Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2027)
Funding Type
Grant
Grantor Agency
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Grant Range
Up to $500,000
# of Awards Available
Programmatic Area
Arts & Humanities
Programmatic Area
Capacity Building
Deadline
2026-11-13
Match Required?
Eligible Entities
To be eligible for an award under the AAHC program, your organization must meet all three of the following eligibility criteria. 1) Your organization must be: a unit of a State, local, or Tribal government; or a private, nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (you will need to include proof of this if applicable to your organization. See Conditionally Required Documents for more information). 2) Your organization must be located in: one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia; or the Republic of Palau. 3) Your organization must qualify as one of the following:
3(a) A museum whose primary focus, as reflected in its mission, is African American life, art, history, and/or culture, and: uses a professional staff; is organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes; owns or uses tangible objects, and/or living collections; cares for these objects; and exhibits these objects to the general public on a regular basis through facilities that it owns or operates; or 3(b) A public or private nonprofit agency that is responsible for the operation of a museum that meets the eligibility criteria in 1, 2, and 3(a), applying on behalf of the museum; or 3(c) A museum service organization or association whose primary purpose, as reflected in its mission, is to directly support museums whose primary purpose, as reflected in their mission, is African American life, art, history, and/or culture; or 3(d) A historically black college or university, as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. § 1132.
Focus Area
The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program builds the capacity of African American museums and supports the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Contact
imls-museumgrants@imls.gov
Link to Opportunity
https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/363770
Application Platform
grants.gov
Assistance Listing
45.309
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