During this period of uncertainty and change, it was more important than ever to make the case directly to elected officials about the work, impact, and needs of the museum community.
Following a day of training and briefings, advocates participated in nearly 330 meetings with Congressional offices, include direct connections with more than 60 Senators and Representatives.
During these meetings, museum advocates asked Congress to:
- Protect legally awarded funding. We urged Congress to oppose the withholding of federal funds legally promised to nonprofit grantees, including museums.
- Support robust funding for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). We urged Congress to maintain at least $55.5 million in appropriations for OMS for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, to oppose the drastic funding cuts approved by the House Appropriations Committee and to prevent the administration from implementing indiscriminate staffing cuts at IMLS.
- Lift the museums earmarks ban in the House of Representatives. We urged Congress to restore eligibility for museums to receive House Community Project Funding during annual appropriations.
- Protect nonprofits and expand incentives for charitable giving. We urged Congress to oppose proposals to tax earned revenue and investment income of nonprofit organizations and to support the bipartisan Charitable Act, which would allow the 90% of taxpayers who do not itemize to deduct charitable gift.
We also asked members of the House of Representatives to join the new Congressional Museum Caucus. This bipartisan caucus—co-chaired by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH)—provides a way for Representatives to show their support for museums and serves as a forum for convening on museum-related issues.
ASTC again partnered with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for a concurrent policy briefing on STEM education funding and priorities, during which we focused on the need to tell stories of local impact and to stress how federal support comes back to benefit local communities.
ASTC was proud to again join with other national, regional, and state museum associations as a supporter of Museums Advocacy Day.
