The Improvements to Biological Research Collections Program provides funds for improvements to network, secure, and organize established natural history collections for sustained, accurate, and efficient accessibility of the collection to the biological research community. 

The BRC program is encouraging collaborative proposals to network collections on regional and continental scales, especially collaborations that bring large and small collections together into networks. The BRC program also provides for enhancements to existing collections to improve collections, computerize specimen-related data, develop better methods of specimen curation and collection management through activities such as symposia and workshops.

Biological collections supported include those housing natural history specimens and jointly curated collections such as preserved tissues and other physical samples, e.g. DNA libraries and digital images. Such collections provide the materials necessary for research across broad areas of biological sciences.