The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums.
Donor Name: Institute of Museum and Library Services
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/15/2022
Size of the Grant: $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
Goals and Objectives
This program is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
As a result, the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture Program has significant potential to generate positive societal impact through project activities undertaken as part of the grant-funded work and activities that may be complementary to the project. IMLS does not prescribe the type, focus, reach, or scale of societal impact required for each project, but the questions to be addressed in the application Narrative and the review criteria reflect the agency’s commitment to both advancing knowledge and understanding and to ensuring that the federal investment made through grants generates benefits to society. Applicants should keep these two agency commitments in mind when they conceptualize their projects, identify the target group(s) they propose to reach, prepare their work plans, and formulate their intended results.
Goal and objective choices should be identified clearly in the Narrative:
- Goal 1: Build the capacity of African American museums and their ability to serve their communities.
- Objective 1.1: Develop, enhance, or expand public programs, exhibitions, and/or school programs.
- Objective 1.2: Enhance professional management.
- Objective 1.3: Improve care and conservation of museum collections and expand access to collections and associated data.
- Objective 1.4: Foster partnerships and collaborations among museums and institutions of higher education.
- Goal 2: Support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums.
- Objective 2.1: Develop and implement internship, fellowship, and mentoring programs structured to support emerging professionals entering the museum field.
- Objective 2.2: Develop and implement equitable and inclusive staff recruitment and retention programs.
- Objective 2.3: Create learning and growth opportunities designed to build skills, enhance knowledge, and provide opportunities to share expertise.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $500,000
- Award Floor: $5,000
- Anticipated period of performance July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026. Project activities may be carried out for one to three years.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for an award under this Museum Grants for African American History and Culture Notice of Funding Opportunity, your organization must meet all three of the following criteria:
- Must be either a unit of State, local, or tribal government or be a private, nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code;
- Must be located in one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
- Eligibility of Museums Located within a Parent Organization: A museum located within a parent organization that is a State, local, or tribal government or multipurpose nonprofit entity, such as a municipality, university, historical society, foundation, or cultural center, may apply on its own behalf if the museum:
- is able to independently fulfill all the eligibility requirements listed in the above three criteria;
- functions as a discrete unit within the parent organization;
- has its own fully segregated and itemized operating budget; and
- has the authority to make the application on its own.
- Eligibility of Nonprofit Organization Affiliated with a Museum: IMLS may determine that a nonprofit organization that is affiliated with a museum is eligible for this program where the organization can demonstrate that it has the ability to administer the project and can ensure compliance with the terms of this Notice of Funding Opportunity and the applicable law, including the IMLS Assurances and Certifications.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.