2024-2026 IMLS Grant Application Forms

OMB Number: 3137-0092 Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

IMLS Museum - Program Information Form

PLEASE NOTE: Information contained within this form may be made publicly available.

Section 1. Applicant Information

Refer to the entity listed in Item 5a of the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance – Short Organizational Form (SF-424S) that you are submitting with your application.

Does this entity have an organizational unit that will carry out the activities described in your application?

Helpful Definitions

An organizational unit is governed by a larger administrative body. Examples include museums that are parts of colleges or universities and museums that are administered by units of state or local government. As a result of this arrangement, an organizational unit usually does not have its own Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and does not have the legal authority to apply for IMLS funding on its own. It works with the larger administrative body, which is referred to as the legal applicant, to submit an application.

A legal applicant has its own Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and has the legal authority to apply directly for IMLS funding. The name of the legal applicant is listed in Item 5a of the SF-424S. Examples include independently operating museums; nonprofit organizations that are responsible for the operation of museums; universities; and units of state or local government that administer museums. A single legal applicant may have many organizational units or it may have none.

YES. Check here if the entity identified in Item 5a on the SF-424S submitted with your application has an organizational unit that will carry out the activities described in this application.

NO. Check here if the entity identified in Item 5a on the SF-424S submitted with your application does not have an organizational unit that will carry out the activities described in this application.

(Development note: appears only if “No” is selected above)

Select the institution type that most accurately describes the legal applicant:

Section 2. Financial Information

1. Complete the following table with figures representing the most recently completed fiscal year in the top row, followed by those for the previous year, and concluding with those for the year before that. Provide the information requested for the legal applicant if you have not identified an organizational unit for this application. If you have identified an organizational unit for this application, provide the information requested for that unit.

Fiscal Year	Total Revenue*	Total Expenses**	Surplus or Deficit

* For nonprofit tax filers, Total Revenue can be found on Line 12 of the IRS Form 990.

** For nonprofit tax filers, Total Expenses can be found on Line 18 of the IRS Form 990.

2. If the Total Revenue amounts declined by more than 15% for any year over year listed OR if there was a deficit of more than 10% of the Total Revenue for two or more years listed above, explain the circumstances in the box below.

3. Were there any material weaknesses identified in your prior year’s audit report?

(development note: existing logic to display additional field for explanation applies if Yes is selected)

4. Has your organization had a single or program-specific audit in the past three years?

Section 3. Agency-Level Goal and Objective

Refer to Section A1 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program to which you are applying. Select the IMLS agency-level goal that best aligns with your proposed project. Once you have selected a goal, select one associated objective.

(development note: objectives display dynamically only once a goal is selected)

Section 4. Grant Program

Select the grant program to which you are applying. (project category/type selections and associated instructions appear only after a program is selected)

Museums for America

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for descriptions of the subsequent options and

instructions for how to make a selection.

Select one project category:

• Lifelong Learning

• Community Engagement

• Collections Stewardship and Access

Museums Empowered

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for descriptions of the subsequent options and

instructions for how to make a selection.

Select one project category:

• Digital Technology

• Diversity and Inclusion

• Evaluation

• Organizational Management

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for descriptions of the subsequent options and

instructions for how to make a selection.

Select one project category:

• Lifelong Learning

• Institutional Capacity

• Collections Stewardship and Access

National Leadership Grants for Museums

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for funding ranges and cost-share requirements

associated with these project types.

Select one project type:

• Non-research

• Research

• Rapid prototyping (Development note: note removal from existing list)

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture

Refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity for funding ranges and cost-share requirements

associated with these project types.

Select one project type:

• Small project with no cost share required (update to category mapping: 918)

• Large project with 1:1 cost share required (update to category mapping: 919)

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services

Grant Program Goals and Objectives

Refer to Section A2 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program to which you are applying. Select the grant program goal that best aligns with your proposed project. Once you have selected a goal, select one or more associated objectives.

(development note: program goal and objective options display dynamically based on program selection above)

Museums for America

• Goal 1, Lifelong Learning: Empower people of all ages and backgrounds through experiential and cross-disciplinary learning and discovery. [920]

  • Obj 1.1: Support public programs, adult programs, family programs, and early childhood programs. [921]

  • Obj 1.2: Support exhibitions, interpretation, and digital media. [922]

  • Obj 1.3: Support in-school and out-of-school programs. [923]

• Goal 2, Community Engagement: Maximize the use of museum resources to address community needs through partnerships and collaborations. [924]

  • Obj 2.1: Support equitable engagement and inclusive collaboration with diverse and/or underserved communities. [925]

  • Obj 2.2: Support efforts to improve access and eliminate barriers to museum services for all audiences. [926]

  • Obj 2.3: Support community-centered planning, civic engagement, and resource sharing to address community needs. [927]

• Goal 3, Collections Stewardship and Access: Advance the management and care of collections and their associated documentation. [928]

  • Obj 3.1: Support cataloging, inventorying, and registration; collections information management; and collections planning. [929]

  • Obj 3.2: Support conservation and environmental improvement and/or rehousing; conservation surveys; and conservation treatment. [930]

  • Obj 3.3: Support database management, digital asset management, and digitization. [931]

Museums Empowered

• Goal 1, Digital Technology: Provide museum staff with the skills to integrate digital technology into museum operations. [932]

  • Obj 1.1: Support staff learning and integration of digital communication platforms and social media tools to enhance audience engagement and community outreach. [933]

  • Obj 1.2: Support staff learning and integration of digital tools and services that enhance access to museum collections. [934]

• Goal 2, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Support museum staff in providing inclusive and equitable services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds and to individuals with disabilities. [935] 

  • Obj 2.1: Create training and learning opportunities that increase cultural competency of museum staff and enhance relevancy of museum programs. [936]

  • Obj 2.2: Develop and implement inclusive and equitable fellowship, internship, and mentoring programs to increase support for emerging professionals from diverse communities entering the museum field. [937]

• Goal 3, Evaluation: Strengthen the ability of museum staff to use evaluation as a tool to shape museum programs and improve outcomes. [938]

  • Obj 3.1: Increase staff knowledge of program evaluation methods and the usefulness of evaluation reports, tools, data, and metrics. [939]

  • Obj 3.2: Provide museum staff with the tools and strategies to adapt evaluation methods to address a specific audience or institutional need. [940]

• Goal 4, Organizational Management: Strengthen and support museum staff as the essential part of a resilient organizational culture. [941]

  • Obj 4.1: Develop comprehensive organizational learning opportunities that address one or more emerging priorities facing a museum. [942]

  • Obj 4.2: Develop programs that address the specific learning and growth opportunities identified by staff needs assessments. [943]

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

• Goal: Build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities. [944]

  • Obj 1: Support the development of cross-disciplinary learning experiences in small museums. [945]

  • Obj 2: Support the professional development of the small-museum workforce. [946]

  • Obj 3: Support the development of policies and institutional plans for small museums. [947]

  • Obj 4: Support the management and care of collections in small museums. [948]

National Leadership Grants for Museums

• Goal 1: Advance the museum field’s ability to empower people of all ages and backgrounds through experiential and cross-disciplinary learning and discovery. [949]

  • Obj 1.1: Support the development, implementation, and dissemination of model programs that facilitate adoption by museums across the field. [950]

  • Obj 1.2: Support training and professional development programs, tools, or resources that build the knowledge, skills, and abilities of museum staff and/or volunteers in multiple institutions. [951]

  • Obj 1.3: Support research focusing on museums’ roles in engaging learners of all types. [952]

  • Obj 1.4: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. [953]

• Goal 2: Advance the museum field’s ability to maximize the use of museum resources to address community needs through partnerships and collaborations. [954]

  • Obj 2.1: Support the development of new and innovative methods for addressing community challenges through partnerships, services, processes, or practices for use across the museum field. [955]

  • Obj 2.2: Support the development and implementation of training and professional development programs, tools, or resources that build the knowledge, skills, and abilities of museum staff and/or volunteers in multiple institutions to meet the needs of their communities. [956]

  • Obj 2.3: Support research focusing on museums’ roles in engaging diverse audiences and fostering civic discourse. [957]

  • Obj 2.4: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. [958]

• Goal 3: Advance the museum field’s ability to identify new solutions that address high priority and widespread collections care or conservation issues. [959]

  • Obj 3.1: Support the development, implementation, and dissemination of new tools or services that facilitate access, management, preservation, sharing, and use of museum collections. [960]

  • Obj 3.2: Support the development and implementation of training and professional development programs, tools, or resources that impact the ability of museum staff and/or volunteers in multiple institutions to improve the stewardship of collections. [961]

  • Obj 3.3: Support research focusing on any broadly relevant aspect of the management, conservation, and preservation of collections. [962]

  • Obj 3.4: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. [963]

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture

• Goal 1: Build the capacity of African American museums and their ability to serve their communities. [964]

  • Obj 1.1: Develop, enhance, or expand public programs, exhibitions, and/or school programs. [965]

  • Obj 1.2: Enhance professional management. [966]

  • Obj 1.3: Improve care and conservation of museum collections and expand access to collections and associated data. [967]

  • Obj 1.4: Foster partnerships and collaborations among museums and institutions of higher education. [968]

• Goal 2: Support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. [969]

  • Obj 2.1: Develop and implement internship, fellowship, and mentoring programs structured to support emerging professionals entering the museum field. [970]

  • Obj 2.2: Develop and implement equitable and inclusive staff recruitment and retention programs. [971]

  • Obj 2.3: Create learning and growth opportunities designed to build skills, enhance knowledge, and provide opportunities to share expertise. [972]

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services

• Goal: Build the capacity of Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to provide museum services to their communities. [973]

  • Obj 1: Support the preservation and perpetuation of indigenous languages and traditional cultural practices. [974]

  • Obj 2: Support the professional development of the indigenous museum workforce. [975]

  • Obj 3: Support the management and care of indigenous collections and their associated documentation. [976]

Project Element

(Development note: same as existing form - instructions and project element selection lists populate dynamically based on program and project category selections for Museums for America and Inspire only)

Select the primary element that is core to your proposed project from the list below. Your response to this question will help us match your application to reviewers with appropriate experience.

Museums for America

Project Element

• Lifelong Learning

  • Adult Programs

  • Digital Media

  • Early Learning

  • Exhibitions

  • Family Programs

  • Interpretation

  • K-12 Programs, With Schools

  • K-12 Programs, Out of School

  • Public Programs

• Community Engagement

  • Audience Evaluation

  • Civic Engagement

  • Community-Driven Exhibitions and Programs

  • Community-Focused Planning Activities

  • Community Outreach/Audience Development

• Collections Stewardship and Access

  • Cataloguing, Inventorying, Registration

  • Collections Information Management

  • Collections Planning

  • Conservation Environmental Improvement/Rehousing

  • Conservation Survey

  • Conservation Treatment

  • Database Management

  • Digital Asset Management

  • Digitization

Inspire!

Project Element

• Lifelong Learning

  • Adult Programs

  • Digital Media

  • Early Learning

  • Exhibitions

  • Family Programs

  • Interpretation

  • K-12 Programs, With Schools

  • K-12 Programs, Out of School

  • Public Programs

• Institutional Capacity

  • Museum Staff Professional Development

  • Institutional Planning

  • Audience and/or Program Evaluation

  • Organizational Management

• Collections Stewardship and Access

  • Cataloguing, Inventorying, Registration

  • Collections Information Management

  • Collections Planning

  • Conservation Environmental Improvement/Rehousing

  • Conservation Survey

  • Conservation Treatment

  • Database Management

  • Digital Asset Management

  • Digitization

Section 5. Museum Profile

Refer to Section C1 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program to which you are applying. If your organization is eligible to apply for an IMLS grant as a museum, then answer the questions in a through k below.

1. Is your organization a public, tribal, or private nonprofit agency or institution?

Yes

No

2. Is your organization organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes?

Yes

No

3. Does your organization own or utilize tangible objects and care for such tangible objects?

Yes

No

4. Does your organization exhibit the tangible objects to the general public in a facility that you own or operate?

Yes

No

5. What was your institution’s attendance for the 12-month period prior to the application?

Fewer than 1,000

1,000 - 9,999

10,000 - 99,999

100,000 - 999,999

1,000,000 - 9,999,999

10,000,000 +

6. How many days was your institution open to the public during these 12 months?

0 - 119

120 - 249

250 - 365

7. Does your organization use a professional staff (i.e., does your organization employ at least one staff member, or the full-time equivalent, whether paid or unpaid, primarily engaged in the acquisition, care, or exhibition to the public of objects owned or used by the organization)?

Yes

No

8. Number of full-time paid institutional staff:

0

1

2

3

4 - 10

11 - 50

51+

9. Number of full-time unpaid institutional staff:

0

1

2

3

4 - 10

11 - 50

51+

10. Number of part-time paid institutional staff:

0

1

2

3

4 - 10

11 - 50

51+

11. Number of part-time unpaid institutional staff:

0

1

2

3

4 - 10

11 - 50

51+

Section 6. Funding Request

Refer to the Grant Fund and Cost Share totals in Section 10 of the IMLS Budget Form that you are submitting with your application. Enter the amount in dollars you are requesting from IMLS and the amount of non-federal funding you are providing as cost share/match below.

IMLS Funds Requested      

Cost Share/Match Amount*      

Total      

* Enter $0 if the budget includes no cost share/match.

Section 7. Indirect Costs

Refer to the Options for Calculating and Including Costs in a Project Budget in Appendix Three of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program to which you are applying. Then select one option below. It should match the choice you make on the IMLS Budget Form that you are submitting with your application.

	Current indirect cost rate(s) have been negotiated with a federal agency. Select from list:       Rate:       (Development note: user must either enter an expiration date or check the Until Amended checkbox; if one is populated/selected, the other is disabled/cleared) Expiration Date:       Until Amended:
	Indirect cost proposal has been submitted to a federal agency but has not yet been finalized. Select from list:       Rate:      Proposal Date:      
	Applicant chooses a rate not to exceed 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs and declares it is eligible for the 10% rate.
	Applicant chooses not to include indirect costs.

Section 8. Abstract

Refer to the instructions for writing an Abstract in Appendix Three of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program to which you are applying. Enter or paste your Abstract below (maximum 3000 characters, including spaces).

PLEASE NOTE: Information contained within this form may be made publicly available.

Section 9. Project Keywords

(Development note: allow no more than 8 selections)

Select from one to eight keywords that best characterize your project from the options below. IMLS may use these keywords as search terms in its compilations describing the agency's grantmaking and/or provide them as tools to help applicants, other awardees, and the public understand more about what IMLS supports.

Accessibility / Universal Design / Inclusive Design [789] Archives Practice / Management / Use [790] Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning [791] Broadband Access [792] Civic Engagement [793] Civic Technology [794] Collections Care / Conservation / Preservation [795] Collections Management [796] Community Engagement [797] Community Memory / Community History [798] Community Science [799] Crowdsourcing [800] Data Privacy / Security [801] Data Science / Computational Analysis [802] Digital Asset Management [803] Digital Preservation / Curation [804] Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility [805] Early Learning [806] Emergency / Disaster / Crisis Preparedness and Response [807] Environmental Education [808] Family Learning [809] Fellowship / Internship / Mentorship Programs [810] Gaming [811] Institutional Capacity Building [812] Language Preservation / Cultural Revitalization [813] Literacy: Civic [814] Literacy: Digital [815] Literacy: Financial [816] Literacy: Health and Wellness [817] Literacy: Information [818] Museum /Archives / Library Staff Professional Development / Training [826] Museum and Library Partnerships [819] Museum Education Technology [820] Museum Exhibitions [821]

Museum Interpretation [822] Museum Multilingual Programs / Resources [823] Museum Program Evaluations [824] Museum Visitor Services [825] Open Educational Resources [827] Oral History [828] Pre-K-12 Out of School / Summer [829] Pre-K-12 School Programs [830] Public Programs [831] Scholarly Communications [832] School Libraries / Librarianship [833] Services and Programs for Adults [834] Services for Children and Families [835] Services for College Students [836] Services for Emerging Adults [837] Services for English-Language Learners [838] Services for Immigrants / Refugees [839] Services for Incarcerated Individuals / Returning Citizens [840] Services for Individuals who are Neurodivergent [841] Services for Individuals with Disabilities [842] Services for LGBTQIA+ Individuals [843] Services for Older Adults [844] Services for Rural Communities [845] Services for Teens [850] Services for Those below the Poverty Line or Unstably Housed [846] Services for Tribal Communities [847] Services for Urban Communities [848] Services for Veterans / Active-Duty Military [849] Shared Infrastructures / Open-Source Software [851] STEM / STEAM Programming [852] Summer Services [852] Teacher / Educator Professional Development [854] Web Archiving [855] Website Creation / Enhancement [856] Workforce Development [857]