Museums & Community Collaborations Abroad (MCCA) provides museums worldwide with a unique opportunity to strengthen connections with local audiences by focusing on community outreach with an emphasis on activities beyond museum walls. US and non-US museum staff work together to design MCCA projects that build better museum-community connections while creating new connections between the communities of the two countries.

Applying to MCCA

To be considered for an MCCA grant, US museums:

• Identify a non-US partner by selecting from the US Embassy nominated museums or by locating a suitable match on their own.
• Submit a Statement of Intent to Propose to MCCA by January 30, 2009. This statement should be no more than 5 pages in length and should include the name/s of partner museums, their nomination status, requested funding level, and a brief overview of the proposed project similar to an executive summary.
• Nominate non-US museums that have not already been identified by a US Embassy. Nomination paperwork is submitted with the Statement of Intent to Propose to MCCA. US museums must also request endorsement for their non-US partner museum from the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the nearest US Embassy or Consulate no later than January 30, 2009. The non-US museum must have the support of the embassy to participate in MCCA.
• Ensure that embassy endorsements are received by the MCCA office no later than February 10, 2009.
• Submit a Final Proposal to MCCA by March 16, 2009.

Selection, Notification, and Implementation

The Selection Committee, comprised of three museum staff members with extensive experience working internationally, evaluates Final Proposals based on the selection criteria. After selection, provisional award status is announced; the awards become final only upon completion of Implementation Agreements, which are drafted with the assistance of MCCA staff.

The Implementation Agreement serves as a contract between the museums and the MCCA office. It clarifies the terms and conditions of the award and also refines the project activities. MCCA staff work with the museums to fine tune the proposed budget and create an evaluation schema. In collaboration with the US embassy, the team creates a communications plan for sharing the project activities with their local communities.

Until the Implementation Agreement is signed, the award offer may be rescinded if the project design changes considerably from that which was reviewed by the Selection Committee. Any proposed change in partner or significant change in project content during the negotiation of the agreement must be approved by MCCA staff. Upon receipt of the signed implementation agreement, the award is considered official, and funds are released for project activities.