Funding to Provide Fellowships and Internships to Further Advance Latino History and Culture

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services has announced awards totaling $4,174,127 to eight institutions through the new American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative (ALMIFI). ALMIFI is designed to strengthen the institutional capacity of the American Latino Museum community and provide opportunities for internships and fellowships at American Latino museums for students enrolled in Institutions of higher education, including Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSIs.)

“The American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative is an investment in the future of Latino museums and cultural sites,” said IMLS Deputy Director Laura Huerta Migus. “IMLS is continuing its support of diversity within the museum field by providing critical staffing resources to recipient institutions and creating opportunities for emerging professionals to preserve, manage and broaden access to American Latino life, art, history and culture.”

The eight awarded projects were selected from 22 applications requesting $12,033,026. Institutions receiving awards are matching them with $425,981 in non-federal funds.

Some examples of awarded projects include:

• The University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus will partner with the Museo de Historia, Arte y Antropología and the Museo de Arte de Ponce’s Dr. Pio López Martínez to develop an academic-structured, employment-oriented hands-on internship experience focusing on Puerto Rico and its diaspora. Project activities will include providing resources for staff training and development of museum studies curricula with a focus on deploying climate change related safety measures in collections management. Additionally, this internship will support studies in preservation, revitalization, and dissemination of art objects held within partner museum collections. Project funds will support development of curriculum with partnering museums as well as access to mentors in curatorial, preservation, and exhibition development activities.

• The National Museum of Mexican Art in partnership with DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago will develop a yearlong internship program for undergraduate students. Project activities will include the placement of interns in distinct departments including education, youth initiatives, permanent collection, and visual art exhibitions. Project funds will support computer and software for intern activities, yearly professional development workshops, transit costs, and mentorship opportunities.

• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will create and support a new museum-based undergraduate internship and graduate fellowship program in partnership with American Latino museums. Project activities will include the creation of a new transdisciplinary museum studies course, expansion of outreach for students to enroll in internships and fellowships, and the development of a family engagement plan to involve students’ families in the internship application process. The implementation of the museum-based coursework will result in the creation of a new museum-focused academic course, and a handbook for students participating in internships at American Latino museums.

Applications for this program are scheduled to reopen in December 2023. Interested institutions are encouraged to apply.

The American Latino Museum Internship and Fellowship Initiative is an FY 2023 funding opportunity under the National Museum of the American Latino, Educational and Liaison Programs (20 U.S.C. § 80u(f)) legislation.

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.