21MP-FY25: 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2025)
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2027) (21MP-FY27). Status: Closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left). It is in our archive of Institute of Museum and Library Services notices from 2024.
Institute of Museum and Library Services offered grants of up to $500,000 (at least $100,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 8 awards worth $2.0 million in total. Applications closed on November 15, 2024.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed November 9, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$500,000
- Award floor$100,000
- Total funding$2.0 million
- Expected awards8
- Cost sharingRequired
- Funding typeGrant
Other notices with this title
Key dates
| Posted | August 15, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | November 15, 2024 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for program eligibility criteria. IMLS is extending the deadline for the 21st Century Museum Professional grant program from November 15, 2024, to December 13, 2024, for institutions located in Federally declared emergency and/or major disaster areas who have not been able to meet the current November 15, 2024, deadline because they have been adversely impacted by such emergencies and/or disasters. An affected organization must, by December 13 at 11:59pm EST, submit its completed application with a written statement from its Authorizing Official that: • Specifies the applicable Emergency Declaration and/or Major Disaster Declaration for the area in which the applicant organization is located (see FEMA’s listing of Declared Disasters https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations) and • Confirms that the applicant organization was unable to meet the original application deadline of November 15, 2024, due to the emergency or disaster. This statement should be prepared as a Supporting Document and uploaded as part of the application submitted through Grants.gov. For those applicants who have not been adversely affected by such emergencies and/or disasters, the deadline remains November 15, 2024, at 11:59pm EST.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past 21st Century Museum Professional Program awards averaged $281,228; this notice allows up to $500,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (100% over five years) went to state and local governments.
- The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.
What the grant funds
The 21st Century Museum Professional (21MP) grant program supports projects that offer professional development to the current museum workforce, train and recruit future museum professionals, and identify and share effective practices in museum workforce education and training. IMLS recognizes the important role of strong local and regional networks in providing peer-to-peer learning, training, and mentoring opportunities for the museum workforce. Partnerships among museums, museum-serving organizations, and institutions of higher education are vital to expanding career pathways for broad groups of museum professionals throughout a city, county, state, region, or the nation. The 21MP Program encourages applications from museum associations, museum studies programs at institutions of higher education, and museums that serve as essential parts of the professional learning and training environment.
Who has won 21st Century Museum Professional Program grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, 21st Century Museum Professional Program (45.032) awarded $4.5 million across 16 grant awards, an average of $281,228 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sciencenter Discovery Museum | New York | 1 | $499,655 |
| The High Desert Museum | Oregon | 1 | $482,943 |
| Children's Museum of Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 1 | $369,159 |
| Coalition of State Museum Associations | Florida | 1 | $347,662 |
| The Science Museum of Minnesota | Minnesota | 1 | $344,157 |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, 21MP-FY27, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is 21MP-FY25 still open?
No. It closed on November 15, 2024. A newer notice is open: 21MP-FY27, closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left).
Who can apply for 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2025)?
Institute of Museum and Library Services accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2025)?
Closed November 15, 2024. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $500,000 each. About $2.0 million in total across about 8 awards.
Who has won 21st Century Museum Professional Program grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Sciencenter Discovery Museum, The High Desert Museum, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The program made 16 awards worth $4.5 million in that time.