Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2023) | IGSM FY23

Opportunity Information: Apply for IGSM FY23

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2023) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under its broader Museums for America program. It is specifically set up as a special initiative focused on helping small museums, regardless of discipline, carry out clearly defined, project-based work that strengthens how they serve the public. The program emphasizes practical, mission-driven projects that improve a museum's ability to engage audiences, deliver learning experiences, and responsibly care for and share collections.

The grant supports a wide range of eligible project activities, giving small museums flexibility to propose work that fits their size, community, and institutional priorities. Supported efforts can include planning and delivering exhibitions; creating or improving educational and interpretive programs; developing digital learning resources; and expanding community outreach and audience development. The opportunity also explicitly includes internal, capacity-building work such as policy development, institutional planning, technology enhancements, and professional development for staff. In addition, museums can seek support for core collections functions, including collections management, curation, care, and conservation, as well as projects that increase stewardship and public access to collections.

Applicants must align their proposal to one of three project categories. Lifelong Learning focuses on learning experiences and public engagement across ages and stages of life, such as educational programming, interpretation, and digital learning tools. Institutional Capacity centers on strengthening the museum as an organization through planning, policies, workforce and professional development, systems, and technology improvements that make operations more effective and sustainable. Collections Stewardship and Access is geared toward the responsible management and long-term care of collections, including improving documentation and management practices, conservation needs, and strategies that help collections be more accessible and usable by the public.

For the FY23 cycle, the funding instrument is a grant, with an award ceiling of $50,000 per award. IMLS anticipated making about 60 awards under this opportunity. The original application deadline was November 15, 2022, and the opportunity was created on August 15, 2022. The listing is associated with CFDA number 45.301 and falls within arts and humanities-related cultural affairs activity categories. Eligibility is summarized as "Others," with additional clarification typically provided in the full notice under the eligibility section, but the clear intent is that the program is tailored to small museums seeking modest, targeted funding to complete specific projects that deliver measurable public benefit and strengthen museum practice.

• The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2023)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.301.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 15, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 15, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for IGSM FY23

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: