Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025) | IGSM FY25

Opportunity Information: Apply for IGSM FY25

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) offered under its larger Museums for America program. The initiative is specifically built for small museums of any discipline and is focused on practical, project-based work that helps museums serve the public more effectively. Rather than operating as general operating support, the program is geared toward defined projects with clear outcomes, such as improving how a museum educates its community, strengthening internal operations, or enhancing the care and accessibility of collections.

The program supports a wide range of museum activities as long as they are tied to a coherent project plan. Eligible project efforts can include planning and delivering exhibitions, developing educational and interpretive programs, creating digital learning resources, and expanding community outreach or audience development. It also covers behind-the-scenes work that improves how the organization functions, such as policy development, institutional planning, staff training and professional development, and technology enhancements that make museum services more effective or accessible. For collections-focused institutions, the opportunity also explicitly supports collections management, curation, collections care, and conservation, along with work that improves stewardship and access for the public and researchers.

Inspire! offers three project categories that applicants choose from based on their goals. The Lifelong Learning category centers on learning experiences and interpretation for audiences across ages, including programs and resources that support ongoing education and engagement. The Institutional Capacity category is oriented toward strengthening the museum as an organization, which can involve planning, improving policies and procedures, building staff skills, and upgrading technology or workflows that make the museum more resilient and effective. The Collections Stewardship and Access category focuses on responsible care of collections and making them more usable and accessible, which can include improved management practices, documentation, preservation, conservation work, and strategies that expand access to collections content.

For the 2025 cycle, the funding opportunity number is IGSM FY25, and it is listed under the Arts and Humanities funding activity category with CFDA number 45.301. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $75,000, and IMLS expects to make about 75 awards. The original application deadline is November 15, 2024, and the opportunity was created/posted on August 15, 2024. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," but applicants are directed to consult the official Notice of Funding Opportunity for the specific eligibility requirements and any additional conditions that may apply to small museums.

• The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts, humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.301.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 75 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for IGSM FY25

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: