The Inspire! program is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in serving communities throughout the United States.

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced the FY24 recipients of its Inspire! Grants for Small Museums program. Seventy-eight small museums will receive funding to serve the public through exhibitions, educational programs, institutional planning, collections management, and other initiatives. In total, FY24 awardees will receive $3,324,571 in federal funding.

This year, the Inspire! program provided applicants with two funding options – institutions requesting $5,000 to $25,000 were not required to provide any of their own funding, while institutions requesting $25,001 to $75,000 were required to match their requested funding amount with non-federal funds. This structure enables Inspire! grantees to propose larger-scale projects without putting undue burden on institutions that cannot provide a funding match.

The decision to update the program in this way was made with consideration to the diversity of small museums. Increasing the program’s adaptability enables applicants to design projects that best fit their institution’s needs and capacity. This is especially critical now, as many small museums are still struggling to return to pre-Covid funding and staffing levels.

“Small museums exist across a wide range of disciplines and geographies,” said Acting IMLS Director Cyndee Landrum. “Many serve as the only cultural institution in their community. Federal investment in small museums is an investment in access to art, science, history, and the preservation of local culture and stories. IMLS’s mission is to support small museums as the engines of vibrant, thriving communities.”

All awarded Inspire! projects can be found on the IMLS website. Five of this year’s awardees are detailed below:

• Cass County Historical Society
  The Cass County Historical Society will process, catalog, and rehouse its backlog of new accessions to enhance preservation and access to its collection. Informed by a recent Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) report, society staff will purchase storage shelving and archival materials to process and rehouse its backlog of new donations. The society will hire and provide training to two paid interns to assist with cataloging and rehousing. The project will result in improved preservation and intellectual control of the collection and will enable staff to enhance exhibitions and programming.

• La Jolla Historical Society
  The La Jolla Historical Society will digitize nearly 1,800 photographs, postcards, and oral history recordings in its collection. The project will support the hiring and training of two paid interns to digitize and accession the collections, research and draft descriptions for the catalog records, and upload all materials to the society’s collections management system. Cataloging and digitizing the collection will address the urgent need to preserve fidelity of the deteriorating items in the collection. This project will also increase the accessibility of the collections to inform future exhibitions and  respond to the estimated 325 research requests the society receives annually.

• The Delaware Contemporary
  The Delaware Contemporary will continue its successful afterschool teen arts program through a series of learning experiences to foster exploration of museum and creative industry careers. The project team will partner with Title 1 high schools in New Castle County to recruit students who have limited access to arts opportunities. Through cross-disciplinary learning methods and engagement with the museum’s teaching artists and a diverse group of Creatives-in-Residence, students will create their own works using a variety of art media, visit creative industry workspaces and cultural institutions, and participate in civic engagement projects. The program will culminate in an exhibition and pop-up retail operation to showcase students’ artwork. These opportunities will help students develop professional skills, promote job preparedness, broaden career horizons, and overcome barriers to success. Project outcomes will be tracked through informal observation, program surveys, and collaboration with educators.

• Tomaquag Museum
  The Tomaquag Museum will undertake a project to create an interactive outdoor exhibition of a mishoon, a dugout canoe traditionally used by Southeastern New England's Indigenous Tribes. As part of the project, museum staff will select up to ten Native youth artists to learn traditional mishoon-making skills. The museum will contract with a specialized exhibition design firm and Wampanoag Tribal artisan who will build the mishoon, provide educational training for staff, and mentor youth artists. The project will result in hands-on training for Indigenous youth, training for museum staff, and the creation of a weatherized, outdoor mishoon exhibit, benefiting staff, the tribes of southern New England, and visitors.

• Rowan University (Edelman Planetarium)
  Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University will enhance the quality and access of its programs for families and patrons with autism spectrum disorder and sensory needs. Planetarium staff will complete training, certification, and on-site review to become a certified autism center through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. With input from on-site reviewers and experts, the planetarium will purchase materials to build kits to assist visitors with sensory needs. Specialized staff training will enable the planetarium to provide a more welcoming and inclusive environment and will benefit families and visitors with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders.

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is the fifth IMLS Museum Services program to announce its FY24 awardees. Recipients of the Museums for America, Museums Empowered, and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs will be announced later this summer.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.