We are thrilled to announce that museum advocates have spoken loud and clear to congressional leaders; nearly 950 museums and related organizations signed on to a letter to save the key federal programs that help museums serve their communities.

Drafted following President Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate key federal agencies, the fieldwide letter urges Congress to support these small but vital initiatives—including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)—which collectively provided over 600 grants to museums in 2016.

Thank you to our many partner organizations including AAMD, AASLH, ACM, AIC, APGA, ASTC, AZA, and NCH, and the dozens of national, regional, and state museum associations that helped us spread the word.

See which other organizations signed on in your state.

Now What?

We will keep you posted as Congress considers funding for Fiscal Year 2018. In the meantime, you can help advance the cause by taking these steps:

• Invite Congress to Visit Your Museum. Use AAM’s advocacy tools to send your invitations and see our free step-by-step guidefor arranging the meeting. Be sure to share the fieldwide letter with them to reinforce how united your state’s museums are.

• Use AAM’s customizable templates to contact your members of Congress. Let them know how important charitable gifts are in your operating budget, or share information about your most recent federal grant.

• Plan to attend the (10^th annual!) Museums Advocacy Day, February 26-27, 2018, in Washington, DC. Registration will open in the fall.

• Donate Now to help us build on our momentum as we plan for the coming budget battles.

Thank you for your continued support!