Institute of Museum and Library Services

What Institute of Museum and Library Services does

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent U.S. federal agency established in 1996 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It operates as the primary source of federal funding for the nation's approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The agency administers a portfolio of competitive grant programs (National Leadership Grants, Museums for America, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, Grants to States) and formula-based grants distributed through State Library Administrative Agencies, alongside thematic initiatives in AI literacy, HBCU empowerment, broadband access, veterans services, early learning, STEM education, workforce development, and anti-Semitism education. In 2024, IMLS awarded $266.7 million through grantmaking, research, and policy development, with FY26 federal library funding preserved and increased to $212.5 million.

IMLS runs a digital grant management platform accessible at imls.gov where organizations identify funding opportunities, submit applications, and manage awards, supplemented by an Open Government Data Catalog providing machine-readable data on libraries and museums. The agency does not sell products or services; all funding flows through congressional appropriations. Its technology footprint is centered on grant administration rather than product development, though it funds third-party implementations of AI, machine learning, and digital preservation tools (e.g., Microsoft Cognitive Services deployments for automated transcription and metadata extraction at the Computer History Museum). Distribution is direct-to-grantee through the imls.gov portal and indirect through State Library Administrative Agencies. The agency employs 51-100 staff and is led by a Presidential appointee confirmed by the Senate.

The agency has navigated significant political turbulence in 2025-2026, including an attempted elimination via executive order, termination of grants, staffing reductions, and subsequent legal reversal. A federal court ruled the termination 'arbitrary and capricious' (December 2025), and a settlement in April 2026 restored all terminated grants and reversed staff reductions. IMLS has subsequently aligned its FY26 grant guidelines with administration priorities, including themes of 'patriotism' and 'American exceptionalism,' and launched new initiatives including the Freedom 250 Truck traveling exhibit (visiting 64 locations across 23 states) and the AI Literacy Initiative funded at $4.1 million.

Name

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Legal name

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Website

https://imls.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a U.S. federal agency established in 1996 that distributes grants, research, and policy support to the nation's 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums across all 50 states and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Grant Administration for Cultural Institutions

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Education & Training (IET) / Contextualized ABE (Workforce-Linked) (EDAAAAAK)

Keywords

• Federal grant funding
• Library services
• Museum services
• Cultural heritage
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations and Grants: IMLS is a federal agency primarily funded through congressional appropriations. In 2024, IMLS awarded $266.7 million through grantmaking, research, and policy development to advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations. The agency distributes grants to state library administrative agencies, museums, and libraries nationwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IMLS is a federal agency that administers grants, conducts research, and develops policy to support the nation's 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums across all 50 states and U.S. territories. It distributes competitive and formula-based grants through programs such as National Leadership Grants, Museums for America, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and Grants to States, while also running priority initiatives in AI literacy, broadband access, veterans services, HBCU empowerment, and workforce development.

Product overview

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a federal agency that supports libraries, archives, and museums across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Rather than a single product, IMLS operates a portfolio of grant programs and community initiatives including: competitive grant programs (National Leadership Grants, Museums for America, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian), award programs (National Medal for Museum and Library Service), and priority area initiatives focused on Veterans, AI Literacy, HBCU Empowerment, Broadband Access, Early Learning, STEM Education, Workforce Development, and Digital Initiatives. The agency also maintains an Open Government Data Catalog providing access to library and museum data. IMLS distributed $266.7 million in grants in 2024 through these interconnected programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Programs Multiple competitive grant programs supporting libraries, museums, and archives including National Leadership Grants, Museums for America, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, and Grants to States. These grants fund innovation, professional development, digitization, and community services.
• Community Catalyst Initiative An initiative that challenges museums and libraries to transform how they collaborate with their communities through asset-based community development and developmental evaluation approaches.
• Broadband Access Initiatives Programs expanding broadband access to marginalized groups including rural residents, older adults, and those with lower income through library connectivity projects and digital inclusion efforts.
• Community Salute (Veterans Program) An IMLS initiative strengthening the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to respond to the needs of veterans and military families through research, convenings, and resource development.
• AI Literacy Program Federal AI education initiative supporting libraries and museums in preparing patrons to leverage AI tools through funding opportunities and promotion of programs like the White House AI Challenge.
• HBCU Empowerment Program Program supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities through Museum Grants for African American History and Culture and participation in the White House Arts, History, Humanities and Culture Cluster.
• Combating Anti-Semitism Initiative Partnership with museums and libraries to offer education, programming, and community-building to combat anti-Semitism, including expanded award amounts for institutions addressing this issue.
• Open Government Data Catalog Open data platform providing machine-readable formats of IMLS data about libraries and museums across the United States and administrative data for research and application development.
• National Medal for Museum and Library Service Annual award recognizing outstanding contributions by museums and libraries to their communities, honoring institutions for exemplary service and impact.
• Workforce Development Programs Initiatives helping libraries provide employment services, training, and career pathway support to job seekers, including partnerships with workforce agencies and digital literacy training.
• Early Learning Programs Programs supporting early childhood development through libraries and museums, including executive function skill development, school readiness, and summer reading loss reduction.
• STEM Education Initiatives Support for STEM learning in libraries and museums through discretionary grants, special initiatives, and partnerships to engage underserved youth in science, technology, engineering, and math activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• $266.7 million awarded in 2024 through grantmaking, research and policy development
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• FSGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSG is a mission-driven consulting firm that partnered with IMLS on the Community Salute initiative to strengthen libraries' and museums' ability to respond to the needs of veterans and military families. FSG conducted research, held interviews, and produced resource documents for the initiative.
• MacArthur FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MacArthur Foundation partnered with IMLS to support the Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums program, helping 24 museums and libraries create spaces for teens to develop 21st century skills using digital and traditional media.
• Children's Museum of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompleted a cooperative agreement with IMLS to build and sustain capacity of libraries and museums to develop effective makerspaces and programs through the Making & Learning initiative.
• Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic WorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint effort on the Collections Assessment for Preservation program to help small and mid-sized museums better care for their collections.
• National Park ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with IMLS, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Endowment for the Arts in the Save America's Treasures grant program for preserving nationally significant collections, historic structures, and sites.
• White House AI Action PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLS supports the Trump administration's AI education priorities through the America AI Action Plan, awarding grants to build AI literacy and integrate AI tools into museums and libraries.
• HBCU Library AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with American Institute of Physics and eight HBCUs to support preservation projects, workforce development, archive digitization, disaster preparedness, and artifact preservation at historically Black colleges and universities.
• White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at HBCUscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLS participates in the White House's Arts, History, Humanities and Culture Cluster to support HBCUs as they apply for grants and explore career paths in these fields.
• Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted the Museums Respond: Strategies for Countering Antisemitism and Hate summit with over 100 museum leaders to address societal challenges.
• Heritage Emergency National Task ForcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMLS is a member of this partnership of 42 national service organizations and federal agencies created to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Department of Education: The U.S. Department of Education is the federal executive department that administers education policy and federal assistance. It is a sister federal agency whose K-12 and higher education programs interface with IMLS-funded library and museum learning initiatives.
• Smithsonian Institution: The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, comprising 21 museums and the National Zoo. It is a federal-affiliated institution that anchors the museum ecosystem that IMLS supports through its grants program to 35,000 museums nationwide.
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): CPB is a nonprofit corporation funded by federal appropriations that supports public media (PBS, NPR). It shares IMLS's federal-appropriations-dependent funding model and serves as a structurally analogous grantmaker for cultural and educational content.
• National Science Foundation (NSF): NSF is a federal agency that funds research and education in science and engineering through competitive grants. It shares IMLS's federal grantmaking model and overlaps on STEM education initiatives that IMLS funds through its STEM priority area for libraries and museums.
• Library of Congress: The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, serving as the de facto national library. While not a grantmaking agency, it is the most prominent federal library entity and the implicit institutional anchor for IMLS's library constituency.

Direct peers

• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): NEH is a federal grantmaking agency funding humanities research, education, and cultural preservation. It functions identically to IMLS in structure (independent federal agency, congressional appropriations, competitive grants) and partners with IMLS directly on joint programs like Save America's Treasures.
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): NEA is a federal grantmaking agency that supports arts organizations across the U.S. through competitive and formula grants. It is the most direct functional peer to IMLS, sharing the federal grantmaking model, congressional appropriations, and constituency of cultural institutions (museums in IMLS's case overlap with NEA's grantees).
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): NARA is an independent federal agency that preserves and provides access to historical records and operates the National Archives. It shares IMLS's preservation and digitization mandate for archival materials and intersects on grant programs supporting cultural heritage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/us_imls
• GitHubgithub.com/imls
• Facebookfacebook.com/usimls
• Instagraminstagram.com/us_imls
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-museum-and-library-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments6 records

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Museum and Library Services