Grant-in-Aid (GIA)

The application period is open:  April 1, 2025 - June 1, 2025. 

Applicants will be informed of the award decision by mid-September.  Projects anticipating an earlier start date than September are not possible under the current GIA calendar.

Please note:  If you received a grant this past year, you must email your Final Report to mary.irvine@alaska.gov by June 30, 2025 in order to be eligible for this year's grant cycle.

Museums may apply for either a Mini Grant or a Regular Grant but cannot apply for both.  Mini-grants have a simplified application form, and if your project is less expensive (under 2K), this may be the perfect fit for you this year.  

Mini Grants of up to $2,000 are available for small museums with annual operating budgets that are less than $100,000. 

Regular Grants of up to $12,000 are available to eligible museums of all sizes, regardless of size of operating budget. 

Drafting Templates - and - Online Application Submission Forms

The Alaska State Museum provides Alaska museums or museum-support organizations with Grant-in-Aid (GIA) awards for a wide range of projects. Projects can be related to collections, exhibits, education, outreach, and organizational development. GIA funds can be used to purchase supplies and equipment, pay for contractual services, or other items necessary to support or improve museum services and operations.

*** Projects supporting consultation by Alaska museums with Alaska Tribes as required by the 2024 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) regulations are once again strongly encouraged for this grant cycle. ***

No more than 10% of a project budget can fund administrative (in-direct) expenses.

GIA funds should not be requested to pay permanent staff salaries.

GIA funds will not be provided for projects designed to restore historic sites and structures, for collection acquisitions, for costs incurred prior to the date of the grant award letter, or for re-granting purposes. 

The Museum will provide official notification of the grant award by letter in September. The grant award letter may set stipulations on the content and/or cost of the project, based on the application and panel review.

FY2025 Projects should be complete by June 30. Final accounting is due on or before June 30. Accounting forms will be emailed in mid-May. Receipts for all expenditures should be kept, and copies submitted with your final accounting report.

• June 2: Written request for an extension must be submitted for approval if project cannot be completed by June 30
• June 30: Deadline for completion of projects and submission of final accounting
• October 31: Deadline for submission of final accounting for extended projects that have received approval

Any GIA accounting reports not submitted by June 30, 2025 will make the organization ineligible for funding until reports are submitted and the grant is closed.

Visit the Resources for Alaska Museums Guide for a list of museum grant opportunities.  

You may also wish to visit the University of Alaska Grant Writing Network https://www.alaska.edu/writegrants/  (Please note that the University of Alaska Grant Writing Network is not affiliated with the Alaska State Museum nor the Museum's Grant-In-Aid Program.  It is simply another good resource for grantwriters, and often offers fully online grant writing workshops taught by Alaskan professors.)