Advocacy Alert – February 25, 2026

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Amplify Museum Voices
• Engage with Members of Congress Locally
• Community Sign-On Letter Coming Soon
• Year-Round Advocacy: Advocating at All Levels of Government

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Amplify Museum Voices

This week, hundreds of your museum colleagues participated in Museums Advocacy Day in Washington, DC meeting with Congressional representatives, and YOU can back them up by sending letters to or calling your members of Congress on the same issues they are discussing. The more constituents a member of Congress hears from, the more likely they will act.

Write to your members of Congress on the following issues:

• Join the Congressional Museums Caucus
• Support Funding for the IMLS Office of Museum Services
• Support the CREATIVE Act

Learn about other ways you can engage your members of Congress by visiting AAM’s Advocacy Resources webpage.

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Engage with Members of Congress Locally

If you couldn’t make it to Washington, DC, for Museums Advocacy Day, you can still engage with members of Congress in their home districts during breaks in the legislative sessions to take meetings, visit local businesses and attending events.

What is the difference between meeting with members of Congress in DC versus at home in their districts? Both play an important role in maintaining relationships with the office. Meetings in DC are policy focused. Engaging with members of Congress in their districts, are often more about getting to know the museum. These meetings are often less-policy focused than ones in DC.

Meet in the Local Offices: Members of Congress have at least one office in their districts. You can arrange to meet with their staff or try to get a meeting with the member when they are back in their district.

Invite Congress 2026: Invite your members of Congress to visit your museum when they are in their home districts in August. This is a great opportunity for them to see your museum and engage with your staff. We will be launching Invite Congress 2026 this spring, so keep your eyes open for Invite Congress resources in the coming months.

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Community Sign-On Letter—Coming Soon

In the next few weeks, AAM will be launching a community sign-on letter supporting museum funding and advocating for IMLS to remain an independent agency as intended by Congress and its Charter. Our 2017 field wide letter had more than 940 signatures and we hope to have even more. More information will be included in the March Advocacy Alert.

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Year-Round Advocacy: Advocating at All Levels of Government

Advocacy is a long-term effort that involves cultivating relationships across all levels of the government and engaging consistently.

Here are a few ways you can keep up momentum year-round:

• Attend City Council or County Board Meetings: Getting to know your local officials is an easy step in long-term advocacy, which not only is important for advocacy on the local level but your local officials might run for higher office one day including state legislature or run for Congress so already having a relationship with them when that happens can go a long way.
• Invite Government Officials and Legislators to your Museum: While Invite Congress is focused on members of Congress, you can do something similar with your elected officials at any level of government.
• Engage your Board: Board members are often your biggest champions. Learn more about engaging your Board.

See more on AAM’s Advocacy Resources page.