Budget too Tight?
Staff stretched thin?
Gain the funding your museum needs — without the overwhelm.
The only grant writing firm focused exclusively on museums
with proven museum-specific systems and results
What Our Clients Say About Us
“Accession provided executive-level services as institutional giving consultants and grant writers. The museum’s development efforts are much more organized and successful thanks to them.”
-NOBLE MARITIME COLLECTION
CASE STUDIES
- 72% success rate—10% above the typical in-house average
- 85% of clients get awards in the first 6-months
- 80% NEH win rate
- One client achieved a 427% revenue increase over three years
- $8.3 Million in awards for 19 clients
Stop Scrambling. Start winning.
Move from stressful grant-writing and missed opportunities to confident, compelling submissions that bring the resources your museum deserves.
Our Score Optimization Framework ensures each proposal aligns with funders’ priorities—helping your application rise to the top.
Does this sound like your museum?
- Check all that apply:
- Tired of stretching budgets just to keep core operations afloat?
- Projects don’t align with shifting funder priorities?
- Unsure how recent Executive Orders impact your grant eligibility?
- Submitting grants with no results—and losing hope?
- Wish you could spend more time on your mission and less on grant writing?
- Lost when it comes to identifying strong funding prospects?
About Founder Shiloh Holley, CFRE
With 20 years of museum leadership and development experience, Shiloh brings both strategic insight and operational know-how to your grant process. As a museum director turned consultant, she understands the whole picture—and knows how to translate your mission 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
Trust an expert who knows museums—because she’s led them.
Our Services
Prospect Research & Funding
Strategy
A curated roadmap of 10+ funders matched to your mission and readiness—saving you time and increasing your odds of success.
Grant
Writing & Fractional Support
Whether it’s one-off
Whether it’s one-off review or an ongoing retainer—applications are tailored and structured to align with your needs and priorities while optimizing competitiveness.
Grant Reviews & Scoring Optimization
Application draft and opportunity deep-dive, delivering you a scored rubric and clear action steps to increase funding success.
What museums have to
say about our work
“Accession helped us by creating a workflow for our NEH application, sorting out all the forms and documents, packaging everything ready for submission. Their help was excellent and ensured that we got things done by the due date.“ – Staten Island Museum
“Accession provides a level of service that feels like an extension of the organization’s staff. Shiloh’s years of experience as a museum leader comes across in the guidance and knowledge she provides to her clients.” – Noble Maritime Collection
Have Questions?
Why should we hire Accession instead of handling grant writing in-house?
Your staff is already stretched. Grant writing requires a specific skillset—research, alignment, persuasive writing, and project management—that often pulls staff away from relationship-building with funders and delivering programs. We act as your fractional development team, taking the heavy lift off your plate while delivering museum-specific expertise that boosts competitiveness.
What makes you different from local consultants?
Accession is the only grant development firm dedicated solely to museums. We combine deep sector expertise with proprietary tools—like our Grant Vault and Score Optimization Framework—giving your museum an edge that generalist consultants simply can’t match. We don’t just know grants. We know museum grants.
What makes you different from local consultants?
Accession is the only grant development firm dedicated solely to museums. We combine deep sector expertise with proprietary tools—like our Grant Vault and Score Optimization Framework—giving your museum an edge that generalist consultants simply can’t match. We don’t just know grants. We know museum grants.
If we already have a development staff member, is hiring you worth the investment?
Absolutely. We don’t replace your staff—we extend their capacity. Your team focuses on cultivating donors, stewarding members, and running programs, while we handle the specialized, time-intensive work of prospecting, writing, and optimizing grant applications. The return speaks for itself: our success rate is 10% higher than organizations keeping grant writing in-house, and in 2025 alone, 85% of clients secured funding in the first two quarters of the year. Even one grant award can more than cover the investment, freeing your staff to do what they do best while we make sure your proposals are competitive and consistent.
What if our museum is small or doesn’t have a development team?
That’s exactly who we serve best. Many of our clients don’t have in-house fundraising staff. We step in as your fractional development team, providing the same expertise a large institution would have access to—at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time grant professional. Our Founder, Shiloh Holley, is a CFRE (that’s Certified Fundraising Executive). Most of our services provide holistic support and deliverables that impact your entire fundraising approach.
Grants are more competitive now—what makes you confident you can deliver results?
That’s exactly why you need a strategic partner. Instead of scattershot applications, we use rigorous vetting to only pursue funders where your museum is truly competitive. In the first two quarters of 2025, our clients secured $845,000, averaging $65,000 per organization. We have raised $8.4 million for clients to date. We write smarter, not harder.
Why engage a consultant now, when federal funding for museums is uncertain?
Uncertainty makes strategy even more important. With potential cuts to IMLS, NEH, NEA and state agencies, museums need to diversify funding streams, adapt quickly to shifting requirements, and maximize limited resources. We help you stay competitive in this volatile landscape, positioning you to thrive despite funding challenges.
How much does it cost to work with you?
Our core service is a retainer package—starting at $1,750/month—that delivers consistent, ongoing support with roughly one high-quality application or funding asset each month. Each retainer includes prospect research, grant writing, application administration, scoring optimization, and monthly strategy sessions—so your museum always has a clear, active pipeline. For organizations seeking limited support, we also offer packages for one-off projects. And for federal grant applications, we provide fixed-fee services ranging from $1,250–$5,000, depending on whether you need a comprehensive submission or a targeted review.
How do you make sure our applications stand out?
Every application goes through our Score Optimization Framework—a structured rubric aligned to funder criteria. This process highlights gaps, strengthens clarity, and ensures your proposals “speak” the language. It’s one reason our clients consistently outperform average success rates.
What is a “funding asset”?
A funding asset is any deliverable that helps your museum secure support. This includes grant applications, LOIs, and reports, as well as other fundraising tools like project prospectuses, annual appeal letters, or planned giving materials. With our retainer clients, we go beyond grant writing—we get to know your programs and funding needs deeply, then create the assets that will have the greatest impact and where you most need support.
Why do you propose a year-long retainer?
Grant funding isn’t instant—it’s a long game. It takes time to research funders aligned with your museum’s programs, build relationships, draft and refine strong applications, and then wait through the funder’s review process. A year-long retainer gives us enough runway to create a strategic pipeline, submit multiple well-vetted proposals, and start seeing awards come in. By committing to the full year, your museum benefits from a steady, consistent approach that produces lasting results—not just a one-off quick fix. It also frees up your time to invest in your organization in other ways besides sifting through RFPs.
Why engage a consultant now, when federal funding for museums is uncertain?
Uncertainty makes strategy even more important. With potential cuts to IMLS, NEH, NEA and state agencies, museums need to diversify funding streams, adapt quickly to shifting requirements, and maximize limited resources. We help you stay competitive in this volatile landscape, positioning you to thrive despite funding challenges.
How do you make sure our applications stand out?
Every application goes through our Score Optimization Framework—a structured rubric aligned to funder criteria. This process highlights gaps, strengthens clarity, and ensures your proposals “speak” the language. It’s one reason our clients consistently outperform average success rates.
Why do you propose a year-long retainer?
Grant funding isn’t instant—it’s a long game. It takes time to research funders aligned with your museum’s programs, build relationships, draft and refine strong applications, and then wait through the funder’s review process. A year-long retainer gives us enough runway to create a strategic pipeline, submit multiple well-vetted proposals, and start seeing awards come in. By committing to the full year, your museum benefits from a steady, consistent approach that produces lasting results—not just a one-off quick fix. It also frees up your time to invest in your organization in other ways besides sifting through RFPs
Why do you propose a year-long retainer?
Grant funding isn’t instant—it’s a long game. It takes time to research funders aligned with your museum’s programs, build relationships, draft and refine strong applications, and then wait through the funder’s review process. A year-long retainer gives us enough runway to create a strategic pipeline, submit multiple well-vetted proposals, and start seeing awards come in. By committing to the full year, your museum benefits from a steady, consistent approach that produces lasting results—not just a one-off quick fix. It also frees up your time to invest in your organization in other ways besides sifting through RFPs.
Why do you propose a year-long retainer?
Grant funding isn’t instant—it’s a long game. It takes time to research funders aligned with your museum’s programs, build relationships, draft and refine strong applications, and then wait through the funder’s review process. A year-long retainer gives us enough runway to create a strategic pipeline, submit multiple well-vetted proposals, and start seeing awards come in. By committing to the full year, your museum benefits from a steady, consistent approach that produces lasting results—not just a one-off quick fix. It also frees up your time to invest in your organization in other ways besides sifting through RFPs.
Will our staff still need to be involved?
Yes, but only where your voice matters most. We’ll need input on programs, budgets, and impact, and you’ll review/approve final drafts. Everything else—research, writing, deadlines, submissions—we handle. When it’s time for a client review, we provide not only a draft, but also context and pointers on making it shine. Our signature Grant Vault tool and work plan system keep the process smooth and stress-free.
We’ve had bad experiences with consultants who over-promised. How are you different?
We start every engagement with a candid onboarding assessment of your competitiveness and realistic opportunities. We never push you toward ill-fitting grants just to pad numbers. Our approach is transparent, collaborative, and focused on building trust—because your reputation with funders matters.