Who funds museum research?

We count 47 funded museum projects, active between 2020 and 2032, from 6 funders. The most came from EU · MSCA (13 projects), EU · ERC (9 projects) and EU · Culture, creativity and inclusive society (8 projects). The median award is $892K, across the 45 of 47 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

47

Funders

6

Median award

$892K

Open calls now

10

Top funders of museum research

Projects whose title or summary mentions museum. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open museum funding calls

10 open calls mention museum today.

• Museums for America (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $350,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• 21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$100,000 – $500,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $500,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $75,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $500,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• National Leadership Grants for Museums (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$50,000 – $750,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $250,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Museums Empowered (2027)
  Institute of Museum and Library Services$5,000 – $350,000Deadline: November 13, 2026 ·
• Professional development for specialists working in museums and institutions dedicated to the preservation and communication of collections
  São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)Not specifiedDeadline: November 23, 2026 ·
• Winterthur Research Fellowships
  Winterthur Museum, Garden & LibraryNot specifiedDeadline: January 15, 2027 ·

Funded museum projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Oak ridge oral history initiative
  DOE · $50,000 · ends 2031
• DISABILITY-ORIENTED RESEARCH AND FRAMEWORK FOR THE STEPHEN HAWKING COLLECTION AND ITS PUBLIC OFFERINGS
  UKRI · AHRC · £115,680 · ends 2029
• Securing and sharing invertebrate collections at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History through critical storage upgrades and digitization
  NSF · BIO · $1,022,795 · ends 2029
• Modern cryostorage for zoological collections
  NSF · BIO · $932,855 · ends 2029
• AI Generated Interpretive Labels for Exhibits to support engagement and learning in science museums
  NSF · EDU · $900,000 · ends 2029
• EPSCoR Research Fellows: NSF: Building capacity in museomics to advance evolutionary discovery and use-inspired science
  NSF · Office of the Director · $299,379 · ends 2029
• Researching Informal STEM Educator Self-concept (RISES)
  NSF · EDU · $892,177 · ends 2028
• Weathering climate change: using museum collections to represent local experiences of climate change.
  UKRI · AHRC · ends 2028
• With this nasa citizen science seed project the recipient proposes to build upon the successes of previous volunteer programs working on…
  NASA · $93,567 · ends 2027
• Rearticulating Museums: Historical African Practices of Preservation and the Future of Stewardship
  EU · ERC · €2,499,528 · 2027–2032 · TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT BERLIN

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “museum or museums”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.