IMLS-ALHC Research - Appendices_ 20230312

Appendices for
Research for the Museum Grants for American Latino
History and Culture (ALHC) Program

OMB Control No. 3137-NEW

Contents

Appendix A – Respondent Contact Letters from IMLS 2

Letters to Universe One 2

Letters to Universe Two 3

Appendix B – Survey Contact and Consent from Urban 4

Invitation Letter 4

Consent Language on Landing Page 4

Appendix C – Survey Instrument 6

Appendix D – Interview Contact Letter and Guide/Questions 13

Interview invitation emails 13

Introductory and Consent Language 14

Questions to respondents in Universe One 15

Questions for Funders 20

Questions for Other Collaborators 22

Questions for IMLS Staff 24

Appendix E – Community Listening Session Consent and Topics 26

Informational Session Introduction 26

Consent Language Introduction in Breakout Groups 26

Breakout Group Topics 27

Appendix F – Crosswalk of Data Collection and Research Questions 29

Appendix A – Respondent Contact Letters from IMLS

These virtual letters will be sent by IMLS email in English and Spanish on behalf of the project to potential respondents, informing them of the purpose of the project, the Urban Institute’s role, and the forthcoming request for data collection (community listening session or survey) from the Urban Institute. These letters will be customized to the respondent type (Universe One or Universe Two) and will be sent approximately one week before Urban Institute plans to contact the respondent for data collection.

Letters to Universe One

To: [Email address for identified contact]

From: IMLS

Subject: Requesting your assistance for the American Latino History and Culture Program

Dear {First Name},

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is developing a new American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program and would like to invite you to participate in a study about the new program’s design.

I want to assure you that this is not a study of your project, organization, or institution. We are interested in learning your perspectives as they relate to American Latino history and culture museums to help the ALHC Program reflect cultural literacy from the field of Latino museums and Hispanic-serving institutions.

IMLS has contracted with the Urban Institute, a national nonprofit research organization, to conduct this study. In the coming weeks, researchers from the Urban Institute will reach out to collect your views. Your participation is entirely voluntary and will have no impact on your relationship with the ALHC Program, IMLS, or the Federal Government. Any information you provide to the Urban Institute will be reported to IMLS in aggregate form only. No personally identifiable individual responses will be reported.

We hope you are willing to participate in this effort as it will enable us to better inform the development of the ALHC Program and help implement this program for future grantees.

If you have any questions or concerns about this research, please contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]) or Gibran Villalobos of IMLS ([email protected]).

On behalf of the IMLS ALHC team, thank you in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge and insights with us.

Best,

Letters to Universe Two

To: [Email address for identified contact]

From: IMLS

Subject: Requesting your assistance for the American Latino History and Culture Grant Program

Dear {First Name},

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is developing a new American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) Program and would like to invite you to participate in a study about the new program’s design.

The goals of this study are to better understand your perspectives on the ALHC Program development, its potential contributions to the field, and priorities to support its success in meeting its statutory objectives to nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at American Latino museums and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

IMLS has contracted with the Urban Institute, a national nonprofit research organization, to conduct this study. In the coming weeks, researchers from the Urban Institute will be reaching out to you to collect your views. Your participation is entirely voluntary and will have no impact on your relationship with the ALHC Program, IMLS, or the Federal Government. Any information you provide to the Urban Institute will be reported to IMLS for this research in aggregate form only. No personally identifiable individual responses will be reported.

We hope you are willing to participate in this effort as it will enable us to better inform the development of the ALHC Program.

If you have any questions or concerns about this research, please contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]) or Gibran Villalobos of IMLS ([email protected]).

On behalf of the IMLS ALHC team, thank you in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge and insights with us.

Best,

Appendix B – Survey Contact and Consent from Urban Institute

Invitation Letter

Subject: We would like to hear from you: Your perspective on the development of the American Latino History and Culture Program

Dear {First Name},

As you may be aware, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has contracted with the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, to inform the development of the American Latino History and Culture program (ALHC). This examination will help IMLS, Latino history and culture museums and educational organizations, and other collaborators identify ways to improve this program’s design.

Because your organization is involved in the Latino history and culture museum space, we would like to hear your views through a survey. Your responses will help us understand 1) your perceptions of the value of the ALHC Program, 2) how the program could contribute to your organization’s goals, and 3) opportunities to help ensure the program is strong, useful, and accessible to interested and eligible institutions.

This survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help the ALHC Program support organizations like yours. To access the survey, please click this link: XXXX

If you have any questions or concerns about this research, please contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]) or Gibran Villalobos of IMLS ([email protected]).

On behalf of the ALHC study team, thank you in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge and insights with us.

Best,

Consent Language on Landing Page

Thank you for considering participating in this survey.

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may choose to stop the survey at any time or skip questions for any reason. Responses will only be reported in aggregate form to protect individual identities. Your decision to participate or not will have no impact on the success of your future applications to the ALHC Program or other IMLS programs. The information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

The survey is designed to be filled out by someone at your organization familiar with and involved in the organization’s mission, management, fundraising, and grantmaking activities. Below we have an option for forwarding this survey to someone else are your organization if they are better-placed to answer these sorts of questions.

This survey is designed to take no more than 15 minutes to complete. You are not required to complete the survey in one session and you can save and return to your progress.

We want to be sure that you freely consent to participate in this survey and are aware that you are not obligated to answer any questions you do not wish to. Do you consent to participate in this survey?

• Yes [Sees text below]

  • We greatly appreciate your participation in this survey!

  • If you are unable to complete the survey in one session, your answers will be saved and you can return to where you left off by clicking the original link provided. For each question you will be given the option to respond “Not sure” or “Don’t know” if needed.

  • Please complete the survey by TBD [date identified based on launch date]. If you have technical difficulties or questions when completing this survey, please contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]).

• No [Sees text below]

  • Thank you for your time. You may now exit this screen.

• Not sure; I have questions or concerns. [Sees text below]

  • If you have questions or concerns before deciding to participate, please contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]).

Appendix C – Survey Instrument

1. Are you knowledgeable about your organization’s mission, programming, fundraising, and grant seeking?

1. Yes [Proceeds to survey]

2. No

1. Based on your answer, it seems that we should contact someone else at your organization.
   
   Could you please provide the contact information for someone familiar with your organization’s mission, programming, fundraising, and grant seeking?

   1. [Space to write-in]

[Submit Button]

1. Thank you for your time! You may now exit the survey.

1. Where is your organization located?

   1. Address [Open-Ended]

   2. City/County [Open-Ended]

   3. State [Open-Ended]

2. What is your organization type?

[Randomize list, anchor “other”]

1. Art museum/center

2. History museum/center

3. General (multidisciplinary)

4. Historic house/site

5. Natural history/anthropology museum

6. Specialized museum (e.g., railroad, music, aviation)

7. Science/technology museum/center (includes planetariums)

8. Arboretum/botanical garden

9. Children’s/youth museum

10. Zoological park

11. Nature center

12. Aquarium

13. Other (Please describe)

1. How would you describe your organization’s annual revenue?

   1. Less than $50,000

   2. $50,000 to $199,999

   3. $200,000 to $999,999

   4. $1,000,000 to $9,999,999

   5. $10,000,000 to $99,999,999

   6. $100,000,000 or more

2. Would you describe your organization as an “American Latino museum” and/or does your organization promote the study of Latin American life, art, history, or culture?

   1. Yes

   2. No

   3. Not sure

3. Who is your organization’s primary audience?

[Open-Ended]

7. What are your organization's top sources of grant funding? Please select up to three.

[Randomize list, anchor “other”]

1. Local or state government

2. Federal Government

3. Philanthropic foundations

4. Individual donors

5. Corporate donors

6. Other (Please describe)

1. What are your top considerations when deciding whether to apply for a grant from any source? Please select up to three.

[Randomize list, anchor “other”]

1. Goals alignment

2. Ease of the application process

3. Availability of application guidance

4. Reporting requirements

5. Grants management requirements

6. Capacity building

7. Other (Please describe)

1. Has your organization ever applied for a federal grant?

   1. Yes

   2. No

   3. Not sure

[Ask if No at Q9]

10. Why hasn’t your organization applied for federal grants?

[Open-Ended]

[Ask if Yes at Q9]

11. What are your top considerations when deciding which federal grants to apply for? Please select up to three.

[Randomize list, anchor “other”]

1. Goals alignment

2. Ease of the application process

3. Availability of application guidance

4. Reporting requirements

5. Grants management requirements

6. Capacity building

7. Other (Please describe)

1. Before today, have you heard of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)?

   1. Yes

   2. No

   3. Not sure

[Skip to Q18 if No or Not Sure at Q12]

13. Has your organization ever applied for an IMLS grant?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Not sure

[Skip to Q17 if No or Not Sure at Q13]

14. To the best of your knowledge, in what year(s) did your organization apply for an IMLS grant?

[Open-Ended]

[Ask if Yes at Q12 AND No or Not sure at Q13]

15. Why hasn’t your organization applied for an IMLS grant?

[Open-Ended]

[Ask if Yes at Q12 AND Yes at Q13]

16. Were you involved in your organization’s grant application to IMLS?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

[Ask if Yes at Q16]

17. Which, if any, of the below were a source of difficulty or concern when your organization most recently applied for an IMLS grant? Please select all that apply.

[Randomize list, anchor “other” and “none”]

1. Not aware of IMLS’s available grant programs

2. Organization didn’t have time or staff to apply

3. Application process was too complicated/difficult

4. Cost-share requirement was a barrier

5. Reporting requirements were a barrier

6. Organization’s needs didn’t align with the program’s goals

7. Available funding wasn’t adequate for our project’s needs

8. Funding amounts didn’t seem worth the effort required to apply

9. Heard that IMLS was difficult to work with

10. Negative past experience(s) with IMLS

11. Did not want to work with the Federal Government

12. Organization didn’t meet eligibility requirements

13. Other (Please describe)

14. None of the above/no difficulties or concerns

[Introduction for next two questions] IMLS’s American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program seeks to nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at Latino History and Culture museums and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) of higher education.

18. Are there any activities or projects you want to fund that are consistent with the American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program goals?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

[Ask Q19 if Yes at Q18]

19. Are these activities or projects generally considered allowable for grant funding?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

[Ask if No at Q19]

20. Please describe why these activities or projects would not generally be considered allowable for grant funding:

[Open-ended]

21. What is the minimum amount of funding the American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program could offer that would make your organization consider applying?

[Open-ended $ amount in US dollars]

22. How do you rate your organization’s need for grants in prioritizing the below types of activities? [Randomize Rows]

	Not a priority	Low priority	Moderate priority	High priority
Increase capacity to manage collections
Support community partnerships
Increase capacity for community engagement
Support exhibits and/or program development
Support staffing needs
Support organizational planning
Support internships/fellowships for those in academic programs

23. For what, if any, other kinds of activities do you need grants?

[Open-ended]

24. Does your organization have a formal process for tracking its programs’ progress and results? For the purposes of this question, processes include procedures for collecting and storing data, calculating performance metrics, and/or analyzing and reporting the data, etc.

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

[Ask Q25 if Yes at Q24]

25. How effective is your organization’s formal process for tracking its programs’ progress and results? For the purposes of this question, processes include procedures for collecting and storing data, calculating performance metrics, and/or analyzing and reporting the data, etc.

1. Very effective

2. Moderately effective

3. Not very effective

4. Not effective

5. Not sure

[Ask Q26 if No at Q24]

26. Does your organization plan to implement a formal process for tracking its programs’ progress and results? For the purposes of this question, processes include procedures for collecting and storing data, calculating performance metrics, and/or analyzing and reporting the data, etc.

1. Yes, within the next 6 months

2. Yes, within the next year

3. Yes, within the next 5 years

4. Yes, but not sure when

5. No

6. Not sure

[Ask Q27 if No at Q26]

27. Why does your organization not plan to implement a formal process for tracking its programs’ progress and results? Please select all that apply.

For the purposes of this question, processes include procedures for collecting and storing data, calculating performance metrics, and/or analyzing and reporting the data, etc.

1. Insufficient funding

2. Insufficient personnel time or expertise

3. Limited interest

4. Unclear use or value

5. Other priorities are more important

6. Not sure

28. Is it challenging for your organization to obtain matching funds when they are required for a grant?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

29. What kinds of grants could IMLS offer to best help your organization further its mission?

[Open-ended]

30. Has your organization had to cancel or delay projects or programs because it was unable to obtain grants?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Not sure

[Ask Q31 if Yes at Q30]

31. Please provide more detail on the kinds of projects or programs your organization needed to cancel or delay because it was unable to obtain grants:

[Open-ended]

32. What, if any, sources have you come across that provide funding to support organizations in the study of American Latino art, culture, and history?

[Open-ended]

33. How can IMLS ensure that its American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program effectively supports organizations such as yours?

[Open-ended]

34. Would you be willing to provide your contact information in case the research team has follow up questions?

1. Yes

2. No, thank you.

[Ask Q35 if Yes at Q34]

35. Please enter your contact information below:

    1. [Name]

    2. [Phone number]

    3. [Email]

    4. [Organization]

[Closing Screen]

Thank you for your time completing this survey!

Appendix D – Interview Contact Letter and Guide/Questions

This section provides (a) the invitation emails that will be sent by the Urban Institute, inviting respondents to participate (see Appendix A for Respondent Contact Letters from IMLS which will precede this outreach); (b) introductory and informed consent language that will be used by the Urban Institute at the start of every interview; and (c) questionnaires for each respondent group.

Interview invitation emails

Subject: Interview for a study on the American Latino History and Culture Program

Dear {First Name}, 

I am part of a team of researchers from the Urban Institute working with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to inform the development of their American Latino History and Culture program (ALHC), including [the application process; its contributions to the outcomes of grantees such as you; its contributions to the wider field]. This effort aims to understand how the ALHC Program could meet its objectives to nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at Latino museums.

We would like to interview you…

• [to Universe One]: to learn more about your views as someone who understands the grant application process and is aware of the challenges facing organizations like your own. We believe your perspective will be invaluable in informing how to build a successful application process and understand barriers for prospective applicants.

• [to Universe Two, Funders] to learn more about your views as a funder on the landscape of organizations in this space, the challenges that they face, and how targeted grants may best support them.

• [to Universe Two, Collaborators] to learn more about your views as a key collaborator and thought leader in this field who is knowledgeable about the landscape of organizations in this space, the challenges that they face, and the potential for programs like the ALHC to help.

This interview is entirely voluntary and, should you choose to participate, will last no longer than 60 minutes. We will be conducting interviews between April and June 2023 at a time convenient to you. If you are willing to participate, please indicate your preferred interview time by selecting an available Outlook appointment here: XXX OR by responding to this email with preferred dates and times.

Once we confirm a date and time, we will send you a calendar invitation to confirm the appointment, along with credentials for dialing in to the conference line that we will use for the call.

If there is someone else at your organization (or at another grantee organization) that you recommend we interview instead of you (or in addition to you), we would be grateful for their name and contact information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this email or contact Rudy Perez at the Urban Institute ([email protected]).

Thank you again for considering this interview request.

Best,

Introductory and Consent Language

The following language will precede each interview.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has asked the Urban Institute (a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization in Washington, DC) to conduct a study to inform the development of the American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program. This study is designed to collect information to inform the program’s design and development and its role in supporting grantee outcomes. The goal is to better understand how the ALHC Program could meet its objectives to strengthen the capacity of grantees.

Your feedback is extremely important to the success of this research because as:

• [to Universe One]: an organization that applies for grants, you/your organization has experience navigating the application process and are aware of some of the challenges facing organizations like your own.

• [to Universe Two, Funders] a funder in this space, you/your organization are knowledgeable about many of the eligible organizations in this space, the challenges that they face, and how targeted grants may best support them.

• [to Universe Two, Collaborators] a key collaborator, you/your organization are knowledgeable about many of the eligible organizations in this space, the challenges that they face, and the potential for programs like the ALHC to help.

• [to Universe Two, IMLS staff] an IMLS staff member, you have experience navigating and shaping IMLS programs and operations that inform the selection and success of the grantees and their project goals.

This interview is completely voluntary. You may terminate it at any point for any reason and you may decline to answer any question. Your responses will be used to inform the development of the ALHC Program and its role in supporting grantee outcomes, the landscape of Latino museums and collections at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) of higher education, and opportunities for further attention by IMLS and others.

We will be taking notes during this interview and would like to record the interview to help ensure we are accurately capturing the information you provide. The recording will only be accessed by our research team at the Urban Institute – all of whom have signed confidentiality agreements. The information you provide will be reported to IMLS in aggregate/group form only. No personally identifiable individual notes will be reported. We will not quote anything you say unless we receive your expressed, written consent.

Your decision to participate or not will not affect any current or pending grants with IMLS.

We want to be sure that you freely consent to participate in this interview and that you are aware that you are not obligated to answer any questions you do not wish to. Do you consent to participate in the interview?

Do you consent to this interview being recorded [not a requirement to continue]?

Questions to respondents in Universe One

[Note: Outreach to organization will request we speak with someone involved with/familiar with their grant application process.]

[These questions are semi-structured and tailored to the respondent and the flow of the interview. Not all questions will be asked of all respondents.]

Overview Questions: Institutional Information and Previous IMLS Engagement

1. Please tell us your name, title, and background including how long you’ve been at your organization.

2. What are the primary sources of your organization’s funding?

   1. What’s the relative distribution of these sources for your budget? [Prompt: for example, what percentage comes from federal vs. state or local government vs. philanthropic grants vs. donations, etc.]

   2. How do you use these different funding sources? [Prompt: is one designed for capacity building? Another for development?]

   3. To your knowledge, has your organization received funding through any other IMLS grant programs in recent years (since 2014)? [Prompt: list other IMLS grant programs: Museums for America, National Leadership Grants, Inspire Grants for Small Museums, Collections Assessment for Preservation, Community Catalyst Initiative, Museum Assessment Program, Museums Empowered]

      1. [If yes]: How would you describe your experience with those programs including their application process and reporting requirements?

      2. [If no]: Have you applied?

         1. [If yes]: Why do you believe you did not receive funding?

            1. How did not receiving funding affect your decision to apply for an IMLS grant program in the future?

         2. [If no]: Why have you not applied?

Project-Specific Capacity Building

The first set of questions is about how you use grants to contribute to project-specific capacity building.

1. The IMLS’s ALHC Program will be designed to enhance grantee capacities, such as leadership & staffing, organizational structures and systems, stewardship of your collection, and the accessibility of your collection. Are there specific capacities in your organization that you believe a grant like this could help enhance?

[The following questions are prompts related to various capacity-building considerations]

Leadership & Staffing

4. How do you use grants to address current needs or future plans in hiring, training, retaining staff?

5. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in this work?

6. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Organizational Structures and Systems

7. How do you use grants to improve operations? [probe: new equipment, software, other infrastructure]

8. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in this work?

9. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Stewardship of Collection

10. How do you use grants to invest in cataloging frameworks, the development/refinement of acquisitions policy or other processes to help ensure the stewardship and quality of the collection?

11. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in this work?

12. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Accessibility of Collection

13. How do you use grants to invest in new software or processes to manage museum collections (e.g., cataloging a collection, digitization of a collection, providing access to a collection using digital tools)?

14. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in this work?

15. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Community Partnerships

13. What funding do you allocate to development of community partnerships or to community engagement and collaboration?

General Capacity Building

Next, I’d like to ask you about developing new partnerships or joining professional associations or initiatives.

1. Why do museums pursue funding from IMLS and what other related training do they receive?

2. How important is capacity building for museums and HSIs (e.g., improving professional capacity, improving systems, improving collections)?

3. What are the key benefits of capacity building for museum staff and leadership?

Social Capital Capacities

4. Are you interested/involved in using grants to establish new partnerships or strengthen existing partnerships?

1. Probes: professional membership and service organization such as the Latino Network of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM)?

   1. Pursuing or achieving accreditation with the AAM?

   2. Engaging in other museum professionalization efforts to help develop your organization’s capacity?

5. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in partnership work?

6. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Financial Health and Stability

Next, we’d like to learn a little bit more about how you may use grants to contribute to your organization’s financial health and stability.

7. How, and to what extent, do you use grants to leverage additional funding (e.g., new grant dollars, one-time contributions, responding to requests/applications to other federal grant programs). Can you point to specific examples, programs, or initiatives?

8. What is your experience with grants requiring cost shares or matching?

9. What funding resources do you currently/plan to use in this work?

10. What are existing challenges in using grants for these efforts?

Evaluative and Reporting Capacities

11. Do you currently use grants to build internal evaluative work?

12. Do other grants have evaluative requirements?

    1. Probe for examples

13. What reporting requirements do you find in your existing grant relationships?

    1. Which ones are most/least useful for your own needs?

    2. Which ones are most challenging to compile?

Communications and Outreach Capacities

IMLS wants to make sure that its grantees have the support they need to advance exhibits and public programs, and their visibility and recognition. These next questions speak to that.

14. What is your organization’s interest in using grants to plan or install new exhibitions, undertake new outreach and/or public programs, or address collections?

15. What is your organization’s interest in publishing new scholarly publications, exhibition brochures or catalogues that may later be used to promote your organization or institution?

    1. Interest in disseminating these materials?

16. What is your organization’s interest in building website and social media presence?

17. What is your organization’s interest in developing partnerships or community collaborations?

18. What is your organization’s interest in tracking outreach, community participation, web-based downloads/traffic?

    1. What would you need to improve or expand these efforts?

IMLS Application Process (for previously successful grantees)

1. What challenges, if any, have you experience in the IMLS grant application process?

   1. What components are the most straight-forward to handle?

   2. What components provide the biggest barriers to successful applications?

2. What recommendations would you suggest to the IMLS as the agency develops the management structure of the ALHC Program to help ensure a positive grantee experience?

3. Are there grant award timing considerations IMLS should account for when developing the program (e.g., month of award notification, date of payments, grant cycle) to align with the needs of your organization?

ALHC’s Role in Outreach and Engagement with American Latino Museums and Understanding the Universe of Prospective Applicants

IMLS is interested in learning more about how to effectively structure its outreach and wants to gain more insight into the broader universe of American Latino museums, in part, to understand both opportunities and potential barriers that might otherwise prevent organizations and institutions from applying to this new ALHC Program.

1. How did you learn about the IMLS and its grant programs?

   1. Based on your knowledge of IMLS programs, how could IMLS staff expand and/or strengthen its existing outreach approach to best promote the new ALHC Program?

2. What strategies would you recommend to IMLS staff to tap a broader network of HSI community-based organizations, museums, and/or educational institutions to attract applicants?

3. What barriers do you perceive current or prospective applicants face in applying to this kind of funding opportunity?

4. In what ways do you consider grant application processes to be equitable and inclusive?

5. Do you know of any other funders, public or private, that support the kinds of institutions noted above? [Prompt: Funding sources like NEA or NEH grants, for example?]

   1. Have you ever applied to one of their programs?

   2. What was your experience like?

Concluding

1. Is there anything you would like to add that we didn’t cover already?

1. [Prompt: Any final thoughts or reflections?]

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and offer your thoughts and perspectives on the American Latino History and Culture program and how it might relate to your work. As we explained earlier, your contribution will help inform IMLS’s efforts to develop this program.

The study findings will be published after a final draft is shared with IMLS in the summer. We will email you a copy of the final report once it is posted to our website. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions after this call, about the interview or the broader research, or to provide additional information that may be relevant.

Thank you again for your time!

Questions for Funders

[These questions are semi-structured and tailored to the respondent and the flow of the interview. Not all questions will be asked of all respondents.]

1. Please tell us your name, title, and background including how long you’ve been at your organization.

2. What are your organization’s overall funding objectives and approaches to funding?

   1. [Prompt: Does your organization focus primarily on the same organizations who might qualify for the ALHC Program, (which will support museums and educational organizations in the study of American Latino art, culture, and history)? Do you provide multi-year grants? Is it through a competitive process? Is it for specific projects or general operational support?]

   2. How much funding do you have available/have you provided for these entitites annually? What is your typical grant size? [Prompt: Estimates/ranges are fine]

   3. How many organizations have you provided funding to?

3. What are your priorities vis-à-vis Latino history and culture?

   1. What kinds of proposals or applications does your program or organization seek to fund (e.g., specific focus area of project work or organization, type of art/collection, focus)?

   2. What are the main eligibility criteria that you rely on when narrowing your applicant pool? [Prompt: Do you require a cost share? Do you require organizations to have a budget over a certain amount or have a at least one paid staff member?]

   3. What is your grant application like (e.g., required length, two-stage application)? [Prompt: Are there any distinguishing factors about the type of procedure your organization goes through in selecting projects to fund?]

   4. In what ways do you ask grantees to report on outcomes in this space?

      1. What other requirements are part of your grant report structure?

4. What challenges do you see Latino history and culture museums and archival collections encounter in their operations?

   1. [Prompt if does not emerge in response: Are there challenges related to staff capacity, limited access to capital, and/or fiscal sustainability?]

   2. How does your funding help address these challenges?

5. How would you characterize the availability of funding to support Latino museums and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) of higher education? [Prompt for HSIs: We’re interested in support for museums, historic collections, archives and libraries, and training students for museum, archives, or library careers].

   1. What are some of the significant funding sources exist for these organizations?

   2. Are there any trends that you are aware of for funding in this space? [Prompt: For example, trends like supporting paid internship programs has become more popular amongst funders in this space.]

      1. If so, what’s driving these trends?

   3. Are there any blindspots or funding gaps for operations or programs that need additional financial support?

6. What’s your awareness of IMLS’s funding for these organizations?

   1. How do you see your funding in relation to that provided by IMLS?

7. Are you aware of IMLS’s in-development American Latino History and Culture program? [If no, interviewer skip question below.]

   1. How would you describe the ALHC Program’s goals, its future role in the space, and the outcomes that it should support?

8. [Prompt if needed: The ALHC Program will support museums and educational organizations in the study of American Latino art, culture, and history.] Are you aware of any weaknesses or areas for growth this program should consider in its development?

   1. [Prompt: What are some lessons learned from your experience funding in this space that might apply to the ALHC Program staff?]

   2. Have your grantees blended or strategically sequenced funding from your organization and programs similar to the ALHC Program, to your knowledge?

Concluding

9. Is there anything you would like to add that we didn’t cover already?

   1. [Prompt: Any final thoughts or reflections?]

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and offer your thoughts and perspectives on the American Latino History and Culture program and how it might relate to your work. As we explained earlier, your much appreciated contribution will help inform our broader research on this program’s development and support IMLS’s efforts to implement the program with effective contributions to the field.

The study findings will be published after a final draft is shared with IMLS in the summer. If you would like, we can email you a copy of the final report once it is posted to our website. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions after this call, about the interview or the broader research, or to provide additional information that may be relevant.

Thank you again for your time!

Questions for Other Collaborators

[These questions are semi-structured. Collaborators are identified as experts and leaders in this field who are not being interviewed as potential grantees, funders, or applicants. The list will be identified jointly between Urban and IMLS.]

Introduction

1. Please tell us your title, organization, how long you’ve been there and your background prior?

2. From your perspective, what are the main challenges faced by Latino museums and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) of higher education?

   1. What capacity constraints have you seen and observed?

   2. In what ways is finding funding a challenge?

3. What are the main funding sources?

   1. What types of funding do they need?

4. What more can be done to strengthen and expand the influence of Latino historical and cultural institutions?

5. How would you segment these organizations? What are distinguishing organizational characteristics in this space? [Prompt: by size, geographic focus, age, accreditation status, etc.?]

6. Are there specific types of organizations that you feel have been overlooked by federal/IMLS grant program or funders in this space more generally?

ALHC Grant Program

7. Do you have any past experience with IMLS?

   1. Please describe your knowledge of or past experience with IMLS grant programs.

   2. What would you say are the IMLS’s institutional strengths?

   3. Weaknesses?

8. Are you aware of IMLS’s in-development American Latino History and Culture program? [If no, interviewer prompt: The ALHC Program will support museums and educational organizations in the study of American Latino art, culture, and history.]

   1. How would you describe the impact of this award on Latino museums and the field broadly?

   2. How might the ALHC Program develop a broad applicant pool, including hard-to-reach applicants?

   3. What are some barriers that might prevent applicants from applying to the ALHC Program?

   4. How can IMLS support grantees in terms of training, technical support, and tracking performance outcomes?

Concluding

9. Is there anything you would like to add that we didn’t cover already?

   1. [Prompt: Any final thoughts or reflections?]

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and offer your thoughts and perspectives on the American Latino History and Culture program and how it might relate to your work. As we explained earlier, your much appreciated contribution will help inform our broader research on this program’s development and support IMLS’s efforts to implement the program effectively contributions to the field.

The research findings will be published after a final draft is shared with IMLS in the summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions after this call, about the interview or the broader research, or to provide additional information that may be relevant.

Thank you again for your time!

Questions for IMLS Staff

[These questions are semi-structured and tailored to the respondent and the flow of the interview. Not all questions will be asked of all respondents.]

Introduction/landscape

1. How long have you been at IMLS?

   1. What is your background prior to joining IMLS?

2. How long have you been involved with the ALHC Program development and in what capacity?

3. How would you describe the landscape of Latino museums and collections at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) of higher education?

   1. What are the main challenges that they face and how does this differ from other, non-Latino focused, organizations?

4. What other funders exist in this space?

Describing ALHC and Stakeholders

5. How would you describe the ALHC Program’s development to a layperson?

6. How do you envision the ALHC Program interacting with other IMLS programs?

7. In your ideal vision, what will the ALHC’s role and impact be for the field of Latino museums and Hispanic-serving educational institutions?

8. What types of stakeholders to the ALHC Program do you believe should apply and get funded?

   1. [Prompt: beyond measures like size and geography, are there other, more subjective factors and characteristics that you believe are important?]

   2. What diversity of ALHC projects and capacities do you believe should get funded?

      • Are there types of Latino museum and educational organization capacities that are important but are rarely or never funded through programs like the ALHC?

9. Are there constraints on IMLS’s policies and procedures for grantmaking that you wish could be revised as IMLS develops this new ALHC Program?

10. What types of questions do you believe prospective ALHC Program grantees might have before applying?

11. What are the most common weaknesses in applications to similar IMLS programs that you’ve seen that might apply to the ALHC Program’s future applications?

    1. Strengths?

12. If you were to estimate, about how many hours do you think the ALHC Program application process should take to complete?

    1. Should this process vary by the size of award?

Outcomes

13. How prominent should measurement and evaluation be within the ALHC Program?

    1. Should it be clearly prioritized to grantees/applicants?

    2. What efforts has IMLS made internally to document impact for comparative programs?

14. What outcomes do grantees for comparative programs track and report on? Do these outcomes align with the legislative goals outlined for the ALHC Program as well?

    1. What tools, resources, or advice can IMLS provide to help grantees measure and document outcomes of ALHC-funded programs?

Concluding

15. Is there anything you would like to add that we didn’t cover already?

    1. [Prompt: Any final thoughts or reflections?]

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and offer your thoughts and perspectives on the American Latino History and Culture program and how it relates to your work. As we explained earlier, your much appreciated contribution will help inform our broader research on this program’s development and support IMLS’s efforts to implement the program with effective contributions to the field.

The research findings will be published after a final draft is shared with IMLS in the summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions after this call, about the interview or the broader research, or to provide additional information that may be relevant.

Thank you again for your time!

Appendix E – Community Listening Session Consent and Topics

Informational Session Introduction

As you may know, the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) has contracted with the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, to inform the development of the American Latino History and Culture (ALHC) program. This examination will help IMLS, policymakers, Latino history and culture museums and educational organizations, and other collaborators identify ways to improve this program’s design.

Because your organization is involved in the Latino history and culture museum space and may be interested in the ALHC Program, we would like to hear your views during this Community Listening Session. Your responses will help us understand 1) your perceptions of the value of the ALHC Program, 2) how the program could contribute to your organization’s goals, and 3) opportunities to help ensure the program is strong, useful, and accessible to interested and eligible institutions.

This listening session begins with an informational presentation about the ALHC Program, followed by smaller, breakout group conversations where your more detailed perspectives can be shared.

We greatly appreciate your time and willingness to help the ALHC Program support organizations like yours. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge and insights with us.

Consent Language Introduction in Breakout Groups

Thank you for considering participating in this small-group, community listening session. We would like to understand your views on the value of the ALHC Program, how the program could contribute to your organization’s goals, and opportunities to help ensure the program is strong, useful, and accessible to interested and eligible institutions.

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may choose to leave at any time or skip any questions. Your responses will be reported publicly only in group form to protect individual identities, and the information you provide will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. In cases where we want to include a quote from an individual respondent for clarity or illumination, we will seek permission from that individual to use the quote with or without attribution.

Your decision to participate or not will have no impact on the success of future applications to the ALHC Program or other IMLS programs.

This session is designed to take no more than 60 minutes. We want to be sure that you freely consent to participate and are aware that you are not obligated to answer any questions you do not wish to. Do you consent to participate in this session? Please answer in the chat or verbally.

• Yes

  • We greatly appreciate your participation in this session!

• No

  • Thank you for your time. You may now leave this session.

Breakout Group Topics

As a reminder, the ALHC Program will support museums and educational organizations in the study of American Latino art, culture, and history.

1. Cultural Considerations for the ALHC Program

   1. Probe: What are the diverse characteristics of the Latin American diaspora and the American Latino experience to consider?

   2. Probe: How do these characteristics inform understanding of an American Latino museum and educational organization?

   3. Probe: What cultural considerations affect access to IMLS and federal funding support?

2. Defining an American Latino Museum

   1. Probe: What criteria best define an American Latino museum?

   2. Probe: How can we identify the universe of American Latino museums and educational organizations?

3. Capacity-Building Priorities for the ALHC Grant Program

   1. Probe: What features of existing funding opportunities increase (or decrease) accessibility for ALHC Grant Program candidates (e.g., notification, eligibility, competitiveness, application process, performance metrics, reporting obligations)?

   2. Probe: What capacity-building assets, resources, and needs of American Latino museums and educational organizations can inform the ALHC Grant Program?

   3. Probe: For what purposes might your organization seek an ALHC grant?

• To deepen the level of engagement with your audiences?

• To purchase or implement new management tools?

• To expand your collection?

• To help build community partnerships for co-creation and collaboration?

• To improve the professional development of your personnel?

• To improve your ability to sustain this work beyond the grant period?

• To increase the number of visitors to your website?

• To increase the physical number of visitors to your organization?

• To make preservation of your collection more secure for future use?

• To make your collection more useful?

• To support development of new exhibits and exhibition catalogs?

• To support operational and capacity building costs?

4. Learning from Other Funders

   1. Probe: Are you aware of other sources that provide funding for similar purposes as the ALHC grant would?

   2. Probe: How can other funding models inform development of the ALHC Program?

5. Performance Measurement for the ALHC Program

   1. Probe: What would the ALHC Program's success look like for the field of American Latino museums?

   2. Probe: What should performance measurement look like for the ALHC Program to assess progress toward its goals?

   3. Probe: What training and technical assistance might the field need to help with performance measurement, or the tracking of program progress and results?

6. Closing: What additional suggestions do you have for IMLS as it develops the ALHC Program so that it effectively supports organizations such as yours?

Appendix F – Crosswalk of Data Collection and Research Questions

Research Objective	Research Question	Secondary Data Sources	Interview Questions	Convening Questions	Survey Questions
Objective 1: Inform the design of the ALHC Program to reflect a thorough understanding of diverse Latino cultural histories and intersecting identities to determine the characteristics of relevant institutions and organizations.
	A. What are the diverse characteristics of the Latin American diaspora in the U.S. and the American Latino experience?	- Literature review - IMLS document review		- Cultural considerations topic
	B. How do these characteristics inform IMLS's understanding of an American Latino museum?	- Literature review - IMLS document review	- Funders (#3) - IMLS staff (#3,7)	- Cultural considerations topic
	C. What cultural considerations for American Latino museums affect their access to IMLS and federal funding support?	- Literature review - IMLS document review	- Collaborators (#4,8,9) - IMLS staff (#3)	- Cultural considerations topic	#10, 15, 17-23
	D. What additional considerations from other culturally specific museums can inform the ALHC Program?	- Literature review - IMLS document review	- IMLS staff (#11)
Objective 2: Identify the universe of existing or potential Latino museums and higher education institutions recognized as Hispanic-serving and/or minority-serving institutions.
	A. What criteria best define an American Latino museum for the ALHC Program?	- Literature review - IMLS document review - Nonprofit institution database review	- Collaborators (#5,6) - IMLS staff (#3,8)	- Defining museum topic	#5-6
	B. What is the universe of ALHC Program stakeholders from American Latino museums?	- Literature review - IMLS document review - Grant review - Nonprofit institution database review (NCCS/Museum Files) - Membership lists	- Funders (#3) - Collaborators (#1-6) - IMLS staff (#3,8)	- Defining museum topic	#1-5
	C. What share of American Latino museum stakeholders applied previously for IMLS or other federal funding, and what factors facilitated (or hindered) their application experiences and award likelihood?	- Literature review - IMLS document review - IMLS Grant review - Other grant review (e.g. NEA)	- Potential grantees (Overview #2; ALHC Application Process) - Funders (#2) - Collaborators (#7) - IMLS staff (#6, 11)	- Cultural considerations topic	#7-17
Objective 3: Develop implementation priorities for the ALHC Program, including applicant capacity-building assets and needs (e.g., assess the landscape of existing funding opportunities from an organizational perspective, clarify accessible funding structures).
	A. What is the landscape of existing funding opportunities for American Latino museum stakeholders (e.g., endowments, foundations, federal agencies, academic institutions, individuals)?	- Literature review - IMLS document review - IMLS Grant review - Other grant review (e.g. NEA) - Nonprofit institution database review	- IMLS staff (#3,4) - Collaborators (#2,3,7) - Funders (#1-3,8) - Potential grantees (Overview #2; Project-Specific Capacity Building #1-16; General Capacity Building #1-10)		#7, 9, 13, 18, 19, 28, 32
	B. What features of existing funding opportunities increase (or decrease) accessibility for organizations interested in applying to the ALHC Program (e.g., notification, eligibility, competitiveness, application process, performance metrics, reporting obligations)?	- Literature review - Existing IMLS reporting evidence	- Potential grantees (General Capacity Building #6,10,13; IMLS application process #1-3; ALHC's role #2-4) - Funders (#3-6) - Collaborators (#2,8) - IMLS staff (#3,4)	- Capacity building topic	#8-11, 15, 17, 27-28, 32-33
	C. What capacity-building assets, resources, and needs of American Latino museums can inform the ALHC Program?		- Potential grantees (General capacity building #1-18) - Collaborators (#8) - IMLS staff (#1,2,12,14)	- Capacity building topic	#4, 6, 17-31, 33
	D. What ALHC Program implementation priorities would be most effective in reaching, supporting, and growing the applicant pool, and what are their tradeoffs and benchmarks?		- Potential grantees (IMLS application process #1-3; ALHC's role #1-5) - Funders (#8) - Collaborators (#8) - IMLS staff (#7,10)		#18-23, 29-33
Objective 4: Clarify ways in which IMLS could capitalize on existing federal endowment, program, grant, and regulatory models (e.g., coordinated partnerships, shared opportunities).
	A. How can IMLS capitalize on other federal models, regulatory thresholds, and potential partnerships to support, expand, and sustain the ALHC Program?	- Literature review - Existing IMLS reporting evidence	- Funders (#7,8,9) - Collaborators (#2,3,4,8) - IMLS staff (#6,7)	- Learning from others topic	#18-20, 29, 32-33
Objective 5: Support IMLS in preparing for the ALHC Program’s evidence-building, performance measurement, and evaluation with actionable options per the Evidence-based Policymaking Act (e.g., national grant performance metrics and targets, communication, and dissemination strategies to foster learning).
	A. What would the ALHC Program's success look like for the field of American Latino museums? Specifically, what are potential long-term goals and intended outcomes for the ALHC Program?	- Literature review - Existing IMLS reporting evidence	- Potential grantees (ALHC's role #1-5; Concluding #1) - Collaborators (#8,9) - IMLS staff (#5,8,15)	- Performance measurement topic	#21-22, 29, 33
	B. What corresponding, short-term performance metrics, outputs, and outcomes should IMLS collect (and when) from applicants to assess progress toward the ALHC Program's long-term goals?	- Literature review - Existing IMLS reporting evidence	- Potential grantees (General capacity building #11-13,18) - Funders (#7) - Collaborators (#8,9) - IMLS staff (#13,14)	- Performance measurement topic	#24-27
	C. What training and technical assistance do candidate ALHC Program museums (and IMLS) need to support the ALHC Program's evidence-building and preparation for future evaluation?		- Potential grantees (IMLS application process #1-3) - Collaborators (#8,9) - IMLS staff (#14)	- Performance measurement topic	#9, 10, 12, 15-17, 20, 24-27, 31, 33

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