§9175 21st Century Museum Professional Program

Summary

Creates a program to grow a more diverse group of museum workers. Using money made available under section 9176, the Director may give grants, contracts, and other agreements to museums, museum groups, colleges and universities (institutions of higher education — see section 9165(b)), and other groups to run projects that meet local needs. The work focuses on three things: recruiting and training future museum professionals from underrepresented backgrounds (including middle school, high school, and college students); building leaders through early- and mid-career training and leadership programs; and supporting current museum staff. Funded projects can include boosting diverse student enrollment in museum programs, paid internships, mentoring and fellowships, mid-career skill training and local networks, plus research, pilots, and program evaluations. The Director must set up rules to review and evaluate these projects.