Greetings Colleagues, I trust you're well. See messaging below from IMLS re: grant program. All HBCU's are considered eligible for this program. Respectfully, Sandra From: Mark Isaksen [mailto:MIsaksen@imls.gov] Sent: Tuesday, November 4, 2014 2:58 PM To: Sandra Phoenix Subject: IMLS Museum Grants for African American History and Culture Greetings, I wanted to share some information about the grant programs at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that might be of interest to you. Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) are available to support projects that improve the operations, care of collections, and development of professional management at African American museums. In addition to museums with a primary focus on African American history and culture, all HBCU's are considered to be eligible applicants to this program. Several HBCU library, archives and/or special collections departments have been successful in this grant program. The application deadline for the AAHC program is December 1, 2014 for projects starting in August 2015. The official guidelines for preparing and submitting and application are located here on the IMLS website http://www.imls.gov/applicants/aahc_nofo_2015.aspx In case you were wondering if the AAHC grant program was suitable for your organization, I've included some of the most frequently asked questions in this email. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have specific questions. What kinds of projects may be funded in the AAHC program? You may apply for projects including, but not limited to, the following activities: * Audience development and community outreach * Audience research and evaluation * Cataloguing, inventorying, documenting, and registration * Conservation surveys, treatments, and environmental improvements for museum collections storage and exhibit areas * Digitization activities designed to improve collections management * Digital media development, design, and delivery * Exhibition development, design, and fabrication * Forums for community dialogue * Fostering partnerships among museums and/or institutions of higher education to address challenges facing the African American museum community * Institutional, collections, and interpretive planning * Internships/fellowships * Interpretive and educational program development and delivery * Publication research, design, and printing * Training for staff, volunteers, and educators How much money can my institution apply for? There are two funding levels available for AAHC grants, subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion: * $5,000 - $25,000 * $25,001 - $150,000 What are the requirements for cost sharing? For the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program, the requirements to provide cost share from non-federal funds differ according to funding level: AAHC Funding Level Cost Share Requirement $5,000 - $25,000 No cost share permitted* $25,001 - $150,000 At least 1:1 cost share What are the eligibility requirements for the AAHC grant program? To be eligible to apply for a grant in this program, you must: * Be either a private nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code or a unit of State or local government; and * Be one of the following: * a museum whose primary purpose, as reflected in its mission, is African American life, art, history, and/or culture; or * a historically black college or university (HBCU), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. Section 1061, and pursuant to Executive Order 13256, dated February 12, 2002; or * a museum service organization or association whose primary purpose, as reflected in its mission, is to support museums with a primary purpose of African American life, art, history and/or culture; What is the IMLS definition of a museum? A museum uses a professional staff, is organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes; owns or uses tangible objects, either animate or inanimate; cares for these objects; and exhibits these objects to the general public on a regular basis through facilities that it owns or operates. Please refer to the complete eligibility descriptions as well as the Notice of Funding Opportunity on the grant applicants section of the IMLS website<http://www.imls.gov/applicants/guidelines.aspx>. In addition to the information available on the IMLS website, including recorded webinars for each grant program<http://www.imls.gov/resources/grant_program_webinars.aspx>, you may contact IMLS program staff to schedule a counseling call. Thank you, Mark Mark Isaksen Senior Program Officer Office of Museum Services Institute of Museum and Library Services 1800 M Street NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 tel. 202-653-4667