USC Subchapter III

in effect

20 U.S.C. § 9171 Purpose

It is the purpose of this subchapter— (1) to encourage and support museums in carrying out their educational role, as core providers of learning and in conjunction with schools, families, and communities; (2) to encourage and support museums in carrying out their public service role of connecting the whole of society to the cultural, artistic, historical, natural, and scientific understandings that constitute our diverse heritage; (3) to encourage leadership, innovation, and applications of the most current technologies and practices to enhance museum services through international, national, regional, State, and local networks and partnerships; (4) to assist, encourage, and support museums in carrying out their stewardship responsibilities to achieve the highest standards in conservation and care of the diverse cultural, historic, natural, and scientific heritage of the United States to benefit future generations; (5) to assist, encourage, and support museums in achieving the highest standards of management and service to the public, and to ease the financial burden borne by museums as they serve their communities in new and different ways; (6) to support resource sharing and partnerships among museums, libraries, schools, and other community organizations; (7) to encourage and support museums as a part of economic development and revitalization in communities; (8) to ensure museums of various types and sizes in diverse geographic regions of the United States are afforded attention and support; (9) to support efforts at the State and regional levels to leverage museum resources and maximize museum services; and (10) to assist museums in their civic engagement efforts to ensure that every person in the United States has access to high-quality museum services.

20 U.S.C. § 9172 Definitions

As used in this subchapter: (1) MuseumThe term “museum” means a public, tribal, or private nonprofit agency or institution organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational, cultural heritage, or aesthetic purposes, that utilizes a professional staff, owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for the tangible objects, and exhibits the tangible objects to the public on a regular basis. Such term includes museums that have tangible and digital collections and includes aquariums, arboretums, botanical gardens, art museums, children’s museums, general museums, historic houses and sites, history museums, nature centers, natural history and anthropology museums, planetariums, science and technology centers, specialized museums, and zoological parks. (2) StateThe term “State” means each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

20 U.S.C. § 9173 Museum services activities

(a) In generalThe Director, subject to the policy advice of the Museum and Library Services Board, may enter into arrangements, including grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance, with museums, States, local governments, and other entities as the Director considers appropriate, to pay the Federal share of the cost of—(1) supporting museums in providing learning and access to collections, information, and educational resources in a variety of formats (including exhibitions, programs, publications, and websites) for individuals of all ages; (2) supporting museums in building learning partnerships with the Nation’s schools, including tribal schools, and developing museum resources, capabilities, and programs in support of State and local efforts to offer a well-rounded educational experience to all students; (3) supporting the conservation and preservation of museum collections, including efforts to—(A) provide optimal conditions for storage, exhibition, and use; (B) prepare for and respond to disasters and emergency situations; (C) establish endowments for conservation; (D) curate, stabilize, and organize object-related information; and (E) train museum staff in collections care; (4) supporting efforts at the State level to leverage museum resources, including statewide assessments of museum services and needs and development of State plans to improve and maximize museum services through the State; (5) creating shared technology tools and data resources, and developing museum staff training plans to improve and maximize museum services through organizations such as museum associations, professional networks, community-based organizations, and foundations, and through other collaborative mechanisms; (6) stimulating greater collaboration, in order to share resources and strengthen communities, among museums and—(A) libraries; (B) schools; (C) institutions of higher education; (D) international, Federal, State, regional, tribal, and local agencies or organizations; (E) nongovernmental organizations; (F) other community organizations; and (G) other relevant research and policy organizations; (7) encouraging the use of new and emerging technologies and media, including new ways to disseminate information, engage varied audiences in experiential learning, and support teachers and students to enhance access to and engagement with museum collections, programs, and services; (8) supporting museums in developing, carrying out, and providing programs and services that meet the needs of communities throughout the Nation, including people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, residents of rural and urban areas, Native Americans, military families, veterans, and caregivers, and for State institutions; (9) supporting professional development and technical assistance programs to enhance museum operations, and the skills of museum staff, at all levels, and to support the development of the next generation of museum leaders and professionals, in order to ensure the highest standards in all aspects of museum operations; (10) supporting museums in research, program evaluation, and the collection and dissemination of information to museum professionals and the public; (11) encouraging, supporting, and disseminating model programs of museum and library collaboration; (12) enabling museums to serve as anchor institutions to support community revitalization and the creation of opportunities for advancement; and (13) developing public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations to expand and enhance museum services. (b) Federal share(1) 50 percentExcept as provided in paragraph (2), the Federal share described in subsection (a) shall be not more than 50 percent. (2) Greater than 50 percentThe Director may use not more than 20 percent of the funds made available under this subchapter for a fiscal year to enter into arrangements under subsection (a) for which the Federal share may be greater than 50 percent. (3) Operational expensesNo funds for operational expenses may be provided under this section to any entity that is not a museum. (c) Review and evaluation(1) In generalThe Director shall establish procedures for reviewing and evaluating arrangements described in subsection (a) entered into under this subchapter. (2) Grant distributionIn awarding grants, the Director shall take into consideration the equitable distribution of grants to museums of various types and sizes and to different geographic areas of the United States. (3) Applications for technical assistance(A) In generalThe Director may use not more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this subchapter for technical assistance. (B) Individual museumsIndividual museums may receive not more than 3 technical assistance awards under subparagraph (A). Subsequent awards for technical assistance shall be subject to review outside the Institute. (d) Services for Native AmericansFrom amounts appropriated under section 9176 of this title, the Director shall reserve 2.25 percent to award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians (as defined in section 7517 of this title), to enable such tribes and organizations to carry out the activities described in subsection (a).

20 U.S.C. § 9175 21st century museum professional program

(a) PurposeIt is the purpose of this section to develop and enhance the diverse workforce of museum professionals in order to best anticipate and serve the needs of their local communities and the public by—(1) recruiting and educating future museum professionals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including through encouraging middle or high school students and postsecondary students to pursue careers and build skills in museum services; (2) developing museum leaders from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including by increasing the capacity of institutions that offer early career and mid-career professional development, specialized training, and leadership programs that directly relate to museum studies and management; and (3) supporting the professional development of current museum professionals and the museum workforce to enable them to meet identified needs of their communities. (b) ActivitiesFrom the amounts provided under section 9176 of this title, the Director may enter into arrangements, including grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other forms of assistance, with museums, museum consortia and associations, institutions of higher education (as defined in section 9165(b) of this title), and other entities that the Director determines appropriate, for projects that further the purpose of this section, such as projects that—(1) increase the number of students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds enrolled in graduate and undergraduate museum-related programs as well as other relevant programs offered through other education-focused entities, such as State and local governments, associations, and nonprofit organizations, in order to effectively prepare the students for, and retain the students in, careers in museum services; (2) recruit future museum professionals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including efforts to attract promising middle school, high school, or postsecondary students to consider careers in museum services such as through offering paid internships, mentoring, and fellowship opportunities; (3) develop new or enhance current professional development and retention programs for museum professionals and the museum workforce, including through mid-career skill-building, mentoring, and fellowships, and by supporting the development of local and regional networks for those who may not have easy access to such opportunities; and (4) support and conduct research, needs assessments, pilot programs, and evaluation of education and professional development programs to explore successful approaches that can successfully recruit, prepare, educate, and retain the next generation of museum professionals. (c) EvaluationThe Director shall establish procedures for reviewing and evaluating arrangements supported under this section.

20 U.S.C. § 9176 Authorization of appropriations

(a) GrantsFor the purpose of carrying out this subchapter, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Director $38,600,000 for each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2025. (b) Sums remaining availableSums appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) for any fiscal year shall remain available for obligation until expended. (c) Funding rulesNotwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, if the amount appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year is greater than the amount appropriated under such subsection for fiscal year 2020 by more than $10,000,000, then an amount of not less than 30 percent but not more than 50 percent of the increase in appropriated funds shall be available, from the funds appropriated under such subsection for the fiscal year, to enter into arrangements under section 9173 of this title to carry out the State assessments described in section 9173(a)(4) of this title and to assist States in the implementation of such plans.