The sloan museum of discovery and longway planetarium will provide professional development training for 82 staff and 15 board members to build workforce resilience and organizational capacity

The Flint Institute of Science & History, operating the Sloan Museum of Discovery and Longway Planetarium, received a $308,242 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to strengthen organizational capacity and workforce resilience through professional development initiatives. The award, obligated on October 1, 2025, funds a two-year project (through September 30, 2027) that will deliver customized training sessions to 82 staff members and 15 board members. Core training modules, developed through staff surveys and expert consultant collaboration, will be tailored to different constituent groups within the organization.

The project includes structured site visits to peer institutions—Impressions 5 Science Center (Lansing, MI), Imagination Station (Toledo, OH), and the Motor City Museum (Detroit, MI)—where supervisors and staff will exchange best practices and gain specialized knowledge. Additionally, participants will access continued professional development through attendance at seven national or regional conferences within their content areas. This comprehensive approach aligns with the Museums for America program's emphasis on professional development as a critical component of building sustainable institutional capacity in the museum sector.

Project activities include training sessions developed in collaboration with expert consultants and tailored to different internal constituent groups based on core training modules developed in response to staff surveys. Supervisors and staff will visit area museums to gain specific knowledge and collaboratively share best practices at the following museums: impressions 5 science center in lansing, MI; imagination station, in toledo, ohio; and the motor city museum in detroit, MI. The final component of this project involves continued professional development within content areas offered at seven national or regional conferences.