National Leadership Grants for Museums (2027)

The National Leadership Grants for Museums (NLG-M-FY27) is a federal funding opportunity provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support projects that address critical needs within the museum field. The program focuses on three primary goals: advancing museum-based learning and engagement, improving the ability of museums to respond to community needs, and identifying new solutions for widespread collections care or conservation issues. Projects are expected to advance professional practice through the creation of replicable models, tools, research findings, and collaborations. Non-research projects must generate scalable results, while research projects are required to provide Public Access Plans for the management and sharing of their findings. Eligible applicants must maintain active registrations in the System for Award Management (SAM) and Grants.gov, and possess a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Applications must be submitted via the Grants.gov Workspace by November 13, 2026, and must adhere to strict PDF formatting and naming conventions, including a 10-page maximum for the project narrative. The anticipated period of performance runs from September 1, 2027, to August 31, 2030, with project durations ranging from one to three years. Awards are determined by the IMLS Director based on a professional peer review process that evaluates alignment with program goals, the use of evidence to describe needs, the qualifications of project staff, and the feasibility of the proposed resources and timeline.