On August 6, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with New York’s Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership addressing the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cultural institutions and requesting an increased allocation of funds for the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). View the press release and download the letter.
More than 200 chambers of commerce, from all 50 states, signed on to the letter in support. In recognition of the regional diversity represented by the signatories, James E. Rooney, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said:
“The broad bipartisan support shows that cultural institutions are in many ways the soul of communities small and large, in every part of the United States. In addition to defining our cities and regions, museums, zoos, aquariums, performing arts centers, and other cultural institutions are drivers of our local economies and critical to our social fabric. We need Congress to act now and help these community assets survive.”
The letter also highlights gaps in existing COVID-19 Federal relief programs authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the universal charitable deduction provision. A previous letter to Congress, sent May 6, 2020 and signed by 143 Chambers, contains similar requests.
Representing local business of all sizes and sectors, chambers of commerce can be influential with members of Congress. Be sure to share this letter with your representatives as you continue to advocate on behalf of the museum community!
List of Signatories
Alaska
- Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce
Alabama
- Mobile Area Chamber
Arkansas
- Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Little Rock Regional Chamber
Arizona
- Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Phoenix Chamber
- Mesa Chamber of Commerce
- Tempe Chamber of Commerce
- Visit Tucson
California
- Bay Area Council
- Berkeley Chamber of Commerce
- Carmel Chamber of Commerce
- Coronado Chamber of Commerce
- Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce
- Goleta Valley Historical Society
- Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce
- La Habra Chamber of Commerce
- Los Angeles Area Chamber
- Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
- Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
- Orange County Business Council
- Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce
- Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce
- San Diego Asian Business Association
- San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
- San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
- Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce
- Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce
- Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce
Colorado
- Aurora Chamber of Commerce
- Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
Connecticut
- Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce
- Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut
- Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
- Metro Hartford Alliance
Delaware
- Delaware State Chamber of Commerce
Florida
- Amplify Clearwater
- ChamberSOUTH
- Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
- Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce
- Lakeland Chamber of Commerce
- Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
- Orlando Economic Partnership
- Seminole County Chamber
- St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce
- Tampa Bay Chamber
Georgia
- Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Hawai’i
- Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii
- Hawai’i Island Chamber of Commerce
- Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii
Iowa
- DuBuque Area Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Des Moines Partnership
- Iowa City Area Business Partnership
Idaho
- Boise Metro Chamber
Illinois
- Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
- Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce
- Oak Park – River Forest Chamber of Commerce
- Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce
- Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce
Indiana
- Indy Chamber
- Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce
- Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce
Kansas
- Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Salina Area Chamber of Commerce
Kentucky
- Fleming County Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Louisville Inc.
- Marion County Chamber of Commerce
- Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
- Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce
Louisiana
- Baton Rouge Area Chamber
- Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce
Massachusetts
- Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
- Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce
- Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Stoneham Chamber of Commerce
- Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Maryland
- Greater Baltimore Committee
- Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
Maine
- Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce
Michigan
- Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber
- Detroit Regional Chamber
- Eastpointe-Roseville Chamber of Commerce
- Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce
- Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce
Minnesota
- MPLS Regional Chamber
- Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
Missouri
- Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- Kirkwood-Des Peres Area Chamber of Commerce
- South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
- St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce
Mississippi
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce
Montana
- Billings Chamber of Commerce
- West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce
North Carolina
- Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
- Charlotte Regional Business Alliance
- Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
- Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce
- Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
- Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce
North Dakota
- Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC
- Minot Area Chamber of Commerce
Nebraska
- Greater Omaha Chamber
- Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce
- Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
New Hampshire
- Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Manchester Chamber
- Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
New Jersey
- Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce
- New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
- Somerset County Business Partnership
- Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce
- The Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber
New Mexico
- Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
Nevada
- The Reno+Sparks Chamber of Commerce
- Urban Chamber of Commerce
- Vegas Chamber
New York
- Buffalo Niagara Partnership
- Capital Region Chamber
- Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Utica Chamber
- Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
- Queens Chamber of Commerce
- Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
- Visit Rochester
Ohio
- Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
- Columbus Chamber of Commerce
- Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce
- Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Akron Chamber
- Greater Cleveland Partnership
- Licking County Chamber of Commerce
- Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce
Oklahoma
- Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
- Tulsa Regional Chamber
Oregon
- Portland Business Alliance
Pennsylvania
- Allentown Chamber of Commerce
- Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce
- Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation
- Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
- East Penn Area Chamber of Commerce
- Easton Area Chamber of Commerce
- Emmaus Main Street Partners
- Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership
- Greater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce
- Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC
- Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce
- Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Nazareth Business Council
- Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce
- Phillipsburg Area Chamber of Commerce
- Pocono Chamber of Commerce
- Southern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce
- Western Lehigh Chamber of Commerce
Rhode Island
- Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
- Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
South Carolina
- Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
- Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Cayce – West Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Lexington Chamber and Visitor Center
- Greensboro Chamber of Commerce
- Greenville Chamber of Commerce
- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
South Dakota
- Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce
Tennessee
- Chattanooga Area Chamber
- Greater Memphis Chamber
- Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Texas
- Brownsville Chamber of Commerce
- Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Houston Partnership
- Laredo Chamber of Commerce
- Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
- McAllen Chamber of Commerce
- Rio Grande Valley Partnership
- San Antonio Chamber of Commerce
- Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce
Utah
- Salt Lake Chamber
Virginia
- ChamberRVA
- Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce
- Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Vermont
- Burlington Chamber of Commerce
- Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce
Washington
- Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
- Thurston County Chamber
Wisconsin
- Envision Greater Fond du Lac
- Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce
- Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
West Virginia
- Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Wyoming
- Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce
- Wyoming State Chamber of Commerce
Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash.