Advocacy Alert – September 12, 2025

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Updates and Take Action: Federal funding for IMLS and other agencies
• Skill-building: Upcoming advocacy training webinar
• FYI:
  • Amicus Brief to protect IMLS
  • AAM statement on censorship threats against US museums
  • Invite Congress
• Sign Up: National Voter Registration Day
• Advocacy Tip of the Month: Follow Up

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Updates and Take Action: Federal funding for IMLS and other agencies

IMLS Funding

This month, the House released its version of the Appropriations (funding) bill that includes IMLS. It provides a small cut to the Office of Museum Services, similar to the Senate. As you may recall, the President’s Budget proposed eliminating IMLS. Thanks to your advocacy, both the House and Senate have drafted bills that ignore the President’s Budget Request and include only minor decreases in funding for IMLS and the Office of Museum Services.

The Appropriations process, however, still has a long way to go. We can’t take our foot off the pedal. We must continue to advocate for museums. Call and write your members of Congress asking them to continue to support funding for IMLS. Make sure to personalize the message with your story.

Additional Updates

NEA and NEH
In July, both the House and Senate released their versions of the bill that contain funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The House bill proposes a devastating 35% cut for both agencies, while the Senate version maintains current funding. Negotiations are ongoing, and we will continue to push for the Senate position to prevail.

NOAA / NSF: The Senate proposes $6.14 billion for NOAA and $9 billion for NSF. The House proposes $5.795 billion for NOAA and $7 billion for NSF.

NASA: Both chambers propose $24.9 billion. Notably, the Senate version provides up to $5 million within Next Gen STEM for the Teams Engaging Affiliate Museums and Informal Institutions [TEAM II] program.

We are continuing to monitor these and additional agencies that provide funding to science and technology museums, among others.

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Skill-building: Upcoming advocacy training webinar

Advocacy 101: Getting to know the basics

September 24, 2025 at 2pm EDT

Interested in getting started in advocacy but don’t know where to begin? Do you wonder if your advocacy efforts make a difference? Join this webinar to learn more about advocacy, ways to make an impact, and learn more about Museums Advocacy Day.

Did you miss our recent advocacy webinars? You can view them on-demand.

• Year-Round Advocacy: Being an Effective Advocate (recorded on July 24, 2025)
• In-District Advocacy: Advocating to State and Federal Lawmakers (recorded on May 29, 2025)

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AAM and Coalition Partners File Amicus Brief to Protect IMLS

AAM and a broad coalition of leading library, museum, and cultural organizations, along with the nation’s largest labor union of cultural workers, filed an amicus brief in Rhode Island v. Trump, urging the First Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold an injunction against the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful attempt to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through an Executive Order. The coalition emphasized that refusing to spend congressionally appropriated funds undermines vital public services and threatens communities nationwide. Read the Full Press Release.

On September 11, 2025, the court ruled the injunction will stay in place, keeping IMLS open while the case continues to move through the court system.

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AAM Statement on Censorship

In August, AAM issued a statement on the growing threats of censorship against U.S. museums. Read the statement.

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Invite Congress

Did your museum have a visit by one of your members of Congress or their staff? Please let AAM know how it went. It helps us know which members of Congress have recently visited museums in their districts/states and lets us know where we need to focus more of our advocacy and government relations time. Over 60 museums signed up for Invite Congress month, committing to inviting their members of Congress to visit their museum.

Even though Invite Congress Month has concluded, you can still host members of Congress and their staff at your museum during other breaks in the congressional schedule. To learn more, view the Invite Congress How-to-Guide.

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National Voter Registration Day 2025 is September 16

National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) 2025 is just around the corner. Will your museum be participating? AAM is a Premier Partner of National Voter Registration Day, designed to ensure every eligible voter has the information and opportunity to vote. Get National Voter Registration Day communications and registration resources (including state-by-state guides) and learn more about the additional Civic Holidays, including National Voter Education Week and Vote Early Day. Our robust Nonprofit Voter Resources provide a wide range of information about the many ways museums and nonprofits can engage in advocacy, lobbying, and permissible nonpartisan voter engagement activities. Use these free informational resources to participate and help ensure that as many communities as possible are #VoteReady and prepared to make their voices heard in the democratic process.

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Advocacy Tip of the Month: Follow Up

Whether you have invited your lawmakers to visit your museum, meet with you, or asked them to co-sponsor a piece of legislation, make sure you follow up with their staff on those requests if you do not get a response within a reasonable timeframe. Lawmakers get asked to support a lot of legislation and attend a lot of events and meetings, so it is easy for requests to get overlooked. Make sure to politely follow up.