The Museums for America (MFA) program invests in museums of all sizes and disciplines in project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities.
Donor Name: Institute of Museum and Library Services
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/13/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The goals of the program are to advance a museum’s capacity to:
- Serve people of all ages and backgrounds through experiential learning and discovery
- Respond to community needs; and
- Manage and care for collections and their associated documentation.
The primary audiences for this program are museums, museum professionals, and the publics they serve.
Funding Information
- Total amount of funding IMLS expects to award through this announcement: $21,699,000
- Expected amount of individual awards: $5,000 – $300,000
- Average amount of funding per award in previous years: $177,860
Project Period
September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2029.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for an award under the MFA program, your organization must meet all three of the following eligibility criteria.
Your organization must be:
- a unit of State, local, or Tribal government; or
- a private, nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended and:
Your organization 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;
- the Republic of Palau.
Your organization must qualify as one of the following:
- A museum that:
- uses a professional staff;
- is organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes;
- owns or uses tangible objects, including living collections;
- cares for these objects; and
- exhibits these objects to the general public on a regular basis through facilities that it owns or operates.
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 university, historical society, foundation, or cultural center, may apply on its own behalf if the museum:
- can 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
They may determine that a nonprofit organization affiliated with a museum is eligible for this program if:
- its sole mission is to support the specified museum;
- it has the ability to administer the project; and
- it 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.
