IMLS UPDATE - CALL YOUR REPS
03/26/2025
Representatives Dina Titus (NV-01) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) are circulating a letter for other members of the House of Representatives to sign onto asking the Administration to reconsider the executive order that guts the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Please CALL your members of the House of Representatives to ask them to sign onto the letter. The deadline for members of Congress to sign onto the letter is end of day, Friday, March 28, so calling will be the best option given the short turnaround time. AAM has created a draft script you may use. Type in your address to display your House member's phone number. https://www.congressweb.com/aam/97/
According to AAM, 45,000 letters and calls have gone through AAM's letter writing system!
Invite your legislators to your museum. Members of Congress will be in their home districts for two weeks in April 13-27, periodically home for extended weekends, and for all of August. Take the opportunity to invite your members of Congress to your museum, schedule a meeting with them in their district offices, or attend public forums that your members of Congress might be hosting. https://www.aam-us.org/programs/advocacy/invite-congress-to-visit-your-museum/
NOW is the time to speak up for museums!
What is the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)?
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a U.S. federal agency that supports libraries, museums, and related institutions through funding, research, and policy development in all 50 states. It provides grants to enhance education, innovation, and public access to cultural and historical resources. IMLS is important because it strengthens communities by improving access to information, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting lifelong learning. Through its support, libraries and museums can better serve diverse populations, adapt to technological advancements, and foster civic engagement. IMLS was allocated $294.8 million for FY 2024 and slated to receive the same funding for FY 2025; these funds make up the primary source of federal funding for libraries, museums, and related institutions.
Call to Action
President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that would gut the only federal agency dedicated to supporting American museums - IMLS. This EO would essentially gut IMLS within seven days.
IMLS makes up only 0.0046% of the overall federal budget. Meanwhile, museums generate $50 billion dollars in economic benefits to the American economy and support more than 726,000 jobs. American museums receive bi-partisan support, and research shows that 96% of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for museums. The economic activity of museums generates over $12 billion in tax revenue, one-third of it going to state and local governments. Each job created by the museum sector results in $16,495 in additional tax revenue. Museums and other nonprofit cultural organizations return more than $5 in tax revenue for every $1 they receive in funding from all levels of government. North Carolina was awarded nearly $7.5 million in IMLS grants during FY 2024.
More people visit art museums, science centers, historic houses or sites, zoos, or aquariums than attend professional sporting events.
Join our museums advocacy team by contacting your members of Congress to urge them to speak up to the Administration about the cruciality of IMLS. The American Alliance of Museums’ template has made it easy for you to identify, email and call your legislators TODAY to ask them to save IMLS - find it here: https://www.congressweb.com/aam/95.
For more information, visit Urgent: Act Now to Save IMLS – American Alliance of Museums
The North Carolina Museums Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
PO Box 2603, Raleigh, NC 27602-2603
Copyright 2018 - present.