Museums might find the following resources useful when seeking support for projects based on recommendations in the CAP report.
National Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
INSPIRE! Grants for Small Museums
Inspire! is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. This special initiative is designed to inspire small museums to apply for and implement projects that address priorities identified in their strategic plans. Inspire! has three project categories:Collections Stewardship and Public Access, Lifelong Learning,and Community Anchors and Catalysts. Grants range from $5,000 - $50,000. No cost sharing requirement.
Museums for America (MFA)
The Museums for America (MFA) program supports projects that strengthen the ability of an individual museum to serve its public. MFA has three project categories: Collections Stewardship and Public Access, Lifelong Learning, and Community Anchors and Catalysts. Grants range from $5,000–$250,000 with a cost sharing requirement.
Native American/ Native Hawaiian Services Program
Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (NANH) grants support Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. They are intended to provide opportunities to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge through strengthened activities in areas such as collections stewardship, exhibitions, educational services and programming, and professional development. Grants range from $5,000 - $100,000. No cost sharing requirement.
Museum Grants for African American History and Culture
Museum Grants for African American History and Culture support activities that build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. Grants range from $5,000-$250,000. No cost sharing is required for applications requesting amounts from $5,000-$50,000.
Museums Empowered:Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff
A special initiative of the Museums for America grant program, supports staff capacity building projects that use professional development to generate systemic change within a museum. Museums Empowered has four project categories; Digital Technology, Diversity and Inclusion, Evaluation, and Organizational Management. Grants range from $5,000-$250,000 with a cost sharing requirement.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. The maximum grant amount is $6,000.
Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
This grant helps cultural institutions preserve large and diverse holdings of humanities materials by supporting sustainable conservation measures.
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants
Awards of federal matching funds aim to help institutions secure long-term support for their core activities and expand efforts to preserve and create access to outstanding humanities materials (critical building system work may be included).
National Parks Service (NPS)
Save America's Treasures Grants (SAT)
SAT grants provide preservation and/or conservation assistance to nationally significant historic properties and collections. Grants will be awarded through a competitive process and require a dollar-for-dollar, non-Federal match, which can be cash or documented in-kind. There are two separate applications: one for preservation projects and one for projects involving collections.
Society for Industrial Archaeology (SIA)
Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants
The Society for Industrial Archaeology offers Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants (IHPG) from $1,000 to $3,000 for the study, documentation, recordation, and/or preservation of significant historic industrial sites, structures, and objects. Funds may be used for a range of projects including, but not limited to: increasing public awareness of preservation efforts, photography, videography, preparing inventories and developing measured drawings of extant significant industrial sites, structures, maritime facilities and industrial artifacts.
Costume Society of America (CSA)
CSA Small Museums Collection Care Grant
A CSA Small Museum Collection Care Grant of $1,500 is intended to assist the costume and textiles collection of a small museum (including historical societies, historic houses or sites, and other similar institutions) that has a very limited budget and staff. Funding may be used to support the care, conservation, and/or exhibition of costume and textiles that have historic, regional, or other significance and are intended for preservation. Preference is given to institutions that have previously undergone a Collection Assessment for Preservation (CAP) Program Grant.
College and University Collection Care Grant
A CSA College and University Collection Care Grant of $1,500 is intended to assist the costume and textiles collection of a college or university that receives little or no financial support from its institution. Funding may be used to support the care, conservation, and/or instructional mission of a collection of historic, period, or otherwise informative costume and textiles that are intended for preservation and are used for study by an institution that has a degree program in apparel, textiles, or theatre.
American Public Gardens Association
Public Garden Funding Resources
There are many grants available to non-profit gardens that may be applicable to your wants and needs as a public garden.
State Grants
Most states offer grant funding for museum and/or preservation activities. Visit our State Grants page to find opportunities in your state.
Additional Fundraising Resources
Technical Guides
Capitalize on Collections Care
This booklet shares strategies for fundraising at your museum. It outlines some principles and strategies that can help garner support from the private and public sectors, especially your local community. It also provides a variety of case studies and examples to show how fundraising for preservation and conservation can be successful.
Webinars and Courses
National Preservation Institute
Finding New Sources of Funding in Challenging Times: An Introduction
An investigation of any grants database using the search terms “historic preservation” or “cultural resources” will yield minimal results. During times of economic hardship, and the resulting narrowing of priorities for funders, results may be downright nonexistent. Learn how to evaluate a cultural resource project for its value in serving broader community needs. Review traditional funding types vs. alternative sources that can be redirected to meet project goals. Consider new partnerships that can expand the universe of support.
Connecting to Collections Care
Fundraising for Collections Care
This free online course offers training, tools and tips through a series of self-paced webinars. It reviews the basics of creating a fundraising plan, where to look for support, how to cultivate individual donors and members, how to write successful proposals, and creative ideas for funding your collections care projects.
Funding For Collections Care
One of the biggest challenges in moving ahead with collections care projects can be finding adequate funding. Learn how enthusiasm in making the case, coupled with a rich understanding of the stories behind your collections, can yield success in fundraising.
So, You Want to Run a Kickstarter Campaign? Lessons/Tips for Crowd Funding Your Project
Crowdfunding, once a novel approach to financing a project, has now become mainstream with multiple hosting platforms to choose from. In this Connecting to Collections Care webinar, conservator J. Claire Dean highlights the challenges and rewards of using a crowdfunding approach. The most popular platforms are discussed, as are the key factors to organizing, promoting, and completing a campaign.
Adopt-an-Object Fundraising Tool
Object adoption programs offer a unique opportunity for visitors to meaningfully contribute to conservation efforts and to gain a sense of ownership of their favorite objects and institutions. This live chat discussed existing Adopt-an-Object models and explored the lessons learned by the institutions that have used them.