Museum Grants and Funding Opportunities for 2019

As 2019 rolls around, the start of the new year brings new museum grants and funding opportunities. You have a list of great ideas and projects that you’ve been thinking about executing, and now is the best time to figure out how to accomplish those goals. Sifting through grants takes time and it may feel a little overwhelming. That’s why we put together our annual grants guides, and this year is better than ever. Check out some of our favorite ideas that could be accomplished with the help of the museum grants on our list and download your copy of the guides.

Make Your Institution IIIF Compatible

Now is a better time than ever to join the worldwide community of IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) and ensure that your collection is an effective contributor to cultural competency, research, and knowledge. By sharing your images, books, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, scrolls, single sheet collections, and archival materials you will contribute to collaborative global learning for decades to come.

Learn more about the importance of IIF compatibility here, and how it can be seamlessly integrated into your collections website.

Digitize Your Collection

Digitization can seem daunting: this project can be expensive and time-consuming, especially for larger collections. But the recent introduction of customized conveyer-belt imaging systems may change that. Search for a museum grant to ensure that your collection objects are in the spotlight even when they are in storage.

Learn more about how the Smithsonian is utilizing conveyer-belt driven imaging in this short video created by their Digitization Program Office.

Get Your Collections Online

An online presence can help your collection reach a global audience, leave visitors with a stunning take away from your museum, and provide researchers, students, and your own staff with accessible tools to empower and inform their work.

Need inspiration? Take a look at The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University and their use of eMuseum digital publishing software to create an online collection for researchers.

Update Your Museum’s Disaster Preparedness Strategy

The unfortunate increase in natural disasters in recent years has sparked concern among the museum community, as special collections across the globe have been damaged or destroyed by fires and floods. The rise in public concern and frequent news coverage of these tragedies tells us that funders may be looking to help institutions better prepare for these disasters, so be on the lookout for these opportunities and consider creating a disaster preparedness plan.

Familiarize Yourself with the 2019 Grants and Funding Opportunities

Museum Grants in the USA

Managing a collection can be an arduous task, involving many players and moving pieces. From registrars to curators, collections managers to conservators, every team member cares for the objects housed in your institution. To help everyone achieve their collections goals and support your institution with a boost in funding, we’ve curated a few museum grants and funding opportunities for museums in the USA. For our full list of museum guides please refer to our museum grants guide below.

Archaeological Institute of America

The Site Preservation Grant is funded twice a year, and supports projects that maximize preservation efforts on a global scale while upholding the mission of AIA. Focus can be on preservation, education, or best practices in preservation. This grant is well suited for historic sites or parks and comes with a two part application process. For more information, contact Ben Thomas. Due: November 1, 2019.

Bay and Paul Foundations

The Bay and Paul Foundations are sometimes known to provide grants to institutions interested in taking on conservation projects, however their current museum grant is focused on exploring projects that encourage youths in New York to become involved in the arts. This may apply to education and conservation programs. Due: the 2019 due dates for this application have not yet been announced. Please visit the Educational Applications of Cultural Collections‘ Application Procedures page for updated details.

Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program is a joint effort of IMLS and the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works to help small and mid-sized museums better care for their collections through a grant and recommendations. Due: the 2019 dates for this grant haven’t been announced. Please check back for updates. Visit the Application Instructions page or contact Jill Connors-Joyner for more information.

Museum Grants in the UK and in Europe

Cultural heritage organizations can sometimes experience challenges meeting the deficits in their funding, stalling their ability to preserve collections and fulfill their cultural missions. By using every resource possible, institutions can maximize their collection’s potential and serve their audiences better. That’s why we’ve put together this list of a few museum grants and funding opportunities in the UK and Europe. Many of the grants on this list are annual, so if a due date for a grant your institution is interested in is listed as passed due, it’s important to check the granting website for the most up to date information. For the full list of UK and European museum grants, please download our guide below.

Kress Foundation Grants

The Kress Foundation provides an international Digital Resources Grant to help integrate new technologies into arts, and can include supporting foundations of European institutions. Visit them here for more information on their digital funding programs.

Welcomeurope

The CREATIVE EUROPE program for European culture and linguistic diversity targets the cultural and creative sectors looking to operate beyond their country’s borders. Nonprofits are eligible to apply, and should feature the promotion of cultural diversity. Learn more here.

Creative Europe

Nonprofit organizations looking to conserve their museum or working on conservation are eligible to apply for conservation-related funding through the Europa Nostra Award.

Museum Grants in Spain and Latin America

An important challenge in heritage organizations in Latin America is securing funding for projects that promote preservation and growth of their collections. Funding such projects would help them create a greater preponderance in cultural awareness. For these institutions, unconventional thinking is vital to raise the money needed to advance the conservation and in the administration projects of collections, updates or general improvements of technology and access to international collections. Fortunately, many funding agencies they have an international reach and, sometimes, help can be found in unexpected places. We’ve selected three museum grants available for Spanish and Latin American institutions. To access the full list, download our guide.

Spanish International Cooperation Agency For Development (AECID)

AECID, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain (MAEC), has offered grants and assistance programs for the past 75 years. Each program provides a wide variety of trainings and internships in areas related to art, education and culture. The motivation behind these grants is to strengthen cultural, educational and scientific ties with Latin America.

Inter-America Development Bank (IDB)

The IDB works to improve the quality of life by reducing the poverty and inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean a through economic and technical support. The IDB has financed projects including those focused on the conservation of objects and education in museums of countries like Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Iberoamerican Cooperation: Iberarchivos – ADAI Program

The Iberarchivos-ADAI Program (Support for the Development of Iberoamerican Archives) is a cooperation initiative and cultural integration between Latin American countries that promotes improved access, organization, description, conservation and dissemination of documentary heritage of Latin America. Grants have been available for 15 years and have annual calls.

Partnering with Gallery Systems

To help make better collections management a reality and strengthen public engagement in your collections, Gallery Systems offers software applications and services to help you manage collections of any size or type, and allow you to dynamically publish information to your website, intranet, and kiosks. We have assisted many institutions with their successful grant applications and we would be happy to guide you through the process. Contact us to learn more.