Resources
Learn about resources for museums and cultural organizations from within Delaware and beyond its borders—including funding opportunities at the state and national level, membership organizations of all sizes, museum-focused newsletters, and more.
Is there a resource that you think should be listed here? Please email delmuseums@gmail.com and include a link to the resource or opportunity.
Newsletters
Get job postings, calls for papers, and other museum information delivered right to your inbox!
MuseWeekly by University of Delaware Museum Studies
MuseWeekly is a weekly e-news delivered right to your inbox, that contains: jobs, internships, conferences, announcements, and museum news. MuseWeekly also accepts listing submissions.
American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Newsletters
The American Alliance of Museums publishes three newsletters: Dispatches from the Future of Museums (open), Field Notes (open), and Aviso (members only).
Funding Opportunities
Are you looking to fund a project or initiative at your museum? Funding opportunities within Delaware and beyond might be a good fit for your organization.
Delaware Humanities
Delaware Humanities offers grants for humanities projects by nonprofit organizations within the state of Delaware. Visit their site to learn more about the types of grants awarded, grant eligibility, and how to apply.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities "offers a variety of grant programs to individuals and organizations that do the highest quality work to promote the humanities." Some grants are specifically targeted at small and mid-size organizations.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services offers grants supporting museums. Some grant opportunities are specifically targeted at small museums.
Resources
Sustaining Places
Sustaining Places, an initiative of the University of Delaware's Museum Studies Program, provides resources for small museums and historic sites including instructional material about administration, collections, exhibitions, and education.
Delaware Disaster Assistance Team
The Delaware Disaster Assistance Team coordinates emergency preparedness and response among Delaware's cultural heritage institutions.
The Inclusive Historian's Handbook
The Inclusive Historian’s Handbook is an online reference source dedicated to “inclusive and equity-focused historical work in public settings.” It is co-sponsored by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and the National Council on Public History (NCPH).
Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts
The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts is a nonprofit that offers both resource packets and conservation services, especially related to works on paper.
Historic Funding Database
HistoricFunding.com is a new membership database with access to over 7,500 funding programs (grants, loans, tax incentives, easement programs, rebates) and work training/educational programs (internships, fellowships, scholarships, residencies and apprenticeships) in all areas of historic preservation and cultural resource management.
Member Organizations
National & Regional Associations
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is a national association that brings museums together, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community. AAM membership connects members to resources, research, toolkits, and professional development programs.
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is a national association that provides leadership and resources to help the history community thrive and make history more meaningful to all people. AASLH primarily focuses on history professionals, history volunteers, museums, historical societies, and other history-related organizations and public history professionals.
The Small Museum Association (SMA) is an all-volunteer organization serving small museums in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. SMA's mission is to develop and maintain a peer network among people who work for small museums, giving them opportunities to learn, share knowledge and support one another, so that they, in turn, can better serve their institutions, communities and profession.
The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums is a regional association that supports and promotes excellence, ethics, and accessibility in museum practices to make the museums of the Mid-Atlantic region better able to preserve and interpret our diverse cultural, scientific, and aesthetic heritage.
Associations by Museum Specialty
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.
The Association of African American Museums is a non-profit member organization established to support African and African American focused museums nationally and internationally, as well as the professionals who protect, preserve and interpret African and African American art, history and culture..
The Association of Children's Museums is the world’s foremost professional society supporting and advocating on behalf of children’s museums, and those who work at and otherwise sustain them. ACM supports children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination.
The Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums serves those involved in living historical farms, agricultural museums and outdoor museums of history and folklife. ALHFAM shares practical knowledge and skills among those who make history relevant to contemporary lives.
Association of Science Technology Centers is a membership association based in North America that supports the global science engagement field, providing a collective voice, professional support, and programming opportunities for science centers, museums, and related institutions.
Associations by Museum Role
The Visitor Studies Association is a membership organization dedicated to understanding and enhancing learning experiences in informal settings through research, evaluation, and dialogue.
The American Association of Art Museum Directors is an organization of art museum directors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico that supports its members in increasing the contribution of art museums to society.
The Association of Art Museum Curators supports the role of curators in shaping the mission of art museums in North America by offering professional development, leadership skills, and direct connections for art curators working in the not-for-profit sector.
The American Institute for Conservation is a national membership organization supporting conservators and allied professionals who preserve cultural heritage.
The National Association for Interpretation is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the profession of heritage interpretation. Individual members include those who work at parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, historical and cultural sites, commercial tour companies, and theme parks. Commercial and institutional members include those who provide services to the heritage interpretation industry.
International Museum Associations
The International Council of Museums is a membership association and a non-governmental organization which establishes professional and ethical standards for museum activities. As forum of experts, it makes recommendations on issues related to cultural heritage, promotes capacity building and advances knowledge. ICOM is the voice of museum professionals on international stage and raises public cultural awareness through global networks and co-operation programs.
The International Institute for Conservation is an independent international professional institute that brings together conservation professionals from around the world, educating, enabling and recognizing excellence.