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Hello, I'm Helen Wechsler, and I
want to welcome you to the

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Institute of Museum and Library
Services, Office of Museum

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Services,

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informational video about the
National Leadership Grants for

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Museums.

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The goal of this video is to
provide an overview of our

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National Leadership Grants for
Museums program, which we call

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"NLG-M" for short, and the
process of preparing an

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application for funding.

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This video is organized into
five chapters.

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First, we will discuss the
purpose and design of the NLG-M

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grant program.

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Then we'll talk about the types
of projects that can be funded

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in NLG-M and the amount of funds
that can be requested.

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Chapter 3 describes the types of
documents that are needed to

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create an NLG-M grant
application, and Chapter 4

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provides guidance on drafting
the narrative part of the

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application.

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Note that there will be a
separate video on preparing a

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budget and budget justification.

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Finally, in the concluding
chapter, I'll provide a few tips

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and next steps. To get the most
out this video,

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we recommend that you watch it
in its entirety.

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This will give you an
understanding of the NLG-M grant

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program, the types of projects
that can be funded, and the

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necessary application
components.

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You may also want to review the
NLG-M Notice of Funding

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Opportunity before, during, and
after you watch the video.

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Notices of Funding Opportunity,
also known as NOFOs, are

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documents that detail the
requirements of each of our

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grant programs.

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All of our Fiscal Year 25 NOFOs
can be found at imls.gov/grants.

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As you navigate the application
process, you can use this video

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as a reference tool.

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If you'd like to skip to a
specific section, please use the

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time bar below or the links in
the description box to navigate

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the chapters.

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In this section, we will answer
the question "What is NLGM?"

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providing information on the
purpose and intent of this grant

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program and who it is designed
to serve.

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National Leadership Grants for
Museums support projects that

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address critical needs in the
museum field and that have the

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potential to advance practice in
the profession so that museums

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can improve services for the
American public.

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NLG-M is all about addressing
the challenges of the museum

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field, our institutions, and our
professionals.

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We invest in institutions and
partnerships that understand the

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challenges and opportunities
facing the field and devise

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plans to move the field forward
through the development of

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resources and tools for use by
multiple institutions and/or

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groups of museum professionals.

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Let's talk about institutional
eligibility for a moment.

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First, you must be located in
one of the United States'

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50 states, its territories, or
the District of Columbia. And

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your organization must be a unit
of state, local or tribal

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government or a private
nonprofit organization with tax

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exempt status.

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You can be one of three types of
organizations to be eligible to

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apply to NLG-M.

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To be eligible for funding as a
museum, your organization must

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have at least one full time or
equivalent professional staff

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person, either paid or unpaid,
have a physical location that it

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owns or operates,

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have been open to the public for
at least 120 days in the year

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prior to November 15th, the
deadline this year, and own or

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use tangible objects, including
living collections.

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Museums may be stand-alone
organizations, or they may be

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part of a larger institution
such as a college or university,

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tribe, or state or local
government.

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You can also be eligible for
NLG-M if you are an organization

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or association that engages in
activities designed to advance

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the well-being of museums and
the museum profession, or if you

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are a college or university.

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When we talk about museums, we
include a broad range of

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institution types.

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Here's a list of some of the
types of museums that our grant

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programs support.

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In this section, we will discuss
the types of projects that the

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program funds, its goals and
objectives, and I'll provide

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some data on the number and type
of NLG-M projects that were

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funded in recent years.

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Making sure your concept shares
the characteristics of

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successful NLG projects is an
important first step to

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preparing an application.

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We are looking for projects that
are designed intentionally to

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produce results that can be used
by the field to advance and

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improve practice.

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We're looking for tangible
results such as models, tools,

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curriculum resources, research
findings, or new services that

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can be widely used, adapted,
scaled, or replicated to extend

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the benefit of the federal
investment across the field or

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segment of the field.

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Projects should reflect a
thorough understanding of

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current practice, knowledge
about the subject matter, deep

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familiarity with previous work
on the project topic, and an

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awareness of and support for
current strategic priorities in

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the field.

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We encourage collaboration as it
demonstrates broad need, field

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wide buy-in and input, and
access to appropriate expertise.

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Your project should align with
one of these three project

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goals.

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As you can see here, you should
be seeking to advance the museum

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field's work in either Lifelong
Learning, Community Engagement,

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or Collections Stewardship and
Access.

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So let's take a look at what
kinds of project activities

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might fit within these goals.

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In this and the two next slides,
the numbered objectives provide

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some of the types of projects
that fit within the goal.

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A project in Lifelong Learning
might include, but is not

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limited to, developing models
with tools for scaling and

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adapting by other museums,
research on museum-based

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learning, and forums that bring
together experts to explore

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current and emerging issues in
the field.

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A Community Engagement project
will need to focus on producing

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resources that help museums
better meet community needs and

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be welcoming places for
everyone.

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Projects may help museums be
more inclusive of all segments

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and parts of their communities,
improve access and remove

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barriers to participation,
better engage with community

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organizations and leaders for
planning and civic engagement,

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or support forums that bring
together experts to explore

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current and emerging issues for
the field as they relate to

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community engagement.

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Under the Collections
Stewardship and Access goal,

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projects can develop tools that
help museums facilitate access,

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management, preservation,
sharing, and use of museum

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collections.

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Projects can undertake research
on management, conservation, and

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preservation issues.

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And like the other two goals,
projects can bring together

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experts to explore issues and
inform the field of collection

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topics.

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NLG-M projects can request
anywhere from $50,000 to

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$750,000.

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Full projects that result in
robust results for the field

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require a one-to-one cost share.

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Cost share may be in the form of
cash, staff or volunteer time,

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other grantee-contributed costs,
or third party or partner

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contributions.

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It may not be funds from another
federal source.

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Scale your budget request to the
needs of your project.

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Your budget should include the
costs of the activities needed

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to accomplish the results.

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It's important that the amount
of funds requested match the

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scope and scale of your project.

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Research projects from $50,000
to $750,000 do not require a

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cost share.

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We'll talk more about research
projects a little later.

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The number of applications
received and the amount of

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awards made can vary from year
to year.

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Here's a snapshot of our last
two award cycles.

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In FY24 we made 18 awards
totaling $9.41 million and in

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FY23 we made 19 awards with a
total of just over $8.44

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million.

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In FY24, we received 54
applications and in FY23 we

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received 48.

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Averaging the two years, about
36% of applications were funded.

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You can also see from the pie
charts that the percentages of

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awards by program goal can
differ greatly from one year to

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the next.

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We do not have funding set aside
for each goal, nor any quotas.

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Instead, we look we are looking
for the strongest projects

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poised to provide the most
benefit to the museum field.

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On the IMLS website, you can use
the Search Awarded Grants

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function to explore an archive
of grants that we have awarded

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in the past years.

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All of the FY24 NLG-M awards
announced in August are listed

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here, along with those from
prior years.

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You can search the database
using a variety of criteria such

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as institution name, location,
keyword.

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Your search will retrieve basic
information about each award,

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including the amount of federal
funds awarded and a brief

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description of the proposed
activities and expected results

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for each project.

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In this section, we'll introduce
the components of an NLG-M grant

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application and provide an
overview about the required,

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conditionally required, and
supporting documents.

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The NLG-M Notice of Funding
Opportunity includes a complete

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list of all the application
components.

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The table of application
components in the NOFO lists

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which application components are
required as well as those that

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are conditionally required,
meaning their inclusion depends

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on the type of applicant, or the
type of project.

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Aside from the SF-424S and the
IMLS Museum Program Information

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Form, which are both web-based
forms completed in the

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grants.gov Workspace, all
application components must be

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submitted as PDF documents.

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These are the required
documents.

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All applications must include
the documents listed here.

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Omission of even just one might
result in your application's

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rejection.

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Also note that there is a
10-page limit for the narrative.

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If you exceed the page limit
specified in the NOFO, we must

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remove the extra pages before
your application goes out for

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review.

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That means your reviewers may
have to stop reading in

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mid-sentence, which is never
good.

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Other docs have suggested page
lengths. So, make sure your

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content fits into the page
limits specified and make sure

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the number of pages holds when
you convert your document to

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PDF.

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The second category of
application components is that

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of conditionally required
documents.

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Some applications must include
one, two, or even all four of

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these, and it's your job to
figure out which are required

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for your application. 

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If you are applying as a
nonprofit, then you must include

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your proof of nonprofit, which
is a letter from the Internal

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Revenue Service.

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We will not accept a letter of
State sales tax exemption as

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proof of nonprofit status.

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If you are using a federally
negotiated indirect cost rate in

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your budget, then you must
include a copy of your final

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rate agreement.

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If you will create digital
products during the course of

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your project, then you must
complete and submit a Digital

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Product Plan.

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If you are proposing a research
project, then you must submit a

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Data Management and Sharing
Plan.

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Just like the required
documents,

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omission of even one might
result in your application's

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rejection.

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Please note that the term
"digital product" includes

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digitized and born-digital
content, digital resources or

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assets, and software.

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If you're creating any of these
types of materials, you must

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include the form with your
application.

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The third group of application
components is Supporting

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Documents, and here is a partial
list of examples.

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Supporting Documents are
optional.

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You may submit one or none.

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Include only those items that
will supplement your proposal.

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This is not the place to
introduce brand new information.

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Rather, as the name suggests,
they should lend support to your

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project justification, work plan
and intended results that you've

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already spelled out in your
application narrative.

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For example, have you identified
a partner whose involvement is

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key in the project's success?

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If so, a letter of support or
commitment would go a long way

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to reassuring reviewers that
they are 'on board' and the

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project will succeed.

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Vendor quotes or equipment
specifications show you've done

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some of the legwork to get
appropriate estimates for

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project costs.

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00:15:55.560 --> 00:15:58.803
We recommend that you be
respectful of your reviewers'

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00:15:58.803 --> 00:16:02.460
time and avoid the temptation to
include hundreds of pages of

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00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:03.639
extraneous material.

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00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:08.389
Being judicious really does work
to your benefit, as supporting

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00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:11.160
documents can make or break an
application.

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00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:15.098
Include what is important,
helpful, and directly relevant

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00:16:15.098 --> 00:16:16.840
to your project and stop there.

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00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.293
In this section, we'll go over
the questions you will need to

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00:16:25.293 --> 00:16:29.585
answer in your project narrative
and offer details on the review

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00:16:29.585 --> 00:16:33.678
criteria associated with each
section: Project Justification,

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00:16:33.678 --> 00:16:36.320
Project Work Plan, and Project
Results.

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00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:39.809
Remember that there is a
separate video focusing on

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00:16:39.809 --> 00:16:43.144
crafting your budget and budget
justification that I highly

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00:16:43.144 --> 00:16:44.200
recommend watching.

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00:16:48.920 --> 00:16:52.543
You have 10 pages to cover 3
very important issues, and the

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Notice of Funding Opportunity
provides lengthy guidance on

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00:16:56.107 --> 00:16:58.040
what the narrative should cover.

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00:16:59.680 --> 00:17:02.320
The first section is the Project
Justification.

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00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:06.763
In it, you're answering which
program goal and associate

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00:17:06.763 --> 00:17:10.085
objective of the National
Leadership Grant for Museums

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00:17:10.085 --> 00:17:12.200
program your project will
address.

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00:17:13.040 --> 00:17:16.684
What field wide need, problem,
or challenge will your project

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00:17:16.684 --> 00:17:18.800
address, and how was it
identified?

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00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:22.919
You'll describe the sources you
have used to define that need,

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00:17:22.919 --> 00:17:24.120
problem, or challenge.

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00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:28.184
Who's the primary audience for
your project, and how have they

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00:17:28.184 --> 00:17:29.720
been involved in the planning?

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00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:35.096
Primary audiences refer to those
who will be most immediately and

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00:17:35.096 --> 00:17:38.977
positively affected by your
project. Who are the ultimate

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00:17:38.977 --> 00:17:42.724
beneficiaries of the project?
How will the museum field

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00:17:42.724 --> 00:17:46.873
benefit from your project, and
how does this proposed project

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00:17:46.873 --> 00:17:50.620
differ from, complement, or
build upon existing theory,

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00:17:50.620 --> 00:17:52.360
scholarship, and practice?

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00:17:58.120 --> 00:18:00.977
In the Notice of Funding
Opportunity under Review

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00:18:00.977 --> 00:18:04.634
Criteria, you will find a list
of questions for each section of

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00:18:04.634 --> 00:18:08.120
the narrative that reviewers are
asked to consider when they

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00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:09.320
review your proposal.

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00:18:09.840 --> 00:18:13.143
It's a good idea to refer to
these as you craft your

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00:18:13.143 --> 00:18:17.132
narrative to be certain you're
providing reviewers clear, solid

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00:18:17.132 --> 00:18:17.880
information.

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00:18:18.520 --> 00:18:21.275
You will see that they
correspond fairly directly with

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00:18:21.275 --> 00:18:23.880
the prompts you were given to
write your narrative.

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00:18:31.290 --> 00:18:35.831
If the Project Justification
section is the why, the Project

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00:18:35.831 --> 00:18:40.595
Work Plan section is where you
identify the who, what, when and

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00:18:40.595 --> 00:18:44.615
how, who will do what
activities, when and using what

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00:18:44.615 --> 00:18:45.359
resources.

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00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:49.454
You should explain how you will
track your progress towards

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00:18:49.454 --> 00:18:53.207
achieving your intended results
and what you'll do if you need

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00:18:53.207 --> 00:18:54.280
to correct course.

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00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:58.657
We also ask you to think about
risks that are inherent in your

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00:18:58.657 --> 00:19:02.276
particular project and to tell
us how you've taken that into

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00:19:02.276 --> 00:19:03.760
account in your planning.

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00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:10.239
Again, this is a list of
questions that reviewers are

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00:19:10.239 --> 00:19:13.803
asked to consider when they
review your proposal, so make

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00:19:13.803 --> 00:19:17.000
sure your narrative is answering
these effectively.

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00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:26.288
For research projects, reviewers
are asked to weigh in on another

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00:19:26.288 --> 00:19:27.280
set of criteria.

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00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:31.608
They'll look for appropriate
research design and answers to

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00:19:31.608 --> 00:19:34.769
the questions outlined in the
Guidance for Research

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00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:35.560
Applications.

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00:19:36.760 --> 00:19:39.568
This is a section you will find
in the Notice of Funding

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00:19:39.568 --> 00:19:40.160
Opportunity.

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00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:43.643
If you find it difficult to
answer these questions for your

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00:19:43.643 --> 00:19:47.360
project, you might actually not
have a research project at all.

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00:19:52.760 --> 00:19:55.681
The third section of your
narrative should be devoted to

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00:19:55.681 --> 00:19:58.040
articulating your project's
intended results.

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00:19:58.800 --> 00:20:02.266
This section is your chance to
convince the reviewers that your

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00:20:02.266 --> 00:20:04.920
project will result in something
getting better.

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00:20:05.560 --> 00:20:08.499
The need or problem you
identified in your project

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00:20:08.499 --> 00:20:10.920
justification will be addressed
directly.

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00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:15.156
The results should relate
directly to the need you

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00:20:15.156 --> 00:20:17.440
identified in the museum field.

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00:20:18.520 --> 00:20:22.203
We ask you to tell us what data
you will collect and report in

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00:20:22.203 --> 00:20:24.600
order to measure your project's
success.

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00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:29.813
If your project will generate
tangible products, and most do,

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00:20:29.813 --> 00:20:33.717
here's the opportunity to
describe them and make the case

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00:20:33.717 --> 00:20:35.400
that they will be useful.

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00:20:36.120 --> 00:20:39.691
And last but not least, we ask
that you tell us how you will

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00:20:39.691 --> 00:20:41.800
sustain the benefit of the
project.

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00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:46.485
How will this improvement that
you propose to make continue

325
00:20:46.485 --> 00:20:48.200
once your grant is over?

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00:20:54.310 --> 00:20:57.129
Again, here's a list of
questions that reviewers are

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00:20:57.129 --> 00:21:00.481
asked to consider when they read
and score the Project Results

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00:21:00.481 --> 00:21:03.886
section of your narrative, and
you can find these in the Notice

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00:21:03.886 --> 00:21:05.109
of Funding Opportunity.

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00:21:16.870 --> 00:21:20.566
So to recap, your narrative has
three sections, Project

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00:21:20.566 --> 00:21:24.460
Justification, Project Work
Plan, and Project Results, and

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00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:26.110
you have 10 pages for it.

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00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.840
The sections are all equally
important.

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00:21:29.360 --> 00:21:33.715
Write clearly, address what we
ask you to address, and keep an

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00:21:33.715 --> 00:21:35.720
eye on those Review Criteria.

336
00:21:36.040 --> 00:21:39.637
They tell you exactly what the
reviewers will look for, so make

337
00:21:39.637 --> 00:21:42.280
it easy for them to find it and
understand it.

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00:21:43.040 --> 00:21:46.720
Finally, make sure all sections
of the narrative are connected.

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00:21:47.120 --> 00:21:50.393
The work plan should describe
the activities required to

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00:21:50.393 --> 00:21:53.954
address the field wide need, and
the results should provide a

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00:21:53.954 --> 00:21:56.080
solution to the need you
identified.

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00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:04.707
In this final section of our
presentation, we'll offer some

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00:22:04.707 --> 00:22:06.600
application tips and next steps.

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00:22:11.280 --> 00:22:15.567
We can only make grants to
eligible applicants that submit

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00:22:15.567 --> 00:22:20.145
complete applications, including
attachments, on or before the

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00:22:20.145 --> 00:22:20.800
deadline.

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00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:23.640
So here are some tips to help
you do just that.

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00:22:24.320 --> 00:22:27.975
Start early, and you've already
done that by listening to this

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00:22:27.975 --> 00:22:28.440
webinar.

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00:22:29.280 --> 00:22:32.880
Become familiar with
grants.gov's Workspace.

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00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:37.103
It has many good features,
including upfront validation

352
00:22:37.103 --> 00:22:40.729
which allows you to correct
errors prior to submission, and

353
00:22:40.729 --> 00:22:44.354
the opportunity to collaborate
with others in creating your

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00:22:44.354 --> 00:22:45.080
application.

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00:22:45.800 --> 00:22:49.497
Consider starting with the
Workspace overview and check out

356
00:22:49.497 --> 00:22:50.360
the tutorials.

357
00:22:51.360 --> 00:22:54.640
Do your background research,
make it easy for reviewers to

358
00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:58.200
see that you are up to date and
know what you're talking about.

359
00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.240
Be sure your application is
complete.

360
00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:05.600
Check it against the table of
application components in the

361
00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:07.160
Notice of Funding Opportunity.

362
00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:11.373
Make sure all application
components are in the proper

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00:23:11.373 --> 00:23:14.200
format and follow the correct
naming convention.

364
00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:19.724
Submit to grants.gov early so
you can correct any errors and

365
00:23:19.724 --> 00:23:23.440
avoid any trauma created by
technology challenges.

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00:23:28.080 --> 00:23:31.206
It's important to get your
application submitted online

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00:23:31.206 --> 00:23:33.440
through grants.gov before the
deadline.

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00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:37.600
IMLS does not accept
applications by mail or e-mail.

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00:23:38.360 --> 00:23:42.118
In order to register with
grants.gov, you must have an

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00:23:42.118 --> 00:23:46.560
active sam.gov registration and
unique entity identifier number.

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00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:50.754
So make sure your registration
for both of these sites are

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00:23:50.754 --> 00:23:54.429
complete, your accounts are
active, and that any necessary

373
00:23:54.429 --> 00:23:55.799
passwords are current.

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00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.811
These registrations expire
periodically, so you don't want

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00:23:59.811 --> 00:24:03.200
to wait until it's time to hit
submit button to check them.

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00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.971
You should coordinate with any
other staff members, such as

377
00:24:07.971 --> 00:24:11.661
your authorized organization
representative, who may hold the

378
00:24:11.661 --> 00:24:14.400
accounts and passwords you'll
need to submit.

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00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:19.228
Also, carefully review your
institution sam.gov record to

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00:24:19.228 --> 00:24:23.584
ensure that there are no federal
debts or proceedings or problems

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00:24:23.584 --> 00:24:25.960
reported by other federal
agencies.

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00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:30.439
These will need to be cleared up
prior to IMLS making an award to

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00:24:30.439 --> 00:24:31.480
your institution.

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00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:37.254
Both the sam.gov and grants.gov
websites have robust help

385
00:24:37.254 --> 00:24:38.600
features and FAQs.

386
00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:43.212
If you run into technical issues
with either of these sites, you

387
00:24:43.212 --> 00:24:46.916
should reach out to their help
desks and request a tracking

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00:24:46.916 --> 00:24:50.496
case or ticket number in order
to document your issue and

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00:24:50.496 --> 00:24:52.040
attempts at resolving it.

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00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:56.860
Failure to have active sam.gov
or grants.gov registrations by

391
00:24:56.860 --> 00:25:00.968
the application deadline is not
an excuse for submitting a late

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00:25:00.968 --> 00:25:03.280
application, so again, start
early.

393
00:25:09.360 --> 00:25:12.957
There are many components to the
application and the narrative is

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00:25:12.957 --> 00:25:15.520
an essential and critical part
of the package.

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00:25:16.080 --> 00:25:19.511
Peer reviewers, museum
professionals from all types of

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00:25:19.511 --> 00:25:23.191
museums, will be selected by
IMLS to read each application

397
00:25:23.191 --> 00:25:26.560
and provide constructive and
critical comments on the

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00:25:26.560 --> 00:25:29.680
strengths and weaknesses of the
proposed project.

399
00:25:30.320 --> 00:25:34.434
They base their reviews only on
the information contained in the

400
00:25:34.434 --> 00:25:38.105
application, so don't assume
that a reviewer or IMLS will

401
00:25:38.105 --> 00:25:41.840
know something about your museum
or your proposed project.

402
00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:46.778
To help make sure your narrative
is clear and complete as

403
00:25:46.778 --> 00:25:50.716
possible, revisit the NLG-M
Notice of Funding Opportunity

404
00:25:50.716 --> 00:25:53.840
and follow the narrative outline
it provides.

405
00:25:54.520 --> 00:25:58.066
Be sure to consider the review
criteria associated with each

406
00:25:58.066 --> 00:25:59.520
section of the narrative.

407
00:26:00.360 --> 00:26:04.283
Use headings and subheadings to
make it easy for reviewers to

408
00:26:04.283 --> 00:26:04.600
read.

409
00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:08.791
Avoid generalities, acronyms,
and jargon because the people

410
00:26:08.791 --> 00:26:11.334
who will review your
applications are museum

411
00:26:11.334 --> 00:26:14.781
professionals, but they may not
all be totally familiar with

412
00:26:14.781 --> 00:26:16.760
your particular field's
shorthand.

413
00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:20.320
Make it easy for them to
understand what you mean.

414
00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:25.005
An advantage of starting your
application early is that you

415
00:26:25.005 --> 00:26:27.923
can ask a colleague, friend, or
family member to review

416
00:26:27.923 --> 00:26:30.320
everything with fresh eyes
before you submit.

417
00:26:30.800 --> 00:26:33.990
Ask them to act like a reviewer
who's seeing this for the first

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00:26:33.990 --> 00:26:34.240
time.

419
00:26:40.040 --> 00:26:43.920
IMLS offers a few ways to find
examples of funded projects.

420
00:26:44.360 --> 00:26:47.389
We already talked about the
Search Awarded Grants function

421
00:26:47.389 --> 00:26:48.160
on our website.

422
00:26:48.560 --> 00:26:52.023
You can see the filters I've
selected on the left the last

423
00:26:52.023 --> 00:26:55.428
three years at the top and
National Leadership Grants for

424
00:26:55.428 --> 00:26:56.720
Museums at the bottom.

425
00:26:57.560 --> 00:27:01.458
We've also posted the abstract,
narrative and schedule of

426
00:27:01.458 --> 00:27:04.886
completion for a cross section
of successful NLG-M

427
00:27:04.886 --> 00:27:05.760
applications.

428
00:27:06.800 --> 00:27:11.381
The proposals posted present a
variety of project types, meet

429
00:27:11.381 --> 00:27:15.963
the overarching goal of NLG-M
program, and were considered to

430
00:27:15.963 --> 00:27:18.920
be clear and well written by
reviewers.

431
00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:22.822
Looking at these exemplary
proposals might help clarify

432
00:27:22.822 --> 00:27:25.360
your thinking about your own
application.

433
00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:29.800
The image on the right shows the
sample application page.

434
00:27:30.120 --> 00:27:33.840
You will Scroll down to find
NLG-M examples.

435
00:27:38.040 --> 00:27:42.640
Here are a few important dates
related to NLG-M applications.

436
00:27:43.320 --> 00:27:49.494
Applications must be received
through grants.gov by 11:59 PM

437
00:27:49.494 --> 00:27:53.240
Eastern Time on November 15th,
2024.

438
00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:58.343
The time stamp is auto generated
by grants.gov and we have no

439
00:27:58.343 --> 00:27:59.880
ability to override it.

440
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:03.663
So again, submit your
application early if at all

441
00:28:03.663 --> 00:28:04.280
possible.

442
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:08.675
That way, if you encounter a
difficulty of any kind, you'll

443
00:28:08.675 --> 00:28:12.473
have some time to resolve the
problem and resubmit. After the

444
00:28:12.473 --> 00:28:13.760
application deadline,

445
00:28:13.760 --> 00:28:17.642
IMLS staff will review your
application for completeness and

446
00:28:17.642 --> 00:28:21.652
eligibility, and you will hear
from us via e-mail if there are

447
00:28:21.652 --> 00:28:22.480
any problems.

448
00:28:23.280 --> 00:28:27.537
Next, we will select experienced
and knowledgeable peer reviewers

449
00:28:27.537 --> 00:28:31.213
to read your application and
provide scores and comments

450
00:28:31.213 --> 00:28:34.825
based on the criteria outlined
in the Notice of Funding

451
00:28:34.825 --> 00:28:35.600
Opportunity.

452
00:28:36.320 --> 00:28:39.712
IMLS staff will examine your
budget, your financials, and

453
00:28:39.712 --> 00:28:42.520
your track record with past and
current grants.

454
00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:47.205
We then prepare materials for
the IMLS Director, who by law,

455
00:28:47.205 --> 00:28:50.520
has the authority and
responsibility to make final

456
00:28:50.520 --> 00:28:51.560
award decisions.

457
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:53.840
This typically happens in July.

458
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.021
In early August 2025, we will
notify you by e-mail of the

459
00:28:59.021 --> 00:29:03.389
award decisions and provide the
scores and comments created by

460
00:29:03.389 --> 00:29:04.360
the reviewers.

461
00:29:05.080 --> 00:29:10.458
NLG-M projects must be scheduled
to start on the first day of

462
00:29:10.458 --> 00:29:11.760
September 2025.

463
00:29:16.320 --> 00:29:19.543
As you read through the NOFO and
prepare your application,

464
00:29:19.543 --> 00:29:23.040
additional questions may arise
before the application deadline.

465
00:29:23.520 --> 00:29:26.666
We can answer questions about
our grant programs, address

466
00:29:26.666 --> 00:29:29.867
specific concerns with the
various application components,

467
00:29:29.867 --> 00:29:32.200
or help you understand the
review process.

468
00:29:33.040 --> 00:29:36.187
You may schedule a counseling
call to talk directly with

469
00:29:36.187 --> 00:29:36.960
program staff.

470
00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.262
Use the links found on the grant
program landing page to find an

471
00:29:41.262 --> 00:29:43.520
available time slot on your
calendar.

472
00:29:44.120 --> 00:29:47.888
You will then receive an e-mail
with a calendar invite and a

473
00:29:47.888 --> 00:29:49.680
Microsoft Teams meeting link.

474
00:29:50.840 --> 00:29:53.400
Thank you for listening and best
of luck.