IMLS Awards $2.85M in Grant Funding through American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative

Funding will provide opportunities for internships and fellowships at American Latino museums for students enrolled in Institutions of Higher Education, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Washington, DC-The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced the FY24 recipients of its American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative (ALMIFI). Awarded institutions will receive up to $750,000 each to provide internship or fellowship opportunities at American Latino museums for students enrolled in Institutions of Higher Education, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Eligibility for the program required the involvement of both an American Latino museum and an Institution of Higher Education. Five partnerships were selected for funding and will receive a total of $2,853,150. These awards will create stronger relationships between Institutions of Higher Education and museums to strengthen the workforce for American Latino museums. Partnerships represent a range of institutions and geographies, including community colleges, top research universities, and museums of all sizes.

"The American Latino Internship and Fellowship Initiative encourages museums and institutions of higher education to collaborate to achieve their shared goals of education and community-building," said Acting IMLS Director Cyndee Landrum. "Together, they are able build the capacity of American Latino museums to preserve and elevate the diversity of American Latino experiences."

This year's grant recipients will be the final cohort to receive awards through ALMIFI as it currently stands. Moving forward, American Latino institutions are encouraged to apply to IMLS's newly developed Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (ALHC), which will offer support for capacity-building and workforce development projects. The development of ALHC was informed by research conducted by The Urban Institute.

All awarded ALMIFI projects can be found on the IMLS website. Three of this year's awardees are detailed below:

• Museum Studies internship Program: Latinx Museum Internship Initiative (Los Angeles Community College District)
  The Vincent Price Museum at the East Los Angeles College will increase its capacity to facilitate museum internships at museums and cultural institutions for students enrolled in their Museum Studies Certificate track. Project activities include the creation of new partnerships and expansion of its roster of participating museums, provide technical assistance to students, and offer support for interns. The project funds will support student stipends, administrative costs at hosting institutions, and outreach and student engagement. The resulting outcome is a wider and further enhanced internship experience for students in the museum studies program.

• Arte Américas Undergraduate Internship Program (Arte Américas: The Mexican Art Center)
  Arte Américas: The Mexican Art Center will partner with the State Center Community College District, the University of California Merced, and California State University Fresno to implement a museum-based undergraduate internship program. The internship project will be implemented at seven campuses across five counties in California's Central Valley. Project activities include field trips to cultural institutions across the state of California, the production of seasonal public programs, and mentorship with professional museum staff. The funds will support the purchase of museum equipment for interns to use, student stipends, travel costs, one full-time internship coordinator. The resulting outcomes include the production of a digital inventory for Arte Américas' collection of masks, a digitization of the "Caminos" exhibition with the Fresno State Special Collections team, along with professional hands-on museum skill development for participants.

• Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Internship Program (Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico)
  The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in partnership with the University of Sagrado Corazon and the University of Puerto Rico will develop a workplace-based learning and practice immersive experience. Project activities include the design and implementation of internships that will grow student professional skills in museum studies and the arts, provide work experience in the creative sector, and expand the way students add depth and can incentivize their skills as employable cultural workers. Project funds will support paid mentors for students, a Lunch Box Speaker Series and an Annual Internship Alumni Portfolio Showcase with potential employers, and materials and supplies for mentorship, a Lunch Box Speaker Series and an Annual Internship Alumni Portfolio Showcase with Employers. The resulting outcomes will include the production of the MAPR 25th Anniversary Celebration in conjunction with the production of the exhibition "Puerto Rico Plural."

The American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative is the fourth IMLS Museum Services program to announce its FY24 awardees. Recipients of the Inspire! Grants for Small Museums, Museums for America,Museums Empowered, and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs will be announced later this summer.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.