Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2026)

The Inspire Grants for Small Museums program is a specialized initiative under the broader Museums for America grant framework, administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This program is designed to enhance the capacity of small museums across the United States and its territories to serve their communities more effectively through educational initiatives, exhibit development, collections management, and community partnerships. IMLS, the federal agency overseeing this grant, is committed to advancing, supporting, and empowering America’s museums and libraries through strategic grantmaking, research, and policy development. As part of the nation’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, IMLS encourages projects that commemorate national heritage, highlight historical and cultural accomplishments, and expand access to museum services using modern technologies. The Inspire program specifically targets small museums regardless of discipline and aims to fund project-based initiatives that promote either lifelong learning through experiential programming or collections stewardship and access. Applicants are expected to align their proposals with one of these two objectives and articulate how their project will contribute to enhancing museum services. The agency does not provide a rigid definition of what constitutes a “small” museum. Instead, applicants are encouraged to describe relevant organizational attributes—such as staffing, budget, facility size, collection scope, and regional context—that support their classification as a small museum. Eligible applicants include units of state, local, or Tribal governments as well as private nonprofit organizations operating qualifying small museums. Grant funding ranges from $5,000 to $75,000, with different cost-sharing requirements based on the amount requested. Requests of $25,000 or less do not require cost share, while requests exceeding $25,000 must be matched at least 1:1 with non-federal funds. Funds may be used for a wide range of allowable activities including salaries, travel, materials, accessibility improvements, collections storage equipment, evaluations, and paid internships. However, certain costs are prohibited, such as general operating support, fundraising expenses, construction, and acquisitions. The anticipated number of awards is approximately 75, and the total expected funding for the program is $3,000,000. Projects may span one to three years, and all funded projects must begin on September 1, 2026. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by March 13, 2026, no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. No pre-application materials such as letters of intent are required to apply. A complete application must include specific documents such as a narrative, schedule of completion, budget form and justification, organizational profile, resumes of key staff, and a performance measurement plan. Additional documents may be required depending on the nature of the project, including a digital products plan or conservation reports. All materials must adhere to strict formatting and naming conventions as outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The review process involves a peer review by professionals in the museum field, who evaluate proposals based on criteria including project justification, work plan, and expected results. Reviewers consider alignment with program objectives, the clarity and feasibility of proposed activities, and the potential for sustained community impact. Notifications of award decisions are expected by August 2026. Successful applicants will access award materials and reporting requirements via the IMLS eGMS Reach platform. For support during the application process, applicants may attend webinars or schedule counseling calls with designated program officers, including Reagan Moore for lifelong learning projects and Mark Feitl for collections stewardship and access.

Clearly identify the Inspire objective your project supports; tie your proposal to strategic plan goals; describe collections quantitatively if applying under stewardship track.