Small Museum Friendly Grants AASLH Annual Meeting Richmond VA, September 2011

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1 Small Museum Friendly Grants AASLH Annual Meeting Richmond VA, September 2011 PRESENTERS Janice Klein EightSixSix Consulting, Tempe AZ Susan Mathisen SAM Fundraising Solutions, New York NY, Prudence Haines Historic Yellow Springs, Chester PA Larry Paarlberg General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Crawfordsville IN RESOURCES Publications Is Your Museum Grant-Ready? Assessing Your Organization s Potential for Funding by Sarah Brophy (AltaMira Press, 2005). Ms Brophy s website contains a PDF file of the Grant Ready Checklist included in the book. Small Museum Friendly Grants by Janice Klein. Big Ideas for Small Museums Newsletter Volume 2, February Fundraising for Small Museums by Salvatore G. Cilella, Jr. (AltaMira Press, 2011). A good overview of most types of museum fund-raising, but somewhat out-of-date for grants and, despite the title, is not particularly focused on small museums. General Sources for Grants Office of University Partnership (HUD) ( Funding Resource Guide (41 page PDF file) Foundation Database Institute for Museum and Library Services ( National Endowment for the Humanities (

2 National Endowment for the Arts ( State Humanities Councils ( State, Regional and Local Arts Councils Foundations Foundation Center ( the most comprehensive source of information about grants from over 41,000 private foundations; publishes The Foundation Directory, which is available online by subscription (starting at $20/month) and in print in major public libraries; sign up for Arts Funding Watch the free monthly newsletter for cultural organizations and artists by registering on the website. The Grantsmanship Center ( under Funding Sources on the home page you can search by state; also a good site for information on training programs and publications. Fundsnet Online Services ( Privately owned website created in 1996 to provide nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities with information on financial resources available on the Internet. Community Foundations ( provides links to the more than 650 local Community Foundations. Foundation DataBook ( Online and CD available for purchase for individual states (KS, KT, LA, NE, NV, OK, OR, TN WA) Conservation Funding Collections Americana Foundation ( Focus is on dec arts, particularly in the area the donor collects (woodworking). Grants range from $10,000 to as high as $50,000 Bay/Paul Foundations ( Grant range is between $5-$15,000 for conservation projects. Coby Foundation ( Up to $70,000 for textile collections only. Costume Society of America Small Museums Collection Care Grants For care, conservation and/or exhibition of costume and textile collections of small museums

3 IMLS ( Has several conservation programs: Conservation Project Support Conservation Assessment Program Connecting to Collections National Endowment for the Humanities ( Conservation programs include: Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections National Endowment for the Arts ( Museums: Art Works Program National Historic Public Records Commission ( For historical documents. The Questers ( For Questers members only. Tru-Vue, Inc. ( Up to $4,000 plus donated glazing for frames and cases. Also look at State Arts or Humanities Councils or Commissions and Local Historic Preservation Groups grant programs Buildings 1772 Foundation ( Only gives to certain states each year, for specific aspects of a building restoration project (i.e. masonry) Tourism Cares ( $10,000 grants for building restoration. Must be a tourist destination. State Historic Preservation, Culture, or Tourism Offices National Trust ( National Trust Preservation Fund Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation Cynthia Woods Mitchel Fund for Historic Interiors These do not fund bricks-and-mortar but do fund the hiring of consultants to assist with the scope-of-work, fundraising, design, planning, marketing, etc.

4 Volume 2, February 2011 By Janice Klein, EightSixSix Consulting Small Museum Friendly Grants How can you apply to IMLS when they need a microscope to see you? I have no matching dollars to go after a minimum of 25K grant from them for a dedicated project For many small museums this quote perfectly describes their attitude towards grants. But there are grants out there that small museums can use. This short article will look at three things: First, who provides grants that might be appropriate for your small museum; second, how to decide which grants to apply for; and third, some tips that may help you think a little differently about grants. Types of Grants: Federal and State There are many federal agencies that provide grants for museums; here are some that are either specifically for smaller museums or are for smaller amounts and have no matching fund requirement: Institute for Museum and Library Services ( American Heritage Preservation Conservation Assessment Program Conservation Project Support Museums for America National Endowment for the Arts ( Challenge America Fast-Track Access to Artistic Excellence National Endowment for the Humanities ( Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions America s Historical and Cultural Organizations All federal grants require that you apply online using The website provides tutorials on how to register and apply, but it is a time-consuming process and will require you to pull together information from several sources at your museum. Give yourself time to register well in advance of the grant due date (the website says it usually takes three to five business days for the registration to be processed but warns it could take up to four weeks).

5 State grants for museums are generally easier to apply for, but may provide less money. Each state has an Arts Council and a Humanities Council that receives funds to redistribute from the national agencies. Many states also have funds that are distributed through the state museum or history council. Types of Grants: Foundations Private foundations are funded entirely by an individual, family or corporation. They are usually endowed with permanent assets (the principal) and the grants are made from investment earnings. Private foundations are legally required to pay out a minimum of 5% of their assets each year. Public foundations are grant-making public charities and, unlike private foundations, solicit funds which they then give out as grants. They have no pay-out requirement and are often focused on a specific cause or group. Community foundations are also public charities, but focus on specific local activities and provide individual donors choices on which of the foundation s projects they wish to fund. How to Decide While announcements of some of the literally tens of thousands of available grants may show up in your inbox, either electronically or via snailmail, if you are serious about new sources of income, there is no substitute for research to find appropriate grants. The first step is to identify your major funding needs. One strategy is to do this annually when you prepare your budget. Your list can include almost anything and everything you spend money on including exhibit cases, craft supplies, storage materials and guest speakers. Funds are also available for capacity building, which can include strategic planning, publicity, membership drives, or anything else you do that increases your support base. It is harder to find money for general support than for specific projects, but many times some of your more general needs, like printing or postage, can be incorporated into a request for a special project. Using the Resources listed at the end of this article, you can now search for government agencies and foundations whose grant criteria match your needs. Remember to check the funder s profile for geographic or other limitations, which projects and institutions they have funded in the past, typical funding ranges, and, of course, deadlines. To avoid missing any of those deadlines, mark a calendar with reminders two to three weeks before the due date. Creating a file for each potential grant as you find it, including application materials and guidelines, will make it easier when you are ready to apply. Tips 1. It s okay to apply for the minimum. Many grants are designed to fund a wide range of projects and so have a large maximum amount you can apply for. For a small museum it often makes more sense to apply for less money for a project that you can clearly accomplish using your resources (particularly manpower and time). Successful completion of smaller grant projects helps you build a good track record for future requests. 2. Look at the match requirement. Many grants require that the museum match the amount of money in the grant. This makes the size and kind of the match an important factor. Matches that allow for the use of staff (and volunteer) time, museum space, and other in-kind materials are preferable to those that require matches in cash. Remember, too, that you can use one grant to meet the matching requirements of another.

6 3. Look locally first. Many family and corporate foundations focus their support on a limited geographic area. Local chapters of service organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis, and even Garden Clubs of America provide funding for museums. This money is often given for very general types of activities like education or children s programs. Community foundations are also a good source of money, particularly for projects that can be shown to provide broader services like after-school programs. 4. Look for the less-well known foundations since some grants go unused while others have too many applicants. 5. Some sources of money don t advertise or even take applications. Many of the smaller corporate and family foundations only give money based on recommendations from staff or family members. Word-of-mouth is often the only way to tap these resources, so make sure you and your Board have the elevator speech about your organization ready to go at a moment s notice. Case in point: through casual conversation at a picnic my Board President discovered that two of her friends families had foundations. A few minutes of conversation about her work with the museum and we had two new funding sources. 6. Work collaboratively. Not only do funders like projects that serve more than one audience, but working with nonmuseum organizations provides access to additional pots of money. Some good partners are: Libraries. IMLS provides more grant money to libraries than to museum, and also gives funds to every state library which then re-grants it to libraries throughout the state. Schools. Funds come not only from the U.S. Department of Education, but also state and local school boards Convention, Visitors or Tourism Offices. States often award funds to these offices for projects that will bring visitors from more than 50 miles away. The Heritage Area Resources website ( provides more information about these kinds of grants. 7. Ultimately you need things, not money. Donations of goods and services are also important. Local vendors are often happy to donate everything from coffee for an event to building supplies for exhibits in return for credit on signage or in your annual report. 8. Every grant application is also a marketing tool. Remember that someone reads your application and this may be the first time they hear about your organization. Sometimes getting your museum known, especially by local and regional agencies, foundations and other organizations, is almost as valuable as money. It may be worth applying for some grants just to get yourself on their radar. 9. Adapt the grantor s priorities to your needs. Most of the funding currently available is geared towards new projects, rather than general operating support. That doesn t necessarily mean you have to do a totally new project, just make sure that what you want to do fits within the criteria. Focusing on a new or broader audience may make the activity sufficiently different from what you ve done in the past. Adding a sustainability component, like a database of local artists drawn from your annual holiday market participants that can be shared with the community, is another option.

7 Resources Federal and State Grants Office of University Partnerships (HUD) ( provides information on federal grants and includes a Funding Resource Guide and Foundation Database. State Arts Councils: State Humanities Councils: Foundations Foundation Center ( the most comprehensive source of information about grants from over 41,000 private foundations; publishes The Foundation Directory, which is available online by subscription (starting at $20/month) and in print in major public libraries; sign up for Arts Funding Watch the free monthly newsletter for cultural organizations and artists by registering on the website. The Grantsmanship Center ( under Funding Sources on the home page you can search by state; also a good site for information on training programs and publications. Fundsnet Online Services ( Privately owned website created in 1996 to provide nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities with information on financial resources available on the Internet. Community Foundations ( provides links to the more than 650 local Community Foundations. Foundation DataBook ( Online and CD available for purchase for individual states (KS, KT, LA, NE, NV, OK, OR, TN WA) My thanks to Rose Colby, Jill Conners-Joyner, Ron Kley, Beth Merritt, Ann Russell, Terri Schindel, Eric Taylor and Anne Wallace, whose participation in various conference sessions on this subject provided much of the information and insight for this article. For additional copies of this article visit the AASLH Small Museums Affinity Group at