Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (2026) | ALHC FY26

Opportunity Information: Apply for ALHC FY26

The Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (2026) opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to strengthen museums focused on American Latino history and culture. The program is designed to fund projects that increase an institution's ability to serve its community more effectively while also supporting the long-term growth of the American Latino museum field through workforce and professional development. In practical terms, the emphasis is on capacity-building work that helps museums improve how they operate, expand or improve programs and services, and invest in the people and skills needed to sustain high-quality cultural stewardship over time.

This funding opportunity is listed under the arts and humanities funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 45.033. The funding instrument is a grant, and it is categorized as discretionary, meaning awards are made through a competitive selection process based on the priorities and criteria established in the official Notice of Funding Opportunity. The agency indicates that eligibility is not automatically universal; applicants are expected to consult the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the full eligibility criteria and any additional requirements, definitions, or restrictions that may apply. The eligible applicant type is listed as "Others," which typically signals that eligibility may include certain organizations beyond standard government entities, but the exact scope and qualifying conditions must be confirmed in the formal program guidance.

Key dates and award details are clearly defined. The opportunity was created on January 13, 2026, and the original application closing date is March 13, 2026. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $500,000, and IMLS expects to make approximately 16 awards under this cycle. Taken together, those figures suggest a competitive program with a limited number of grants and relatively substantial maximum funding per project, especially for museums looking to make meaningful improvements to institutional capacity, staff expertise, or community-serving initiatives within American Latino cultural institutions.

At its core, the ALHC program is aimed at strengthening institutions and the field rather than simply funding one-time events. Projects are expected to align with the program's central goals: building museum capacity to better serve communities and advancing the development of a professional workforce connected to American Latino history and culture museums. Applicants should plan on demonstrating how their proposed work will improve organizational effectiveness, deepen public impact, and contribute to sustainable professional growth within the institution or the broader American Latino museum ecosystem, as spelled out in the official Notice of Funding Opportunity.

• The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts, humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (2026)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.033.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-01-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-13. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ALHC FY26

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: