Grants

Finding funding for your museum, archive, historical society, or other type of nonprofit can be challenging and a little intimidating. Grants offer one funding opportunity that help you to carry out the mission of your organization. 

Questions to Ask

Most of the grants available are one-time project grants, but some detective work may turn up funds for operating support as well, especially from private foundations. Before planning for and writing a grant application, consider the following questions:

• Does our project and/or mission fit the requirements of this grant and align with the goals of the funder?
• Do we have a reasonable timeline and realistic budget established?
  • Have we approached the appropriate people for quotes on materials and time?
  • Have we accounted for all financial needs for the project from start to finish?
• Have we formed partnerships with other organizations and/or industry professionals who will either assist or partner with us to complete the project?
• Are we able to articulate the importance of this project and its potential effects on the public? In other words, can we answer the “So what?” question?
• Do we have the matching funds required by the grant (if necessary)?
• What other funders have we approached either for a donation or a grant for this project?
• Does this project make sense for our organization at this time?
  • If funded, do we have the appropriate staff and/or volunteers that can dedicate time
    to this project?
  • Is there another greater need that should be addressed first?
    • Example: Wanting a grant to conserve a beloved collection item, but not
      having a safe place to store or exhibit it with the appropriate storage materials, environment, and/or lighting requirements after it is conserved.
    • Example: Wanting a grant to kick-start a new organization or repurpose an
      historic building or site, but not having a clear, logical purpose or goals with
      concrete action steps.

Additional tips on finding and writing grants appear in the resources below. Links to many Iowa grant opportunities as well as national opportunities follow.

Finding Grants

• American Alliance of Museums: “Your Museum Needs Money – Now What?”
• GrantSpace
  • “How Do I Approach a Foundation and Build a Successful Grantee-Funder Relationship
  • “How Do I Find Grants for My Nonprofit?”

Grant Writing

• Beverly Browning and Brett Barry
  • Grant Writing for Dummies
  • “Grant Writing for Dummies Cheat Sheet”
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting: “Basic Elements of Grant Writing”
• GrantSpace: “How Do I Write a Grant Proposal?”
• Candid: “Elevate your nonprofit grant writing success with expert tips”
• Local History Network: “Grants and Grant Writing”
• Perdue Online Writing Lab: “Introduction to Grant Writing”

Iowa Grant Opportunities

• State Historical Society of Iowa
  • Country School Grant Program
  • Historical Resource Development Program
  • Research Grant for Authors
• Iowa Economic Development Authority:
  • Capacity Building Grant
  • Certified Local Government Grant Program
  • Cultural Leadership Partners
  • Funding Opportunities for Downtowns
  • Iowa Community Cultural Grant
  • Iowa Great Places
  • Main Street Iowa
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Derelict Building Program
• Iowa Barn Foundation: Preservation Awards, Grants, Programs, Funds, and Taxes
• Keep Iowa Beautiful: Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant
• Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center: Iowa Grants Guide
• Silos and Smokestacks: Grant Programs
• Simpson College/Iowa History Center: K-12 Field Trip Grants

National Grant Opportunities

• American Institute for Conservation
  • Funding for Conservation – Professional Development Grants and Scholarships
  • Outside Funding Sources
• Archaeological Institute of America: Grants & Awards
• Costume Society of America:
  • College and University Collection Care Grant
  • Small Museum Collection Care Grant
  • Other grants
• Council on Library and Information Resources: Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives
• Institute of Museum and Library Services: Apply for a Grant
• National Archives: Grant Opportunities
• National Endowment for the Arts: Grants
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Search for a Grant
• National Park Service
  • Historic Preservation Fund Grants
  • Save America’s Treasures
  • State, Tribal, and Local Plans & Grants
  • Underrepresented Community Grants
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Grant Programs
  • Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors
  • Hart Family Fund for Small Towns
  • Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation
  • National Trust Preservation Funds
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Funding
• U.S. Department of Education: “Available Grants – Find Programs by Eligibility”