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Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)

Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services

Assistance Listings: 45.301 -- Museums for America

Last Updated: September 1, 2026
Inspire Grants for Small Museums (Inspire) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program designed to support small museums of all disciplines, including small rural or small remote institutions and small museums that have not previously received federal funding. The program funds project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities. The goal of the Inspire program is to build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities through supporting the development of experiential learning and discovery in small museums, and the management and care of collections in small museums.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

  • Other

Additional information

See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility information.

Grantor contact information

Description

imls-museumgrants@imls.gov imls-museumgrants@imls.gov

Email

imls-museumgrants@imls.gov

imls-museumgrants@imls.gov

Documents

File nameDescriptionLast updated
fy27-oms-igsm-NOFO.pdf
FY27 Notice of Funding Opportunity - nspire Grants for Small Museums
Sep 1, 2026 05:08 PM UTC

Link to additional information

https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/inspire-grants-for-small-museums

Closing: November 13, 2026

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates.

Award

$3,000,000

Program Funding

75

Expected awards

$5,000

Award Minimum

$75,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

IGSM-FY27

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

Yes

Funding instrument type:

Grant

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

--

Category of Funding Activity:

Arts

Humanities

Category Explanation:

--

History

Version:

1

Posted date:

September 1, 2026

Archive date:

--

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