Supporting Latino museums across the United States is vital to preserving and promoting American Latino art, history, and culture. Latino museums foster opportunities for people to work, enjoy, create, share, and learn about the diverse Latin American diaspora.

In 2020, Congress enacted legislation to establish a new American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and to establish the Smithsonian’s first National Museum of the American Latino. The ALHC program will use grantmaking to strengthen the capacity and impact of American Latino museums nationwide.

The Urban Institute team conducted research designed to inform IMLS as it planned for and developed the ALHC program in ways that would promote inclusivity and sustainability for American Latino museums. The team’s work included a review of more than 250 pieces of literature in English, Spanish, and Portuguese; an environmental scan of 30 directories and databases to map the American Latino museum field; two community listening sessions, one in English and one in Spanish, with 49 total attendees; an online survey in English and Spanish that received 74 responses from potential ALHC program applicants; and 40 interviews in English and Spanish with museum professionals, collaborators, and funders.

Documents:

• Funding Opportunities for Latino Museums (PDF, 154 KB)

• How Federal Funders of Latino Museums Commit to Equity (PDF, 130 KB)

• How to Engage with Latino Museum Communities in the Research Process (PDF, 136 KB)

• Research to Inform the American Latino History and Culture Program Technical Appendixes (PDF, 576 KB)

• Where in the US Are There Museums in Latino Neighborhoods (PDF, 399 KB)