Deadline: November 15, 2024*
Application: The FY 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity is not yet available. The FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 617KB) is available for reference.
Grant Amount: $5,000–$250,000
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. It is designed to support projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes.

Museums Empowered has four project categories:

  • Digital Technology: Provide museum staff with the skills to integrate digital technology into museum operations.
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Support museum staff in providing inclusive and equitable services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds and to individuals with disabilities.
  • Evaluation: Strengthen the ability of museum staff to use evaluation as a tool to shape museum programs and improve outcomes.
  • Organizational Management: Strengthen and support museum staff as the essential part of a resilient organizational culture.

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 2024 webinars are available for reference.

Getting Started with IMLS Museum Grants for FY 2024 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.

FY 2024 Museums Empowered provides detailed information about the goals of this specific grant program and how to apply. Click here to access the recording or to read the transcript.

To view all archived webinars, please click here.

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