Museums for America (MFA)
MFA is IMLS's largest competitive museum grant, funding projects under three goals: lifelong learning, community engagement, and collections stewardship and access. Peer reviewers score a 7-page narrative on project justification, work plan and results, and each application must align with one goal and one objective. The FY2027 cycle is open, but awards depend on Congress funding an agency the administration has proposed to eliminate.
Program facts
- Agency
- Office of Museum Services (OMS), Institute of Museum and Library Services
- Assistance Listing
- 45.301
- Statutory authority
- Museum and Library Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101 et seq.), in particular 20 U.S.C. 9173 (museum services activities)
- Award ceiling
- $5,000 to $350,000
- Awards
- The FY2027 NOFO anticipates 122 awards; the average award in previous years was about $177,860
- Period of performance
- 1 to 3 years; FY2027 projects begin September 1, 2027
- Cost share
- At least 1:1 nonfederal cost share (cash or in-kind); cost share is an eligibility check and is not scored
- Cycle
- IMLS posted the FY2027 NOFO September 1, 2026 with a Grants.gov deadline of November 13, 2026; notifications are expected in August 2027, subject to appropriations. After the March 2025 executive order targeting IMLS and the grant terminations that followed, an April 2026 settlement reinstated grants and staff, and the FY2026 cycle ran to completion; the President's FY2027 budget again proposed no IMLS funding
Program goals
- Lifelong learning: public programs, exhibitions and interpretation for people of all ages
- Community engagement: collaborative planning, outreach, evaluation and community-centered partnerships
- Collections stewardship and access: cataloging, conservation, rehousing, digitization and collections information management
Scoring rubric
Project justification35
Alignment with the selected goal and objective, advancement of the strategic plan, data describing the need, defined audiences and their involvement in planning, and quantified collection condition for stewardship projects.
Project work plan35
Activities grounded in theory and practice, stated assumptions and risks, qualified staff and partners, resources matched to scope, a sound digital products plan, and progress tracking that supports course corrections.
Project results30
Realistic, measurable results tied to the need, a structured plan for changing knowledge, skills or behavior, accessible products, and a practical sustainability plan.
The FY2027 MFA NOFO lists the three peer review criteria without point values. The weights shown are ELIXIR CONSUMERS' readiness weighting based on how the criteria are distributed in the NOFO.
Eligibility
- Units of state, local or Tribal government, or private nonprofits with tax-exempt status
- Located in the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia or Palau
- Must be a museum that uses professional staff, is organized on a permanent basis, owns or uses tangible objects, cares for them and exhibits them to the public (at least 120 days a year is deemed regular)
- A nonprofit that operates an eligible museum may apply on its behalf; museums within a parent organization must meet the criteria independently
- Includes art, history, science, children's and natural history museums, historic houses, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers and planetariums
Required attachments
- SF-424S and IMLS Museum Program Information Form (Grants.gov Workspace)
- Organizational Profile (1 page recommended) and Strategic Plan Summary (2 pages recommended)
- Narrative (7 pages maximum)
- Schedule of Completion (1 page per year recommended)
- IMLS Budget Form and Budget Justification
- List of key project staff and consultants, and resumes (2 pages each recommended)
- Performance Measurement Plan (2 pages recommended)
- Conditionally: proof of nonprofit status, indirect cost rate agreement, Digital Products Plan, condition reports or treatment proposals
Formatting rules
- Narrative limited to 7 pages; IMLS removes pages over the stated limits before peer review
- All components other than the two web forms must be PDFs with the file names IMLS specifies
- Indirect costs may use the 15% de minimis rate on modified total direct costs if no negotiated rate exists
Why applications lose points
- Narrative that does not name one program goal and one objective
- Budget Form without at least 1:1 cost share, which can lead to rejection
- Collections projects that do not quantify the objects and their current condition
- Missing the Performance Measurement Plan or a vague plan with no data collection method
- Institutions that cannot document professional staff or regular public exhibition
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with IMLS MFA
- 1.Drafts the 7-page narrative under the justification, work plan and results headings with a page counter
- 2.Pulls collection counts and condition survey data from your collections database exports and cites them
- 3.Builds the IMLS budget with cost share from your operating budget and flags any federal sources
- 4.Generates the Performance Measurement Plan and Schedule of Completion from the work plan so dates stay consistent
More arts breakdowns
Questions, answered
Is IMLS still making grants?
Yes. The FY2027 NOFOs posted September 1, 2026 with a November 13 deadline. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Is cost share scored?
No. It is an eligibility requirement checked against your Budget Form, not part of peer review.
Can a university museum apply?
Yes, if the museum meets the eligibility criteria independently within its parent organization.
$ elixir trial --days 14
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