Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2027)
Open Posted
- Opportunity number
- AAHC-FY27
- Applications due
- Award size
- $5,000 to $500,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Categories
-
- Arts
- Humanities
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is soliciting applications for Museum Grants for African American History and Culture, with applications due November 13, 2026. The program operates on a 50-50 cost-share basis, requiring recipients to contribute non-federal resources equal to federal funding received.
Eligible applicants include African American museums whose primary mission encompasses African American art, history, and culture across specified eras; nonprofits operating such museums on their behalf; museum service organizations supporting African American museums; and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. All applicants must be located in U.S. states, territories, or freely associated states and hold tax-exempt status or be units of state, local, or tribal government.
Award values typically range from $30,000 to $1 million, with a median in the low hundreds of thousands. IMLS anticipates making approximately 31 awards annually based on historical patterns. Project periods run one to three years beginning July 1, with no-cost extensions of up to one year available at IMLS discretion.
Funded activities include collections care and digitization, exhibition design and fabrication, archival processing, oral history collection, and staff capacity-building through new or expanded positions. Successful applications demonstrate institutional capacity building and professional workforce development, define logical interrelated activities tied to specific institutional needs, and generate measurable results.
IMLS staff review applications for eligibility and completeness, then peer reviewers evaluate all eligible and complete applications according to established review criteria. The IMLS Director makes final funding decisions. IMLS notifies both successful and unsuccessful applicants by email and provides reviewer comments and scores to unsuccessful applicants.
The program operates under CFDA 45.309. Financial records and supporting documents must be retained for three years following submission of the final financial report.
Synopsis
The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program builds the capacity of African American museums and supports the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums. The program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Eligibility
See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility information.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| fy27-oms-aahc-NOFO.pdf |
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