§ 9175 — 21st Century Museum Professional Program

(a) It 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) From 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) The Director shall establish procedures for reviewing and evaluating arrangements supported under this section.