# Museums Empowered (2025)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/me-fy25-museums-empowered-2025/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/355962

> Institute of Museum and Library Services offered grants of up to $250,000 (at least $5,000) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 20 awards worth $4.3 million in total. Applications closed on November 15, 2024.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | ME-FY25 |
| Agency | Institute of Museum and Library Services |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | November 15, 2024 |
| Award ceiling | $250,000 |
| Award floor | $5,000 |
| Expected awards | 20 |
| Total funding | $4.3 million |
| Cost sharing | required |
| Assistance Listings | 45.301 |

## Who can apply

- 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 Museums Empowered 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.

## What the grant funds

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.

## Questions people ask

### Is ME-FY25 still open?

No. It closed on November 15, 2024. A newer notice is open: ME-FY27, closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left).

### Who can apply for Museums Empowered (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 Museums Empowered (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 $250,000 each. About $4.3 million in total across about 20 awards.

### Who has won Museums for America grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Portland Art Museum, George Eastman Museum, Discovery Children's Museum. The program made 922 awards worth $132 million in that time.