Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (2027)

The Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS, under Assistance Listing Number 45.308 and Funding Opportunity Number NANH-FY27. IMLS advances, supports, and empowers museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The NANH program is designed to build the capacity of Native American Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to provide museum services to their communities. Its three objectives support the preservation and perpetuation of languages and cultural practices, professional development of the museum workforce, and management and care of museum collections and associated documentation. Supported projects may include educational programming for all ages, language preservation and revitalization, oral history collection and documentation, digital media and technology enhancements, institutional planning and policy development, professional training, internships and mentorships, engagement with cultural practitioners and scholars, exhibition development and interpretation, collections information management and research, digitization and digital asset management, repatriation-related research and consultation, and conservation activities. Generally allowable costs include personnel, travel, materials, supplies, software, equipment directly related to project activities, accessibility technologies, participant support, collections storage and exhibit equipment, third-party costs, publication costs, evaluation, training, paid internships and fellowships, honoraria, and allowable indirect costs. General fundraising, endowment contributions, general operating support, collections acquisition, unrelated promotional advertising, construction or facility renovation, and entertainment are unallowable. Applicants must also budget $3,000 per project year in federal funds for travel to IMLS-designated meetings. IMLS expects approximately $3,772,000 to be available and anticipates making 20 awards. Individual awards are expected to range from $5,000 to $250,000. Projects may operate for one to three years, with projects required to begin August 1, 2027 and an anticipated overall performance window extending through July 31, 2030. Cost share is voluntary, is not required, and is not considered during application review. Applicants may use an applicable federally negotiated indirect cost rate, a proposed federal rate that is finalized before budget approval, an eligible de minimis rate of up to 15 percent of Modified Total Direct Costs, or no indirect costs. Eligible lead applicants are restricted to Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and nonprofit organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. The definition of an eligible Indian Tribe includes recognized Tribes, bands, nations, or other organized groups or communities, including qualifying Alaska Native villages, regional corporations, and village corporations. Native Hawaiian nonprofit applicants must provide documentation establishing private nonprofit status and charter documents demonstrating that the organization primarily serves and represents Native Hawaiians. Partnerships and collaborations are welcome, but an eligible organization must serve as lead applicant and assume programmatic, fiscal, and legal responsibility. Libraries, museums, schools, Tribal colleges, and departments of education may participate but are not eligible lead applicants. Federally operated libraries and museums may participate only as nonessential partners and cannot receive IMLS grant funds through the project. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. Applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier, an active SAM.gov registration, and an active Grants.gov registration with an approved Authorized Organization Representative. Required components include the SF-424S, IMLS Museum Program Information Form, Organizational Profile, Narrative, Schedule of Completion, IMLS Budget Form, Budget Justification, List of Key Project Staff and Consultants, resumes or applicable position descriptions, and a Performance Measurement Plan. Depending on the applicant or project, additional documentation may include proof of nonprofit status and eligibility, a federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, a Digital Products Plan, and conservation documentation. The Narrative is limited to seven numbered pages and must address Project Justification, Project Work Plan, and Project Results. Peer reviewers evaluate how well the proposal aligns with the NANH goal and selected objective, demonstrates and documents the need, defines and involves the primary audience, and describes any relevant collections. Reviewers also assess whether activities are logical, risks and assumptions are addressed, project personnel have appropriate qualifications, resources are appropriate, progress measures are reliable, and any Digital Products Plan follows appropriate practices. Project results are evaluated for clarity, realism, connection to the identified need, meaningful changes for the primary audience, accessibility of resulting products, sustainability, and improvements to relevant collections or records. IMLS conducts eligibility and completeness checks before peer review, and the IMLS Director makes final funding decisions based on the review process and criteria in the notice. Applications are due through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on November 13, 2026. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated. IMLS expects to notify successful and unsuccessful applicants by email in July 2027, subject to availability of funds and agency discretion. IMLS provides the program email imls-museumgrants@imls.gov and the phone number 202-653-4744 in the notice, while Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov and 1-800-518-4726. The notice does not expressly state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so no recurrence is recorded.

Align the proposal clearly with the NANH program goal and one selected objective; use relevant data and evidence to define the need and quantify the primary audience; describe activities in a logical sequence with risks, staffing, resources, and measurable progress tracking; connect intended results directly to the identified need and explain sustainability; make products accessible to the primary audience; ensure the budget is within $5,000-$250,000 and includes $3,000 per project year for IMLS-designated meeting travel; submit every required and applicable conditionally required component within stated page and file-format limits.