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Simpler Grants

No. IGSM-FY27 · Institute of Museum and Library Services

Open

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)

Dealbreakers Cost share: not stated Audit: not stated Reimbursement-only: not stated
Award range
$5,000 – $75,000
Expected awards
Not specified
Application deadline
Nov 13, 2026
Posted
Sep 1, 2026
Last verified
Today

At a glance

No plain-language summary yet for this grant — the official description below is the best source.

What it funds

  • Arts
  • Humanities
Official description from grants.gov

Inspire Grants for Small Museums (Inspire) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program designed to support small museums of all disciplines, including small rural or small remote institutions and small museums that have not previously received federal funding. The program funds project-based efforts to serve the public through educational programs and exhibits, community partnerships, and collections stewardship activities. The goal of the Inspire program is to build the capacity of small museums to provide museum services to their communities through supporting the development of experiential learning and discovery in small museums, and the management and care of collections in small museums.

Who can apply

  • Others
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide

Program history

USASpending.gov

Assistance listing 45.301 · Museums for America

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (45.301), not just this notice.

Fiscal year Awards Median award Middle half
FY 2026 (so far) 197 $83,664 $25,000 – $250,843
FY 2025 90 $142,546 $40,000 – $248,960
FY 2024 211 $138,868 $47,621 – $245,627
FY 2023 220 $150,713 $50,000 – $242,485
FY 2022 200 $153,429 $50,000 – $234,806
FY 2021 206 $177,814 $126,716 – $241,877

For comparison, this notice advertises $5,000 – $75,000.

Dollar figures are based on the 1,000 most recent awards we store, not all 1,124 — award counts are complete.

Who wins it State government (1,124) of 1,124 awards — categories can overlap.
Top states NY (133) · CA (78) · PA (42) · IL (39) · MA (33)
Largest recent awards
  1. TOWN OF NORMAL CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM FOUNDATION $1,191,000 · FY 2026
  2. FRIENDS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES $795,382 · FY 2026
  3. FLORIDA HOLOCAUST MUSEUM, INC $750,000 · FY 2025
  4. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER $749,981 · FY 2025
  5. CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST AND HUMANITY EDUCATION $747,881 · FY 2025

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Sep 2, 2026