Skip to main content

Multimedia Forum

Grants 101—How to Apply for a Federal Grant

This presentation will provide both an overview and a deep dive into best practices for submitting a grant application to the Federal Government. The presenters focus specifically on the Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums for America program which has an annual deadline in November. In addition to general grant-writing tips, they shared specific tips, timelines, and examples to help make this application process more accessible for all eligible Museums.

Engage with Your Post-Capital Project Future: “If you knew now what you’ll know then...”

Most museum leaders have limited experience with capital projects, yet they find themselves in design and planning meetings making decisions that will impact their institutions for decades. This presentation will help leaders and staff understand the ramifications of various early decisions regarding such things as the cost of operations, staffing, sustainability, revenue generation, and programmatic flexibility so that they can balance these impacts with the up-front cost of alternative design, mechanical, or material choices.

Scaling Best Practices to Fit Your Museum

Have you ever come across a great idea only to wonder how you can make it work for your museum? Scaling or adapting best practices and innovative ideas to fit your organization is critical to your success. This presentation provides examples of scaling projects and ideas in collections, fundraising & administrative practices, and digital projects while testing your hand at workshopping scaling ideas for your museum.

Recycling and Reusing Archival Materials and Museum Furniture

Have you completed a collections move and found yourself left with a plethora of foam, polyester fiberfill, and boxes that you would happily share with another institution? Or maybe you’re moving out of storage space or just closed an exhibition and have furniture you can no longer use? Repurposing archival materials and museum furniture takes time and effort, which is often not built into our job descriptions.

A Scientist Walks into an Art Museum… Engaging Audiences Across Disciplines

Museums across the country engage audiences across the sciences, arts, and humanities to create interdisciplinary experiences that help visitors understand our complex world. Learn how an art museum, living history museum, and science center expanded upon these efforts by connecting with content experts from outside their core disciplines and highlighting them at interdisciplinary programs. This project, part of Portal to the Public’s 3-year research study, developed a flexible framework adaptable for smaller or larger museums.