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ClosedOpportunity 21MP-FY26

21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2026)

Institute of Museum and Library Services

At a glance

21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2026) is a closed federal grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The application deadline was March 13, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $100K – $500K, with about 8 awards expected and $2M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include others (see notice). Cost sharing or matching is required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 45.032 (21st Century Museum Professional Program).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

  1. Jan 13, 2026Posted
  2. Mar 13, 2026Application deadline
Posted
Jan 13, 2026
Close date
Mar 13, 2026
Award floor
$100,000
Award ceiling
$500,000
Est. total funding
$2,000,000
Expected awards
8
Cost sharing
Required
Funding instrument
Grant
Opportunity category
Discretionary

Who can apply

  • Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for program eligibility criteria.

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The 21st Century Museum Professional (21MP) grant program supports projects that build career pathways, strengthen professional networks, and identify and share effective workforce education and training practices in the museum field.

Additional information from the agency ↗

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

Reported obligations under ALN 45.032

Historical data · not a prediction
FY24$2M
FY25$2.5M
FY26$2M est.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 45.032. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Who was funded under ALN 45.032

Historical data · not a prediction

Since October 1, 2023, 24 grant awards had funding actions under 21st Century Museum Professional Program, with 2 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.

  1. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA$500K
  2. SCIENCENTER DISCOVERY MUSEUM$500K
  3. THE HIGH DESERT MUSEUM$483K
  4. MUSEO DE HISTORIA NATURAL Y CONSERVACION DE PUERTO RICO$450K
  5. COUNCIL OF AMERICAN JEWISH MUSEUMS, INC.$433K
Recipients, states, recent awards and sub-awards →Source: USAspending.gov.

Agency contact (as published)

Institute of Museum and Library Services
imls-museumgrants@imls.gov
202-653-4634

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2026)”?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: Others (see notice). Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2026)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $100k – $500k, total estimated program funding is $2,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 8 awards.

How do I apply for “21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2026)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity 21MP-FY26), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.