Guidelines for the current fiscal year are made available approximately 90 days before the grant deadline. Until that time, guidelines from the previous year are available for your reference, but you must use the current fiscal year’s guidelines when you apply.

For the fiscal year 2011 application, plus examples of how this program can benefit your institution and more information, please visit the American Association of Museums Web site.

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is supported through a cooperative agreement between the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the American Association of Museums. It is designed to help museums assess their strengths and weaknesses, and plan for the future.

A MAP assessment requires members of the museum staff and governing authority to complete a self-study. After completion of the self-study, a site visit is conducted by one or more museum professionals, who tour the museum and meet with staff, governing offi cials, and volunteers. The surveyors work with the museum and MAP staff to produce a report evaluating the museum's operations, making recommendations, and suggesting resources.

There are three types of MAP assessments:

• Organizational/Institutional Assessment: Reviews all areas of operations.
• Collections Stewardship/Collections Management Assessment: Focuses on collections policies, planning access, documentation, and collections care within the context of the museum's total operations.
• Community Engagement/Public Dimension Assessment: Assesses the museum's understanding of and relationship with its communities as well as its communities' perceptions of and experiences with the museum.

Eligible organizations should select one of the assessment types and prepare an application for either the December 1 or July 1 deadline. Application materials and additional information are located at www.aam-us.org/map.