Advocacy Alert – January 9, 2026

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Last Chance to Register: Museums Advocacy Day 2026
• Appropriations Update: NEA, NEH, STEM Funding Bill Approaching the Finish Line; IMLS Funding Bill in Negotiations
• Advocacy Tip of the Month: Economic and Education Impact Statements

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Last Chance to Register for Museums Advocacy Day 2026

Registration Deadline is January 16, 2026

Museums Advocacy Day is your opportunity to show up for the field. Together with your peers, you’ll be building relationships with lawmakers and Congressional staff, raising your museum’s visibility, and strengthening your advocacy skills alongside colleagues from across the country.

Over the years, museum advocates have helped:

• Push back against efforts to eliminate critical federal agencies
• Secure billions in federal relief for museums and their communities
• Protect thousands of museum jobs nationwide

Those wins happened because museum professionals showed up, spoke up, and made the case that museums matter.

Be part of the next chapter of that impact.
Register for Museums Advocacy Day.

Show up. Speak out. Advocate.

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Appropriations Update: NEA, NEH, STEM Funding Bill Approaching the Finish Line; IMLS Funding Bill in Negotiations

Congress has officially started consideration of a three bill funding package for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). The three funding bills included in this package cover a number of agencies and grant programs of interest to museums including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), science agencies, National Park Service, and many of the historic preservation related programs. Thanks to strong collective advocacy efforts, many of these programs received the same funding as FY25, including the NEA and NEH, despite the President’s Budget Request to eliminate funding for these agencies. Several museums also received earmarks (Congressional Directed Spending) in the bill.

This bill passed the House on January 8 by a bipartisan vote of 397 to 28. The Senate is expected to consider this package this week.

Update on IMLS Funding for FY26: The funding bill that contains the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a massive funding bill that includes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. This bill is often one of the more difficult bills for Congress to negotiate and pass. The House and Senate had proposed similar funding levels for IMLS and the Office of Museum Services, which proposed only a minor decrease. While negotiations on this bill are ongoing, please continue to write to Congress encouraging them to fund the IMLS Office of Museum Services for FY26.

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Advocacy Tip of the Month: Economic and Education Impact Statements

Do you have an economic and education impact statement for your museum? These statements are powerful advocacy tools at the federal, state, and local levels, helping lawmakers understand your museum’s value to the community. As we start a new year, now is a great time to prepare your impact statements, share them with your legislators, and invite them to visit your museum. View economic and education impact statement templates and samples.