Well Told Grants

Grants / Institute of Museum and Library Services / Institute of Museum and Library Services

CAP-FY21: Collections Assessment for Preservation Program

Closed Closed April 19, 2021 Opportunity CAP-FY21

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: National Leadership Grants for Museums (2027) (NLG-M-FY27). Status: Closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left). It is in our archive of Institute of Museum and Library Services notices from 2021.

Institute of Museum and Library Services offered grants of up to $3.0 million (at least $5,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make one award worth $3.0 million in total. Applications closed on April 19, 2021.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed March 25, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.

Key dates

PostedMarch 8, 2021
DeadlineApril 19, 2021

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

Please see Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility requirements.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

This program is designed to support the administration of an affordable and accessible collections assessment program for small to midsize museums to help them care for and conserve their collections. Goals of the program include increasing the capacity of the participating museums to understand the conservation needs of their collections and the building environments in which they are housed; strengthening the knowledge of museum personnel about the care and conservation of museum collections; and positioning museums to plan for the long-term are of their collections.

Category: Arts, Humanities.

Who has won National Leadership Grants grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, National Leadership Grants (45.312) awarded $137 million across 698 grant awards, an average of $196,184 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
AMERICA250.ORG, Inc.District of Columbia1$14.0 million
Association of Tribal Archives Libraries & MuseumsOklahoma1$4.3 million
Foundation for Advancement in ConservationDistrict of Columbia4$3.6 million
Zoological Society of CincinnatiOhio5$3.3 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania2$3.2 million

Top states: District of Columbia ($23.6 million), New York ($12.6 million), California ($11.1 million), Virginia ($7.5 million), Pennsylvania ($7.3 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NLG-M-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 CAP-FY21 still open?

No. It closed on April 19, 2021. A newer notice is open: NLG-M-FY27, closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left).

Who can apply for Collections Assessment for Preservation Program?

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 Collections Assessment for Preservation Program?

Closed April 19, 2021. 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 $3.0 million each. About $3.0 million in total for one award.

Who has won National Leadership Grants grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were AMERICA250.ORG, Inc., Association of Tribal Archives Libraries & Museums, Foundation for Advancement in Conservation. The program made 698 awards worth $137 million in that time.

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