Advocacy Alert – October 2, 2026
In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:
- Smithsonian Protection Bill Introduced in Congress
- AAM Member Week: Advocacy Programming
- New Data: Museums & Public Opinion
- Museums Advocacy Day: Save the Date
- Advocacy Tip of the Month: Keep Advocating
Smithsonian Protection Bill Introduced in Congress
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is proud to endorse The Smithsonian Integrity and[NW1.1] Historical Independence Act of 2026 (H.R. 10527), introduced by Representatives Stanbury (D-NM), Jackson (D-IL), and Mfume (D-MD) in late September. If passed, this legislation would protect the scholarly independence of the Smithsonian Institution from political influence.
Your advocacy matters on this newly introduced bill. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act of 2026 Act and uphold the independence that enables museums to serve the American public.
Note: For the latest on Appropriations (federal funding) and the OMB Proposed Rule on Regulations for Federal Financial Assistance, please see the September Advocacy Alert. AAM is still encouraging the museum community to contact your members of Congress to urge them to prevent the devastating OMB rule from going into effect.
AAM Member Week: Advocacy Programming
AAM is hosting its first-ever Member Week on October 27-30—a free, members-only celebration of the people and organizations that make our museum community extraordinary. The programming will cover four focus areas: community, advocacy, museum practice, and professional learning.
The advocacy focus day will be October 28 from 1-4:20 p.m. ET. The panels will include:
- State of the Sector: Navigating a Changing Landscape
- Advocacy Action Live
- Survey Says! Using Data to Support Your Advocacy
- Moment of Joy
- Telling Our Story: Rooting Advocacy in Our Communities
New Data: Museums & Public Opinion
Looking for some new data to share with your elected officials? AAM just published a 2026 update to the Museums & Public Opinion poll, last conducted in 2018. The updated results affirm that Americans continue to overwhelmingly value museums as educational, cultural, and economic assets to their communities. They support federal funding for museums and respond positively to lawmakers who take action to support them. And that support reaches across age, political affiliation, and museum-going habits. Here are some helpful numbers to add to your advocacy:
- 95% of Americans believe that museums are educational assets for their communities.
- 89% believe that museums contribute important economic benefits to their community.
- 91% would think positively of their elected officials taking legislative action to support museums.
- 96% want federal funding for museums to be maintained or increased.
- Only 1 in 10 Americans support censoring museum content.
Museums Advocacy Day: Save The Date
We are happy to announce that Museums Advocacy Day 2027 will be held in Washington, DC, on February 22-23, 2027. The new home base hotel for the event will be The Westin Washington, DC City Center. Registration will open later this fall.
Want to know what it is like to participate in Museums Advocacy Day? Watch our recorded webinar from August featuring two past attendees discussing their experience.
Advocacy Tip of the Month: Keep Advocating
We sometimes hear from members that they don’t see the point in communicating with elected officials because they don’t believe it will make a difference. But advocacy matters even when you are frustrated with your representatives.
For example, despite the President’s Budget Request to defund and eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Congress has continued to provide level funding for the agency on a bipartisan basis. Congress would not have provided the funding if they were not hearing from their constituents on the value of it. While you are unlikely to get an elected official to do a 180 on an issue from one interaction, you might be able to stop more damage from being done. While Congress didn’t provide increased funding for IMLS, they have been stopping significant cuts to the agency.
