IMLS outlines National Leadership Grants for Museums: eligibility, funding and key deadlines

Helen Wexler, presenter with the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Office of Museum Services, summarized the agency’s National Leadership Grants for Museums (NLGM) and the steps applicants must take to submit complete proposals.

NLGM supports projects that address critical needs in the museum field and produce broadly usable results—models, tools, curricula, research or new services—that can be adapted or scaled by multiple institutions. "The goal of this video is to provide an overview of our National Leadership Grants for Museums program," Wexler said, explaining the program’s purpose and the application process.

Why it matters: NLGM awards federal funds intended to advance museum practice nationally and to help institutions produce tangible products or rigorous research that benefit the field. Competitive proposals show evidence of need, familiarity with prior work, clear project design, and plans to sustain benefits beyond the grant period.

Key eligibility and project expectations Applicants must be located in one of the 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, or the District of Columbia and must be a unit of state, local, or tribal government or a private nonprofit organization with tax-exempt status. Museums must generally have at least one full-time or equivalent professional staff member, a physical location they own or operate, have been open to the public for at least 120 days in the year prior to the deadline and own or use tangible objects (including living collections). Wexler said institutions can be standalone museums or part of larger entities such as colleges, universities, tribes, or government bodies.

Project goals: Proposals should advance one of three NLGM goals—lifelong learning, community engagement, or collection stewardship and access—and produce results that can be used by the broader field. Wexler described examples for each goal, from research on museum-based learning and scalable models to tools that improve access, conservation research, or resources that help museums remove barriers to participation.

Funding, cost share and page limits NLGM projects may request between $50,000 and $750,000. Full projects that produce robust results typically require a 1:1 cost share (cash, staff or volunteer time, grantee-contributed costs, or partner contributions), and Wexler emphasized that cost share "may not be funds from another federal source." Research projects within the $50,000–$750,000 range do not require a cost share. The narrative portion of an application is limited to 10 pages; Wexler warned that if applicants exceed the NOFO page limits, IMLS will remove extra pages before review, potentially interrupting reviewer reading.

Required and conditionally required application components All required attachments must be submitted as PDFs, except for web-based forms (the SF-424s and the IMLS Museum Program Information Form completed in the Grants.gov workspace). Wexler warned that omission of even a single required document may result in application rejection. Conditionally required materials include proof of nonprofit status (an IRS letter — state sales tax exemption letters are not acceptable), a federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement if an applicant uses one, a digital product plan for digital outputs, and a data management and sharing plan for research projects.

Supporting materials and narrative structure Supporting documents are optional but useful (letters of support, vendor quotes, equipment specifications) and should reinforce the application rather than introduce new material. The narrative has three sections—project justification (the need the project addresses), the project work plan (who will do what, when, and how progress will be tracked) and the project results (intended outcomes, measures of success and sustainability). Wexler advised applicants to explicitly address the review criteria in the NOFO and to write clearly for peer reviewers, avoiding jargon and unexplained acronyms.

Application logistics and deadlines "Applications must be received through Grants.gov by 11:59PM Eastern Time on 11/15/2024," Wexler said, noting that the Grants.gov timestamp is authoritative and cannot be overridden. Applicants should register early in Grants.gov workspace, ensure active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity Identifier, and clear any federal debts or holds listed in SAM.gov, because such holds must be resolved before an award can be made.

Review and award timeline After the deadline IMLS staff will review applications for completeness and eligibility, and experienced peer reviewers will be selected to score proposals. Staff review budgets and financial records before materials go to the IMLS Director, who "by law, has the authority and responsibility to make final award decisions," Wexler said. That process typically concludes with Director-level decisions in July, and applicants should expect award notifications and reviewer scores and comments in early August 2025.

Resources and next steps Wexler recommended exploring the IMLS awards database (Search Awarded Grants) for examples of previously funded projects and posted abstracts and schedules from successful NLGM applications. Applicants may schedule counseling calls with program staff via links on the grant program page to ask specific application questions. "Thank you for listening and best of luck," Wexler concluded.

What’s next: review the NLGM Notice of Funding Opportunity at imls.gov/grants, use posted sample applications as models, and submit completed applications through Grants.gov before the stated deadline.