Advocacy Alert – November 14, 2025

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• URGENT ACTION NEEDED: IMLS Funding Bill Vote
• National Survey Reveals Alarming Downturn
• IMLS Court Case Update
• Museums Advocacy Day 2026: Registration Opens Soon
• Nominate a Legislator Who Has Championed Museums
• Advocacy Tip of the Month: Building Relationships

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URGENT ACTION NEEDED: IMLS Funding Bill Vote

As early as next week, the full Senate may begin consideration of a package of four appropriations bills, including the bill that contains funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for FY26, as well as the bill that includes funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for FY26.

The draft Senate bill only proposes a small decrease for IMLS despite the President’s Budget proposal to eliminate the agency. This is all thanks to your advocacy efforts this year but the funding process still has a long way to go. It is urgent that you contact your members of Congress and urge them to keep IMLS Office of Museum Services funding levels in the bill and to include additional safeguards to prevent the administration from cutting appropriated funds.

Government Shutdown Ends: This week, Congress passed and the President signed into law a bill to end the government shutdown. The bill includes full year appropriations for Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills for FY26 and for the remaining agencies extends FY25 funding levels through January 30, 2026.

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National Survey Reveals Alarming Downturn: Museums Face Worst Financial Outlook Since Pandemic

This week, AAM released the 2025 Snapshot of US Museums.

Museums across the country are confronting a convergence of financial pressures and declining attendance even as they continue serving as vital community anchors.

The survey of 511 museum directors reveals troubling reversals in the sector’s post-pandemic recovery:

• More than half of museums (55%) are currently seeing fewer visitors than in 2019, a setback from last year when 49% remained below pre-pandemic levels
• Nearly one-third (29%) of museums report decreased attendance in 2025 due to weakened travel and tourism and economic uncertainty
• Only half of museums (52%) report stronger financial performance in 2024 than before the pandemic, down from 57% the previous year

The report documents significant impacts from 2025 executive orders and federal actions. One-third of museums (34%) have suffered the cancellation of government grants or contracts, most frequently from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Only 8% of affected museums report that lost federal funding has been fully replaced by foundations, sponsors, or donors, while 67% report the funding has not been replaced at all.

These funding losses have forced difficult choices:

• Among museums that lost federal funds, 24% cancelled programming for students, rural communities, individuals with disabilities, the elderly, or veterans
• 28% of affected museums reduced programming for the general public
• 21% of all museums have deferred facility or physical infrastructure improvements or construction

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IMLS Court Case Update

Oral arguments have been scheduled in the Rhode Island v. Trump court case regarding IMLS to take place on December 4, 2025 in Boston, MA.

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Museums Advocacy Day 2026: Registration Opens Soon

Registration will soon open for Museums Advocacy Day 2026. Save the date for Museums Advocacy Day taking place on February 23-24, 2026. Sign up for Museums Advocacy Day updates to ensure you are one of the first to know when registration opens.

All members of the museum ecosystem are welcome to attend including museum professionals, museum Board members, museum studies students, and industry members that work with museums.

If you are representing a museum association and would like to discuss becoming a supporting organization of Museums Advocacy Day, please view the museum association supporter page. If you are an industry member and your company would like to learn more about becoming a sponsor of Museums Advocacy Day, please contact AAM’s Corporate Partnerships Team.

NEW for 2026: We expect some exciting changes for Museums Advocacy Day 2026. In addition to key training, the Monday program will feature several new panels and a community town hall. The Tuesday night Congressional Reception will also see a refresh that will include a museum “show and tell”.

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Nominate a Legislator Who Has Championed Museums

Has a member of Congress supported or helped advance the work of your museum? Each year during Museums Advocacy Day, we present awards to members of Congress who have demonstrated exemplary support for museums.

See past honorees and nominate a legislator by November 30.

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Advocacy Tip of the Month: Building Relationships

With Museums Advocacy Day coming up in February, now is a good time to reiterate the importance of relationship building as a key aspect in successful advocacy. Building relationships with your local, state, and federal representatives and their staffs will make advocacy easier in the future. You don’t want your first contact with them to be when it is an emergency. Even if the representatives aren’t supportive of the issue you are currently discussing with them, there might be issues that arise in the future where there is room for agreement. Maintaining a good relationship for when those opportunities arise will make it easier to have those discussions. If you have no relationship or a contentious one, it will be harder to get their attention and if the relationship is a contentious one, they might not hear you at all.