OpenOpportunity IGSM-FY27

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)

Institute of Museum and Library Services

At a glance

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027) is an open federal grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Applications are due November 13, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $5K – $75K, with about 75 awards expected and $3M 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 45.301 (Museums for America).

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

Key facts

Posted: Sep 1, 2026
Close date: Nov 13, 2026
Award floor: $5,000
Award ceiling: $75,000
Est. total funding: $3,000,000
Expected awards: 75
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 eligibility information.

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.

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (Inspire) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program designed to support small museums of all disciplines, including small rural or small remote institutions and small museums that have not previously received federal funding. The program funds project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities.
The goal of the Inspire program is to build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities through supporting the development of experiential learning and discovery in small museums, and the management and care of collections in small museums.

Additional information from the agency ↗

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

45.301Museums for AmericaProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 45.301

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$29.9M

FY25

$15.3M

FY26

$28.7M est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 45.301. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

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

Quick answers

When is the deadline for “Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)”?

According to the official notice, applications are due November 13, 2026. Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for “Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)”?

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

How much funding is available through “Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $5k – $75k, total estimated program funding is $3,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 75 awards.

How do I apply for “Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity IGSM-FY27), 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.

OpenALN 45.301