Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

All applicants must be either:
- a unit of State, local, or tribal government or
- a private nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal
Revenue Code

To be eligible for funding as a “museum,” an organization must also:
- use a professional staff – An institution uses a professional staff if it employs at
least one staff member, or the full-time equivalent, paid or unpaid, primarily
engaged in the acquisition, care, or exhibition to the public of objects owned or
used by the institution
- be organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic
purposes
- own or use tangible objects, either animate or inanimate
- care for these objects
- exhibit these objects to the general public on a regular basis, at least 120 days
a year
- conduct these activities in facilities that it owns or operates

Depending on the grant program, other organizations that may be eligible for
funding include:
- colleges and universities
- organizations that serve museums
- federally recognized Native American tribes
- organizations that serve Native Hawaiians