s ability to 

• Advance museum-based learning and engagement practices in the museum field; 

• Advance the museum field’s ability to respond to community needs; and 

• Identify new solutions that address high priority and widespread collections care or conservation issues. 

The primary audiences for this program are museums, museum service organizations and affiliated nonprofits, and museum professionals. Secondary audiences include museum visitors and future 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 by using the link below. 

Program Contact:

Helen Wechsler  
Supervisory Grants Management Specialist 
hwechsler@imls.gov 

202-653-4779 

To schedule a time to talk to Helen Wechsler, 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.