21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2027)

The 21st Century Museum Professionals Program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. IMLS advances, supports, and empowers America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The program supports projects that build career pathways, strengthen professional networks, and identify and share effective workforce education and training practices in the museum field. Its two program goals are to support the professional development of the current museum workforce and to recruit and train future museum professionals. Applicants must align their proposed project with one program goal and one associated objective. The program encourages partnerships that create career development opportunities, including alternative pathways for early-career professionals, strengthen peer networks beyond a single institution, and provide opportunities for non-traditional applicants and emerging professionals to enter the museum workforce. Projects may engage museum staff, leadership, or volunteers at any stage of career development and should reflect an understanding of relevant theory and effective practice in workforce training and professional development. The funding cycle particularly prioritizes alternative pathways to upskill early-career professionals, meaningful credentialing, intersections between alternative credentialing and artificial intelligence education, and preparation for areas experiencing shortages of qualified workers. IMLS expects to award approximately 2000000 through this announcement and anticipates making 8 awards. Individual awards are expected to range from 100000 to 500000. Projects may run for one to three years and must begin August 1, 2027, with an anticipated overall performance window extending through July 31, 2030. Awardees must provide non-federal cost share equal to or greater than the federal award, creating a minimum 1:1 cost share requirement. Allowable costs may include personnel compensation and fringe benefits, project travel, materials and supplies, software and equipment directly related to project activities, accessibility resources, participant support, third-party costs, publication and design, program evaluation, training, paid internships or fellowships, stipends or honoraria, and allowable indirect costs. Unallowable costs include general fundraising, endowment contributions, general operating support, collection acquisitions, general promotional advertising, construction or facility renovation, social activities or entertainment, and research projects. Eligible applicants must be units of State, local, or Tribal government or private nonprofit organizations with qualifying tax-exempt status. They must be located in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau. In addition, an applicant must qualify as an eligible museum, an organization or association that advances museums and the museum profession, an institution of higher education including public and nonprofit universities, or an eligible public or private nonprofit entity operating an eligible museum and applying on its behalf. Partnerships are welcome, but one participating organization must meet all eligibility requirements, serve as the lead applicant, and accept programmatic, fiscal, and legal responsibility for the award. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov Workspace. Organizations need a Unique Entity Identifier, an active SAM.gov registration, and an active Grants.gov registration with an approved Authorized Organization Representative. Required application 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 of key project staff and consultants, and a Performance Measurement Plan. Depending on the applicant and project, proof of nonprofit status, a current federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, and a Digital Products Plan may also be required. The Narrative is limited to seven numbered pages and must address Project Justification, Project Work Plan, and Project Results. IMLS estimates that completing the full application requires an average of 45 hours. IMLS first checks applications for eligibility and completeness. Applications may be rejected for missing required or conditionally required components, late submission, funding requests outside the allowable range, failure to satisfy eligibility requirements, or failure to follow funding restrictions. Complete applications from eligible institutions undergo peer review by professionals with relevant knowledge and expertise. Reviewers assess project justification, including alignment with the selected goal and objective, evidence of need, audience and stakeholder involvement, workforce relevance, career pathways, and professional networks; the project work plan, including effective practices, staff qualifications, resources, recruitment, risks, digital products when applicable, and progress tracking; and project results, including meaningful and realistic outcomes, changes in participant knowledge or skills, accessibility of products, and sustainability. Cost share is an eligibility criterion but is not considered in the merit review. 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. Projects must begin August 1, 2027. Programmatic and administrative questions may be directed to IMLS, and the source provides the museum grants inbox at imls-museumgrants@imls.gov and the telephone number 202-653-4744. Grants.gov technical assistance is available at support@grants.gov or 1-800-518-4726. The source does not explicitly state that this funding opportunity recurs annually, so no recurrence is recorded.

Align the proposal clearly with one 21MP goal and associated objective; use relevant data and evidence to establish the workforce need; involve the primary audience and stakeholders in planning; demonstrate career pathways and professional networks beyond a single institution; ground activities in effective workforce training and professional development practices; identify qualified staff and appropriate resources; use effective recruitment strategies; clearly address assumptions and risks; establish reliable measurable progress tracking; articulate realistic results and expected changes in knowledge, skills, behaviors, or attitudes; make project products accessible; provide a reasonable sustainability plan