Opportunity Information: Apply for NLGSPECIALINITIATIVE COMMUNITYCATALYST F
The Activating Community Opportunities Using Museums/Libraries as Assets - A National Leadership Grants Special Initiative is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the National Leadership Grants programs for Libraries and for Museums. It sits within a special Community Catalyst initiative, meaning the emphasis is not just on improving a single organization, but on helping libraries, archives, and museums (often referred to together as the LAM field) act as community anchors that can spark broader local progress. The central idea is to fund projects that tackle meaningful, field-wide challenges while also producing lessons and resources that others can use, adapt, and replicate well beyond the original grantee.
IMLS is looking for proposals that advance both theory and practice in how LAM organizations contribute to community change. Competitive projects are expected to show, in a concrete and credible way, how museums and libraries can serve as trusted public spaces where sustained community dialogue can happen, especially dialogue that helps people explore and connect individual stories and lived experiences. Rather than one-off events, the opportunity emphasizes ongoing engagement and learning between LAM organizations and the communities they serve. The goal is to demonstrate how these institutions can help communities make sense of shared issues, build relationships, and co-create responses that lead to positive outcomes.
A distinguishing feature of this special initiative is its encouragement to borrow from and adapt proven methods outside the traditional LAM toolbox. Applicants are invited to draw on established approaches from collective impact work, social well-being strategies, and community development practice, and to demonstrate that those approaches can be effectively applied within library and museum settings. In practice, that means proposals should go beyond describing good intentions and instead explain the model being used, why it fits the local context, how partners and residents will participate, and how the approach can be tested, documented, and improved in ways that others in the field can learn from.
IMLS also makes clear that strong projects should generate outputs and outcomes that extend the value of federal investment. Expected results include things like new tools or frameworks, research findings, replicable models, services and practices that can be scaled, or partnerships and alliances that can be sustained and copied elsewhere. In other words, the funding is aimed at producing field-level value, not just local program delivery. The project should leave behind practical knowledge or resources that can travel, whether that is a toolkit, evaluation findings, implementation guide, training materials, or a partnership model that can be reproduced in different communities.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was listed with a funding opportunity number of NLGSPECIALINITIATIVE COMMUNITYCATALYST F and a CFDA number of 45.312, and it falls within the Arts and Humanities activity category. The original application closing date was April 3, 2017. The award ceiling was $150,000, and IMLS anticipated making about 20 awards. Eligible applicant types are described broadly as "Others," and the notice points applicants to detailed eligibility requirements for library entities, museum entities, community entities, and institutions of higher education, signaling that collaborative, cross-sector applications are a natural fit for the goals of this initiative.
Overall, this special initiative is designed for projects that treat libraries and museums as civic assets: places with public trust, convening power, and the ability to connect people and ideas. The most competitive proposals would be those that show a clear community-centered challenge, a strong and adaptable method for engagement and change, meaningful participation by community members and partners, and a plan to produce transferable results that strengthen the wider museum and library field.Apply for NLGSPECIALINITIATIVE COMMUNITYCATALYST F
- The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts, humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Activating Community Opportunities Using Museums/Libraries as Assets – A National Leadership Grants Special Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.312.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-02-01.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-04-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (NLGSPECIALINITIATIVE COMMUNITYCATALYST F) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Museums Empowered: Professional Development and Capacity Building Opportunities for Museums – A Museums for America Special Initiative Apply for ME FY17 Funding Number: ME FY17 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Native Hawaiian Library Services Grants Program Apply for NAG HAWAIIAN FY17 Funding Number: NAG HAWAIIAN FY17 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2023) Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY23 Funding Number: NLG LIBRARIES FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative (2024) Apply for ALIF FY24 Funding Number: ALIF FY24 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Native American Library Services Basic Grant (2024) Apply for NAG BASIC FY24 Funding Number: NAG BASIC FY24 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2024) Apply for 21MP FY24 Funding Number: 21MP FY24 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Native Hawaiian Library Services Grants (2024) Apply for NAG HAWAIIAN FY24 Funding Number: NAG HAWAIIAN FY24 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants (2024) Apply for NAG ENHANCEMENT FY24 Funding Number: NAG ENHANCEMENT FY24 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Sparks! Ignition Grants for Museums Apply for SPARKS MUSEUM FY16 Funding Number: SPARKS MUSEUM FY16 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants Program Apply for NAG ENHANCEMENT FY16 Funding Number: NAG ENHANCEMENT FY16 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Ukraine: U.S. Government Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program – Culture and Youth Projects Apply for PAS UKRAINE 2020 003 Funding Number: PAS UKRAINE 2020 003 Agency: U.S. Mission to Ukraine Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland Grants Program - U.S. Culture Apply for WAW NOFO FY21 03 Funding Number: WAW NOFO FY21 03 Agency: U.S. Mission to Poland Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2025) Apply for LB21 FY25 Funding Number: LB21 FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2025) Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY25 Funding Number: NLG LIBRARIES FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2025) Apply for 21MP FY25 Funding Number: 21MP FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Museums for America (2025) Apply for MFA FY25 Funding Number: MFA FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Museums (2025) Apply for NLG M FY25 Funding Number: NLG M FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2025) Apply for IGSM FY25 Funding Number: IGSM FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2025) Apply for AAHC FY25 Funding Number: AAHC FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (2025) Apply for NANH FY25 Funding Number: NANH FY25 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts, Humanities Funding Amount: $250,000 |
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