Financial relief for Maine cultural organizations

The Maine Humanities Council is honored to invite Maine non-profit humanities and cultural organizations that are facing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus to apply for rapid-response relief grants of up to $7,500. 

• Organizations serving and led by communities traditionally under-resourced in the humanities are encouraged to apply. The application is simple and the review process will be swift.
• Zoom information sessions will be held online on Friday, May 8, at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. The deadline to register for a session is Thursday, May 7. To submit questions and register, please email us your name and the session you'd like to attend. Everyone who registers will be sent an invitation link via email.

IMLS Announces New Stimulus Funding for Communities Across America 

$30 Million Infusion to Provide Emergency Relief Through State Libraries 

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced measures to award the first $30 million of $50 million appropriated to the agency in the CARES Act. 

The $30 million in the funding phase announced today will be distributed to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, and the Freely Associated States based on population. The agency is allocating these grants through its most significant in-place funding vehicle for all states and territories, State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs), who are encouraged to use all available mechanisms to reach museum and tribal partners, as well as traditionally eligible libraries. 

These funds are in addition to previously announced measures to support the urgent needs of museums, libraries, their staff, and the communities they serve. On April 6, IMLS authorized new flexibilities for its nearly 1,300 open awards in response to the impact of COVID-19. 

“Together, we must address this challenge in the places most affected by coronavirus,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “This pandemic has highlighted the fact that people in rural and tribal communities, as well as those in high-poverty areas or remote regions lacking access to broadband, have been disproportionately affected. We must target these funds to provide job, health, economic, and other high-impact relief, and this funding round focuses on providing efficient, urgent help to citizens across the nation.” 

States and territories will be able to use the funds to expand digital network access, purchase internet accessible devices, and provide technical support services to citizens to address digital inclusion efforts and related technical support, using the following types of data to prioritize efforts: 

• Poverty/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); 
• Unemployment; and 
• Broadband availability. 

“The urgent expansion of broadband access and digital services enables people to connect to the health, community, government, and job information so critical today, and to the other programs and services that play an enhanced role in the current health emergency,” said Kemper. “While we are distributing these funds through State Library Administrative Agencies, we urge museums and related organizations to partner with libraries in this vital endeavor.”  

IMLS will provide additional details and anticipated timelines of this funding availability directly to SLAAs. The agency also plans to announce additional measures to aid museums and libraries, both through its current funding and that received through the CARES Act. 

More information is available at imls.gov/coronavirus. For the latest information, subscribe to IMLS news updates. 

We are excited to announce $14 million in African American Civil Rights Historic Preservation Fund grants to fund 51 projects across 20 states and the District of Columbia. These projects will preserve sites and history related to the African American struggle for equality in the 20th century. Grant-supported projects include surveys and documentation, interpretation and education, oral histories, architectural services, historic structure reports, planning, and physical preservation.

Projects receiving grants this year will preserve resources, places, and stories like the Shepard Library at Stillman College, the Albert Kahn House in Detroit, Michigan, and the Greenwood Center buildings in Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Grant projects also include surveys across the country from Montgomery, Alabama to Muskegon, Michigan to identify lesser-known civil rights sites.

We've provided a breakdown of all 51 projects in a table at the bottom of this email. For more information about the African American Civil Rights Grant Program visit the program page on our website.

For more information about all of our other programs supported by the Historic Preservation Fund visit our website.

IMLS Authorizes New Grant Flexibilities for Libraries, Museums

How Awardees Can Address Urgent Needs Caused by COVID-19

WASHINGTON, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the first of a number of critical measures to aid museums, libraries, and communities across the nation in response to COVID-19.

The new guidelines outline how institutions with open IMLS grants may adapt their existing funds to address immediate needs and extend timelines for their work to accommodate the disruption caused by coronavirus. Examples include continuing to employ staff, modifying project activities to align with social distancing requirements, and covering basic costs necessary to resume community work once the emergency has passed.  

“Today, IMLS begins the initial phase of our response to the COVID-19 emergency with new guidelines for our existing available funds,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “We are determined to respond as quickly as possible, and that these funds have a direct, positive impact on museum and library operations and employment, and through that, on their communities.” 

IMLS committed to working with grantees to provide the maximum flexibility allowed by our governing authorities. For the complete guidelines, please visit the FAQ page on the IMLS website. Topics addressed include:

• Continuing to charge salaries and benefits to a currently active award if the work specified in the award cannot be performed due to disruption caused by COVID-19;

• Charging costs associated with the cancellation of project events, travel, or other activities;

• Due date extensions for reports and audits; and

• No-cost extensions for awards.

For questions about submitting new applications, please visit the FAQ page or contact an IMLS program staff member listed on the grant program page. Please note that there are new application deadlines for five library services programs.

On March 27, the CARES Act allocated $50 million in funding for IMLS to address the COVID-related digital divide. More information on the availability of these funds will be forthcoming. For the latest information, subscribe to IMLS news and visit imls.gov/coronavirus.

Federal Government Invests $50M in Museums, Libraries to Address Digital Divide During COVID-19 

CARES Act Designates Funds to Expand Local Internet and Technology Access 

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced that the President has signed the CARES Act, which designates $50 million in coronavirus response funding for IMLS. Following passage in the House of Representatives earlier today, both chambers of Congress approved of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion response to the growing pandemic.  

The emergency investment allocated to IMLS will enable libraries and museum to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including by expanding digital network access, purchasing Internet accessible devices, and providing technical support services to their communities. 

“As Americans are sheltering in place, working from home, and isolating themselves from all but their closest family, the digital divide only deepens,” said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. “The need for access to information about the virus, government actions, and community safety messages in addition to telemedicine, job, and unemployment resources is crucial. This funding sustains our most trusted institutions as they provide vitally important information and useful tools to our citizens. IMLS is committed to channeling this much needed grant-based funding as quickly as possible to help the impacted library and museum sectors as they continue to support their communities.” 

Summaries of the legislation can be found here and here. For more information, please visit imls.gov. 

New Application Deadlines for IMLS Library Services Grants

Grant Proposals for Five Agency Programs Due Later in April, May

Washington, DC— The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that several upcoming application deadlines for library services grants will be changed to support libraries and their communities as they respond to COVID-19. 

• National Leadership Grants for Libraries and Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program: The deadlines will move from March 30 to April 13. 

• Native American Library Services: Basic Grants: The deadline will move from April 1 to April 15. 

• Native American Library Services: Enhancement Grants: The deadline will move from May 1 to May 15. 

• Native Hawaiian Library Grants: The deadline will move from May 1 to May 15. 

Applications should still be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 pm ET on the deadline day for the grant program. For more information, please visit imls.gov/coronavirus, or contact an IMLS staff member with any questions or concerns. 

For more information on the U.S. government response to coronavirus and public health information, please visit cdc.gov, coronavirus.gov, and usa.gov.