Institute for Museum and Library Services
The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a federal agency which supports libraries, and archives, and museums across the United States and its territories. It was founded September 30, 1996 with the Museum and LIbrary Services Act. The National Museum and Library Services Board advises the agency.
Over the past two years, the status and ongoing funding of IMLS have been uncertain, but the agency has reinstated previously-cancelled grants and is currently accepting applications for funding in fiscal year 2027.
The agency supports dozens of grant programs directly to libraries, archives, and museums as well as to states. More information on some of those projects is linked below.
The scope of subject matter that federal agencies will fund has also significantly changed; for any federal grant, read the grant announcement and its requirements very carefully.
Backlog can help with grant-funded projects. We will need to know the scope of the project and photographs of the collections and storage space. Schedule a short Zoom meeting with us so we can gather information, and we can write a proposal to give a cost estimate. Shoot an email to emma@backlog-archivists.com or fill out our contact page to get started.