EL museo latino will advance and improve the management and care of the museum's collection

El Museo Latino received a $499,999 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture program (CFDA 45.033), effective October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2028. The grant funds a three-year collection management enhancement initiative designed to advance the museum's organizational capacity to serve its community. Key deliverables include hiring a Curator of Collections and Exhibitions and a Curatorial Assistant to update and complete cataloguing of the museum's collection; upgrading the collection management software system to improve capabilities, increase storage capacity, and enhance accessibility; and acquiring collection storage cabinets and archival supplies to ensure proper preservation of museum artifacts.

The project will result in a comprehensively catalogued collection housed in an updated management system that is accessible to both museum staff and the public. These activities align with the ALHC program's dual mandate to build capacity within American Latino history and culture museums while advancing professional workforce development in these institutions. The award supports El Museo Latino's mission of preserving and promoting Latino art, culture, and history in Omaha, Nebraska, through strategic infrastructure and human resource investments.

The museum will hire a curator of collections and a curatorial assistant to update current records and to complete cataloguing of the collection. The museum will also upgrade the collection management software for improved capabilities, increased storage, and accessibility. Project activities will include hiring a curator of collections and exhibitions and a curatorial assistant, purchasing collection storage cabinets, acquiring software to upgrade the collection management system, providing archival supplies for the museum to ensure the preservation of the collection, and cataloguing the collection in an updated system that will make the collection accessible to the staff and public.