Advocacy Alert – July 1, 2026

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Take Action: Voice Your Concerns About the Proposed OMB Rule
• Last Chance to Sign Up for Invite Congress 2026
• Save the Date for an Upcoming Webinar: What It’s Like to Participate in Museums Advocacy Day
• Advocacy Tip of the Month: Engage Your Board in Advocacy

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Take Action: Voice Your Concerns About the Proposed OMB Rule

On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a proposed rule that would negatively impact federal grants across all agencies. The National Council of Nonprofits has put together a summary chart of key provisions.

Some of the most significant concerns from the proposed rule include:

• Political appointees must review all award proposals and relegate peer reviewers to an advisory role.
• Political appointees will review all award proposals to ensure they align with “national interests” and Presidential policy priorities. (This will likely impact anything deemed DEI-related.)
• Any active grant can be cancelled by a political appointee with no chance of appeal.
• A grant can be put on a temporary hold for up to 90 days.
• Agencies can change the terms of the award at any time.
• Adds restrictions on voter registration drives, issue advocacy, and engaging with state governments.

Public comments are being accepted through July 13, 2026, at regulations.gov. AAM will be submitting comments, which you can view the draft here.

Submit Your Own Comments: See the June Advocacy Alert for guidance on submitting comments. A recent Center for the Future of Museums Blog post included some examples of how the proposed rules could impact museums. You can consider these examples as you prepare your comments, but remember, tailor your comments on the impact of the rule to your specific museum.

Contact Congress: Congress has oversight over the Executive Branch. The more people contact their members of Congress, the better chance they will either take action directly or privately encourage changes to the proposed rule. AAM has set up a draft letter you can use to contact your members of Congress. Make sure you edit the letter to let them know how the proposed changes will impact you and your museum.

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Last Chance to Sign Up for Invite Congress 2026

Members of Congress are usually in their home districts for most of August to meet with constituents, visit local businesses, and attend local events. Make sure your museum is on their August schedule! Time is running out.

Inviting one or more of your members of Congress to visit your museum or company during this period is one of the best ways to show representatives firsthand the important work that you do. For example, you could give them a behind-the-scenes tour, walk them through a new exhibit, or have them observe one of your education programs in action. This is also a great opportunity to show them how your museum used any federal funding you received or how it could use federal funding in the future.

Sign up for Invite Congress 2026 to get access to:

• A detailed Invite Congress How-To Guide
• A dedicated community in Museum Junction
• A special Invite Congress webinar (recorded on June 25)
• AAM staff office hours to ask questions

Sign-up is free. Please only sign up if your museum is interested in participating in Invite Congress 2026. We will close the sign-up form on July 17.

Note: Museums and companies are responsible for writing and submitting the invites to their members of Congress. AAM is helping to provide the how-to materials, contact information, guidance, and community.

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Save the Date for an Upcoming Webinar: What It’s Like to Participate in Museums Advocacy Day

Curious about what it’s like to participate in Museums Advocacy Day? Whether you’re considering attending for the first time or simply want to learn more, this webinar will give you an inside look at the experience.

Hear directly from past Museums Advocacy Day participants as they share why they attend, what they gained from the event, and what first-time attendees can expect. You’ll also hear from AAM staff, who will answer frequently asked questions and offer practical tips for completing the registration form—including how to maximize your chances of receiving the meeting schedule you want. Note: Registration for Museums Advocacy Day 2027 will launch later this fall.

The webinar is expected to take place on August 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Registration information for this webinar will be shared in future communications.

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Advocacy Tip of the Month: Engage Your Board in Advocacy

Your board can be your biggest champions. When getting ready to reach out to a lawmaker, check to see if any of your board members already has a relationship with them. If so, you should leverage that relationship, whether letting the lawmaker know that person is on your board or inviting the board member to attend a meeting with the lawmaker. Even if your board members do not have those direct relationships, if they are prominent people or work for well-known businesses in the community, you can use that to help get the lawmaker’s attention.