For Immediate Release

ARLINGTON, VA—Laura Lott, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, issued the following statement today in response to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget proposal details released by the White House, which call for significant funding increases for multiple agencies that benefit museums, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

“The budget proposal released today by the White House is a welcome change from the past four years, when we faced the constant threat of elimination of multiple agencies that support museums compounding the devastating impact of COVID-19 on these institutions, their employees, and the public they serve. In contrast, the FY 2022 budget proposal would take a step in the right direction by providing significant increases to key agencies that help museums nationwide serve their communities. In particular, we applaud the proposed additional funding proposed for IMLS for the grants program authorized by the African American History and Culture Act and the grants program authorized by the National Museum of the American Latino Act. We also appreciate that the budget proposal did not propose a cap on the charitable deduction as was previously proposed. These positive proposals to Congress only reaffirm how critical the museum field’s ongoing advocacy efforts continue to be. Museums have strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. Through their inclusion of museums in emergency relief funding last year, Congress recognized the vital contribution museums make to the economy and to their communities, saving thousands of museums and museum jobs. The museum field must continue to work with its allies in Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure support for museums is expanded.

The Alliance remains committed to helping ensure that all legislators understand that museums are essential community infrastructure providing profound cultural, social, economic, and educational benefits to their constituents with the help of these vital federal investments. We will continue to bolster the efforts of hundreds of museum advocates nationwide during Museums Advocacy Day and throughout the year.”

The President’s FY 2022 Budget request includes:

• Institute of Museum and Library Services: The budget request proposes $265 million which if enacted would be an $8 million increase compared with FY 2021 and includes a $2 million proposed increase for the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (a total of $5.2 million if enacted); $4 million for grants related to the National Museum of the American Latino grants program; $1 million for Research, Analysis, and Data Collection (would be a total of $4.5 million if enacted); and $1million for Program Administration (would be a total of $16.5 million if enacted).

• National Endowment for the Humanities: $177.5 million which if enacted would be a $10 million increase compared with FY 2021.

• National Endowment for the Arts: $201.0 million which if enacted would be a $33.5 million increase compared with FY 2021 and the largest increase in the agency’s history.

See recent Alliance written and oral testimony and watch the recorded testimony (starting at the 2hr 15min minute mark) before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations in support of FY 2022 funding for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

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Media Contact:

Natanya Khashan
Director, Marketing & Communications
media@aam-us.org