[ICM] Museum Grant Opportunities Open

Hackerspace
#1

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Washington, DC — Museums across the United States have six opportunities in the coming months to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal museum funding. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting applications for five current grant programs, as well as a new opportunity targeted to small museums.

The museum funding opportunities and their deadlines are:

  • Museum Grants for African American History and Culture: November 1, 2018
  • Native American Native Hawaiian Museum Services: November 1, 2018
  • Inspire! Grants for Small Museums: November 1, 2018
  • Museums for America: December 14, 2018
  • Museums Empowered: December 14, 2018
  • National Leadership Grants for Museums: December 14, 2018

New this year, Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It is designed to reduce the burden on small museums and help them address priorities identified in their strategic plans. Applications may include projects that focus on learning experiences, community partnerships, collections stewardship, or expanding access to collections and resources. Award amounts can range from $5,000 to $50,000.

“IMLS funding supports museums of all sizes and types. We recognize that small museums hold important collections documenting the nation’s cultural and natural history in addition to their contributions to improve the quality of life in communities,” said IMLS Deputy Director of Museum Services Paula Gangopadhyay. “With the Inspire grants, IMLS hopes to explicitly support the continued growth and vitality of small museums, enabling them to achieve positive outcomes for themselves and the communities they serve.”

Applicants should note that IMLS has made changes to the deadlines, project categories, and award amount caps for its museum grant programs for FY 2019. In addition, the grant program goals now align with the new 2018-2022 IMLS Strategic Plan. Applicants should review the notices of funding opportunity carefully to understand these program goals and changes.

Potential grant applicants are invited to view webinars on choosing the appropriate funding opportunity and completing required forms. Please review the webinar listing for a schedule of live and pre-recorded webinars that are accessible online. IMLS staff contacts listed in each notice of funding opportunity are available to answer any questions and provide guidance during the application process.

Grant opportunity for DMS
#2

VCC’s interactive computer museum actually does qualify and we should discuss the strategic plan for the museum in the next committee meeting so we can engage with the program and net a Grant for the makerspace.

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#3

What strings are tied to these grants?

#4

Its a federal grant for non profits, so “strings” not apply, save for actual space for the interactive computer museum to operate instead of trying to push VCC into either virtual or otherwise.

The guidelines are documented:

#5

Excuse me - please read my post above. Read the documents and attachments that go with the grants. These are strings and conditions that DMS has to sign an affirmative statement that we are and will be in compliance with. Please do not cavalierly toss aside anything the governemnt expects.

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#6

Please do not cavalierly toss aside anything the governemnt expects.

“strings” implies something to the effect that we pay them back over time, stick their logo in our window, or let their gestapo into our daily dealings.

Nothing of that sort is in the the documented requirements. And in fact thanks to VCC we meet Guidelines 1, 2, 3.a.1 (interactive computer museum a “specialized museums dedicated to computer history”, 3.a.2; Committee Chair + regular office ours, and 3.a.3 exhibits objects to the general public for at lease 120 days a year. Our own “charter” states quarterly changes of display items, despite historical practices, storage constraints, and political push back this is an adjective we are committed to maintaining.

#7

No, strings describe the locus of terms and conditions.

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#8

Well in any case it doesn’t hurt for VCC to apply.

#9

You’re going to have to explain how we begin to meet the criteria:

[…]

  • qualify as one of the following:

  1. a museum¹ that, using a professional staff,² 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.³

  2. a public or private nonprofit agency which is responsible for the operation of a museum may apply on behalf of the museum.

[…]
(Definitions)

  1. Museums include, but are not limited to, aquariums, arboretums, art museums, botanical gardens, children’s/youth museums, general museums (those having two or more significant disciplines), historic houses/sites, history museums, natural history/anthropology museums, nature centers, planetariums, science/technology centers, specialized museums (limited to a single distinct subject), and zoological parks.

  2. An institution uses a professional staff if it employs at least one professional staff member, or the full-time equivalent, whether paid or unpaid, primarily engaged in the acquisition, care, or exhibition to the public of objects owned or used by the institution.

  3. An institution exhibits objects to the general public if such exhibition is a primary purpose of the institution. An institution that exhibits objects to the general public for at least 120 days a year is deemed to exhibit objects to the general public on a regular basis.

You might tapdance around the first definition. The second one can’t be rationalized and the third will be a tough hill to climb.

Perhaps not, but it looks to divert efforts away from more productive endeavors.

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Museum stays or goes?
#10

We discussed this at last nights committee meeting. Your concerns where heard and well gather all the info needed to ensure there’s no pitfalls going forward. While we proceed with that; There are a few volunteers that stepped up whom have backgrounds in successful grant writing that would be drafting a few thing together.

Be sure to join us in #vcc on chat.dallasmakerspace.org to join in on the workgroup behind the initiative.

#11

If applying for a federal grant, the following rule applies:

Only persons or members that have been formally authorized to act as an agent or representative for the Dallas Makerspace, are permitted to represent DMS in any and all conversations, writing, or other communication with any public official. Failure to secure permission may result in the forfeiture of membership.

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#12

So you’ve got slam-dunk disqualifications you can’t rebut to DMS members but are going to try to tapdance around .gov bureaucrats infamous for their unimaginative approach to their work?

I already addressed this:

Odds are we could be looking at other grants that we have the proverbial snowball’s chance on a Houston blacktop parking lot in August of getting they could be working on.

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#13

Only persons or members that have been formally authorized to act as an agent or representative for the Dallas Makerspace, are permitted to represent DMS in any and all conversations, writing, or other communication with any public official. Failure to secure permission may result in the forfeiture of membership.

Exactly and well understood. No one is saying its going to be submitted at this point. Only announcing there’s a workgroup to draft up the proposal for the grant. Once the workgroup has finalized on the draft we will present all of our material and potential application to the board as an agenda item for consideration at that time.

Until then we still need to gather the eggs before we can even think of making the omletette.

#14

I suggest gathering wood to make a fire before you ponder the extravagance of this particular omelette.