Museums Empowered (2025)
Posted by Institute of Museum and Library Services
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement — Museums Empowered (2025) — is cataloged under number ME-FY25 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 45.301, posted by Institute of Museum and Library Services. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on August 15, 2024 and last updated on November 9, 2024. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is $5,000 -- $250,000. The agency has projected $4.3 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 20 awards. If the agency funds the expected 20 awards from the $4.3 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $215,000. Cost sharing or matching funds are required, meaning applicants must contribute a portion of the project budget from non-federal sources — factor this into your financial plan before drafting the proposal. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity closed on November 15, 2024. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully — federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed — it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities.
Award Range
$5,000 -- $250,000
Close Date
November 15, 2024
Posted
August 15, 2024
Est. Total Funding
$4,299,000
Expected Awards
20
Instrument
Grant
Cost Sharing
Required
Description
Museums Empowered (ME) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It supports projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes. IMLS recognizes the many challenges facing individual museums and the need to invest resources, time, and energy towards nurturing the professional development of staff and strengthening museum operations. The Museums Empowered grant program identifies four areas of museum operations to focus for professional development. Digital Technology focused projects that will support the work of museum staff in using digital technology to enhance audience engagement, collections access, or general museum operations. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion focused projects that will increase cultural competency among museum staff and support relevancy of museum programs through learning activities that strengthen their ability to connect with the communities they serve. Evaluation focused projects that will enhance the ability of museum staff to understand a broad spectrum of evaluation methods and techniques as well as better use evaluation reports, data, and metrics to improve the design and delivery of programs. Organizational Management focused projects that will help museum staff develop and implement effective practices in organizational management, human resources, and strategic planning in response to emerging internal or external priorities.
Eligibility
25
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Parent Grant Program
Museum and Library Services — Basic Library Services
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Agency Contact
Mark Isaksen<br/>Supervisory Grants Management Specialist<br/>misaksen@imls.gov<br/>imls-museumgrants@imls.gov
Key Dates
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Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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| Publisher | Kiznis Studio |
| Sources | Public official public datasets |