GRANT WRITING FOR MUSEUMS
Your Museum Deserves a Grant Team.
we’re here for you.
Position your museum to Win More Funding—
Without Having Grant Writing On Your To-Do List.
We work with museums to find the right funders, write stronger proposals, and build systems that support your mission without burning out your team.
Industry-specific support for museums needing competitive funding, clearer systems, and a true partner.
Grant Writing Shouldn't Take Over Your Life.
Grant writing for museums is not the same as generic nonprofit grant writing —
Your needs, timelines, institutional priorities, and community impact deserve a strategy tailored to museum work.
“Accession’s knowledge and experience in grant writing was an incredible help.”
— Mary T., Lott House
High-Stakes Projects
Programs, renovations, exhibits, and capital projects need funding that cannot be left to guesswork.
Shifting Priorities
Funder expectations change, deadlines move, and your team is left trying to keep up.
Limited Staff
You have limited or no development staff and too many priorities fighting for attention.
Accession is a boutique fundraising firm built exclusively for museums. That focus matters.
We do not apply generic nonprofit strategies to museum work. Every recommendation, rubric, system, and proposal strategy we use is built around museum funding realities, so your team can focus on the opportunities that are actually worth your time.
We are Museum-Only Grant Experts
Real Museum Expertise
Strategy over Submissions
Done-For-You Execution
Clear Systems that Reduce Burden
A True Partnership, Not Just a Plan
Grant Writing for Museums With a Track Record Behind It
62%
grant writing success rate
85%
of clients see awards in the first 6 months
80%
win-rate for National Endowment for the Humanities grants
$10.1M
in awards since 2023
“Accession provided the museum with a level of service equivalent to a fundraising department, which we otherwise would not have been able to support with our modest resources. Principal Consultant Shiloh Holley brings years of experience as a non-profit leader to her work.”
- Ciro G., Noble Maritime Collection
Grant Writing Services for Museums That Need Strategy and Support
Whether your museum needs help finding the right funders, preparing stronger proposals, or creating a grant system your team can actually maintain, Accession can help.
Our signature 3-Step process:
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We help clarify your museum’s strengths, funding priorities, and unique positioning so your proposals are more compelling from the start.
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We identify aligned funding opportunities for your museum right now, so you are not wasting limited time on poor-fit grants.
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We provide seamless full-service grant writing and project management, from drafting to submission.
FREE WEBINARGrant Writing That Works for Museum Professionals Who Wear Many Hats
Grant writing probably wasn’t the job you signed up for.
But now you are finding funders, managing deadlines, writing proposals, building spreadsheets, gathering materials, and trying to submit something competitive on top of everything else.
In this free webinar, you will learn how to:
Determine why your project is compelling
Identify funders your museum actually has a strong chance of winning
Strengthen your applications before you submit
Use a repeatable system to save time and improve your grant process
“Accession helped us envision our future and get us on the path to success."
-Eileen M., Olmsted-Biel House
Confident grant writing for busy museum professionals.
The Grant Writing Lab is a hands-on cohort learning experience for museum professionals who are tired of guessing their way through grants.
This is not a passive course. It is a working lab where you apply what you learn to a real grant application, get expert feedback, and build a repeatable system your museum can use again.
Inside the Lab, participants get:
A best-fit grant opportunity identified for you to apply to now
Live coaching on your real grant application
A proven grant writing toolkit to guide your process start to finish
1:1 review time with Shiloh to strengthen your application
Interactive instruction + strategy sessions
Repeatable systems to keep the wins coming
Accession’s Grant Writing Lab
A fun, inspiring corner of your inbox
A place for museum people, curious minds, and lifelong learners to enjoy Fun reads together
In our quarterly virtual meetings, we share reading recommendations, interesting ideas, discussion prompts, and insights that connect back to museums, fundraising, storytelling — the work we all care about.
Whether you’re reading every page, listening to the audiobook on your commute, or just following along for the highlights, you’re in the right place.
Trust an expert who knows museums, because she has led them
Our Founder Shiloh Holley, CFRE
With 20 years of museum leadership and development experience, Shiloh Holley brings both strategic insight and operational know-how to your grant process.
As a museum director turned consultant, she understands the whole picture. She knows what it takes to manage staff capacity, board expectations, institutional priorities, funder relationships, and real deadlines while still moving the mission forward.
That experience helps her translate your museum’s work into compelling, funder-ready proposals. Her credentials:
B.A. in Art History, Wittenberg University
M.A. in Art History & Museum Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago
Certified Grant Writer
Certified Fund Raising Executive, CFRE
Recognized by American Alliance of Museums, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Virginia Humanities
What these museums have to say
Working with Accession was excellent. Time management was great as was availability to discuss progress and to get things done by the due date”
- Faith D. , Staten Island Museum
Accession was an invaluable partner for our campaign. The team handled everything from strategy to execution to reporting with professionalism and care. Their support made a meaningful difference in the success of our milestone campaign for the museum’s 40th anniversary.
- Megan B., Noble Maritime Collection
"Great at communication, an efficient collaborator and understood of our goals.”
- Ali L., Women of Banglatown
"Did a great job guiding our small museum into the necessary growth we weren't able to achieve on our own"
- Eileen M., Lott House
Have Questions?
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Your team does not need more work on their plate. They need expert support, a clearer process, and a partner who understands museum funding. Accession helps reduce the staff burden while bringing museum-specific strategy and grant writing experience to the process.
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Accession works exclusively with museums. That means the strategy is not generic nonprofit advice. It is built around museum funders, museum language, museum timelines, collections, exhibits, education programs, preservation needs, capital projects, and the realities of small and mid-sized museum teams.
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Yes. Accession can support your existing team by handling strategy, writing, review, prospecting, systems, or project management. The goal is not to replace your staff. The goal is to strengthen their capacity and help them focus on the work only they can do.
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That is exactly why Accession exists. Many museums need funding, but do not have a full development department. Accession helps create the strategy, structure, and support needed to pursue grants more effectively.
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Accession combines museum-specific expertise, strategic prospecting, strong proposal development, and clear systems. The goal is not to apply for more grants. The goal is to apply for better-fit opportunities with stronger applications.
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The investment depends on the level of support your museum needs. The best next step is to book a call so we can understand your priorities, timeline, and funding goals.
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Because uncertainty makes strategy more important, not less. Museums need to understand which opportunities are worth pursuing, how to diversify funding, and how to prepare stronger applications when the right opportunities open.
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Grant funding works best with consistency. A year-long partnership allows Accession to understand your museum deeply, plan ahead for deadlines, build reusable funding assets, and move from reactive submissions to a stronger long-term grant strategy.
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Yes, but the process is designed to reduce the burden on your staff. Your team brings the institutional knowledge. Accession brings the grant strategy, writing process, project management, and funding expertise.
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Accession is realistic, strategic, and museum-specific. We focus on aligned opportunities, clear communication, strong systems, and a true partnership. We will not promise funding we cannot guarantee, but we will help you submit stronger, more competitive applications.
Ready for Museum Grant Writing Support -
That Actually Fits Your Team?
If your museum needs funding but your team is stretched thin, Accession can help you build a stronger, more strategic grant process.