ASSOCIATION ADvocacy – IMLS

The American Public Gardens Association has been a sponsor of the
American Alliance of Museums’ “Museums Advocacy Day” for over a decade.

The primary focus of Museums Advocacy Day has been support for the
Institute of Museum and Library Services.

IMLS grants are one of the primary ways that museums can receive direct support from the Federal Government.

During that time, funding for the Office of Museum Services, providing matching grants to institutions, has increased from $30M to over $55M.

Grants can have a big impact on individual institutions, but many public gardens have used them to develop tools and resources that benefit public gardens everywhere.

For more information about IMLS grant opportunities, click here.

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SECTOR IMPACT

In 2022-2024 APGA members received over $10M in funding from IMLS, including these grants that benefit the sector as a whole:

2024: National Leadership Grants - Museums

The Morton Arboretum will develop training tools for horticulture staff at public gardens and arboreta. Based on a survey conducted in 2023, the Arboretum learned that finding and retaining staff with horticulture backgrounds is increasingly difficult, and managers often do not have the time and resources to implement consistent training. This project will address these issues by developing an adaptable curriculum for horticulture staff at any garden

2023: National Leadership Grants - Museums

The Atlanta Botanical Garden will advance the museum field’s ability to identify new solutions that address high priority and widespread collections care or conservation issues in the botanic garden community by expanding a collections consortia approach. Project activities will include coordinating the development of the consortium, conducting genetic analysis to inform a gap analysis, developing an app for metacollection management, and providing ongoing training and outreach to existing and new consortium members. As a result, gardens of any size will have support, training, and access to tools that will help them better manage living plant collections.

2023: National Leadership Grants - Museums

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will develop a climate education curriculum and professional development program for museum professionals in response to the need for tools that empower cultural institutions to address climate change. This project will result in a suite of resources, a cross-sector network of museum professionals and institutions accelerating climate action, and a replicable model of professional development that can be widely used, adapted and scaled by museums across the field.

GARDEN IMPACT

Museums Empowered: Professional Development Opportunities for Museum Staff

Powell Gardens received two IMLS grants in 2021 and 2024 that they describe as “transformational” for their human resources and staff professional development.


2021: The project is intended to help staff build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and transparency while also implementing effective business practices, which will increase their capacity to provide visitors with meaningful encounters with plants within the Midwest ecosystem.

2024: The project team will build capacity by hiring an outreach position, that will define audiences and develop a plan for community outreach that will also include a paid position for an undergraduate student that will contribute to research, planning, and updating of program curricula.