Federal funding for museums and cultural institutions continues to be under threat, and this is a moment to act together.

As part of AAM’s ongoing advocacy to protect and strengthen funding across agencies and programs, we’re launching a national community letter to Congressional leadership calling for continued investment in museums. 

We urge museums, associations, companies, and all who value and engage with museums to sign on. Whether you are part of the field or benefit from it, your organizational voice helps show the broad, nationwide support for museums and the essential role they play in our communities.

Please only fill out the form if you have approval or authority to sign your organization on. This letter is not for individuals to sign. Deadline to sign on is April 30, 2026.

If you have questions about the community letter, please contact governmentrelations [at] aam-us.org.

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Dear Majority Leader Thune, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Minority Leader Jeffries, 

We, the undersigned XX museums, organizations, and associations urge you to support Fiscal Year 2027 federal funding for programs and agencies that help America’s museums serve their communities. We thank you for the growing bipartisan congressional support they have received in recent years

During the U.S. 250^th anniversary, we urge Congress to continue to fund these institutions and programs that support museums in their mission to educate the public, strengthen America’s leadership position in STEM education and innovation, showcase our culture, engage Americans with their shared history, and pave the way for another 250 years. As new initiatives and funding priorities coalesce and emerge, we ask Congress to ensure museums are eligible for support.

The March 2026 GAO Report reinforces the need to continue funding and the great need to increase federal funding to support museum infrastructure to secure our cultural heritage. Nearly 85% of museums have a backlog of maintenance and repair needs, and 77% believe that this backlog could damage collections. These findings emphasize the risk to collections caused by deferred maintenance and repairs and the lack of federal funding currently available to support these critically needed projects. Continued funding and policy support will strengthen museums as vital infrastructure and ensure further support for our shared heritage.

We urge Congress to:

• Support the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) with at least $55 million. IMLS is the only agency solely focused on supporting museums that serve communities across the country and is a key funder of America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
• Install appropriate guardrails to ensure funding is spent as Congress intended, and that IMLS remains an independent agency.
• Fund for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at $213 million each. These agencies provide funding for the care of museum art and other cultural collections, and exhibitions and programs that share the rich cultural heritage of our country with the public.
• Support $250 million for the Historic Preservation Fund
• Support the dedicated National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs that fund STEM learning and talent development delivered by museums, science centers, natural history museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, and more.
  •  NSF – Directorate for STEM Education: $1.172 billion
  •  NASA – Office of STEM Engagement: $143 million
  •  NOAA – Office of Education: $35 million

Museums help people of all ages learn and feel inspired. Americans understand the educational value of museums.

• 92% of Americans understand museums are non-partisan providers of educational content and 95% know that museums are educational assets for their communities.
• Museums spend 75% of their education budget on K-12 programs and welcome approximately 55 million visits each year from students – public, private and homeschool.

Museums fuel economic development and strengthen communities, cities, and regions. It’s no surprise that rankings of America’s best cities put so much emphasis on cultural assets like museums.

• IMLS makes up only 0.0046% of the overall federal budget, while museums, in turn, generate $50 billion in economic benefits to the national economy and support more than 726,000 jobs.
• Museums generate over $12 billion in tax revenue and have been credited in some areas with leading economic rejuvenation.
• Museums play a pivotal role in developing the workforce by creating entry-level positions, apprenticeship programs, and afterschool youth programs that serve as ramps into the workforce.

Most importantly, support for museums is important to the American people.

• 91% of Americans would approve of lawmakers who support museums
• 96% of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for museums

Continued funding and policy support will ensure museums remain accessible, innovative, and impactful for all Americans. Every state is home to museums that explore nature, science, history, culture, and art, yet their full impact is often overlooked. Americans strongly support museums, and with that public support, we encourage lawmakers to invest in these vital institutions.

As you make decisions about the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, we urge you to support agencies and programs that help museums make a difference in their communities and our nation.

Sincerely,