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ClosedOpportunity ME-FY21

Museums Empowered (2021)

Institute of Museum and Library Services

At a glance

Museums Empowered (2021) is a closed federal grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The application deadline was November 16, 2020. Individual awards are listed as $5K – $250K, with about 20 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
Aug 18, 2020
Close date
Nov 16, 2020
Award floor
$5,000
Award ceiling
$250,000
Est. total funding
$3,000,000
Expected awards
20
Cost sharing
Required
Funding instrument
Grant
Opportunity category
Discretionary

Who can apply

  • Others (see notice)

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Please see 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.

Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff, a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program, supports staff capacity building projects that use professional development to generate systemic change within a museum. Museums Empowered has four project categories: Digital Technology, Diversity and Inclusion, Evaluation, and Organizational Management.

Additional information from the agency ↗

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

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
202-653-4636

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Museums Empowered (2021)”?

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 “Museums Empowered (2021)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $5k – $250k, total estimated program funding is $3,000,000 and the agency expects to make about 20 awards.

How do I apply for “Museums Empowered (2021)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity ME-FY21), 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

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Award range
$5K – $75K
Closes
Nov 13, 2026
Who can apply
Others (see notice)
Source: Grants.govVerified today
OpenALN 45.301

Museums for America (2027)

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Award range
$5K – $350K
Closes
Nov 13, 2026
Who can apply
Others (see notice)
Source: Grants.govVerified today
OpenALN 45.301

Museums Empowered (2027)

Institute of Museum and Library Services
Award range
$5K – $350K
Closes
Nov 13, 2026
Who can apply
Others (see notice)
Source: Grants.govVerified today