JOIN IN OUR THANK YOU CAMPAIGN!
It's time to thank Pennsylvania's lawmakers for increasing the Cultural and Historical Support grants line item in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's budget from $2 million to $4 million. PA Museums encourages our members, especially those who have benefited from the PHMC’s Cultural and Historical Support grant program, to contact members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate to show our appreciation for this crucial funding. We cannot do this alone; lawmakers need to hear from our member organizations and those that receive PHMC's grant support.
You can find your legislator here. We have prepared a sample message that you can use:
Dear:
On behalf of (your organization) thank you very much for your strong support of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC)’s Cultural and Historical Support Grants, which provide critical operating support for about 170 museums and historical societies. I, along with the PA Museums, appreciate your support for increasing the Cultural and Historical Support grants line item to $4 million in the FY24-25 PA Budget. This level of funding will greatly increase the ability of museums and historical societies to operate, attract visitors, and tell Pennsylvania’s stories.
PA Museums is a statewide association, an independent nonprofit creating and supporting museum community in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s museum community includes museums of all kinds large and small. Our rich heritage as one of the original thirteen colonies has provided a firm foundation for our museums, historic sites, history organizations, science museums, and children’s museums to engage millions of visitors annually with world class collections and programs. Our community of museums and historical organizations are centers of teaching and learning about local and Pennsylvania history for school children and preserving the history and the architecture of communities. These institutions are the stewards of millions of dollars in artifacts and hallowed places that tell the story of our state and its people. Welcoming over 7.6 million visitors in 2024, our organizations are economic drivers for tourism dollars and make direct and indirect impacts to the economy while supporting 25,000 jobs in the Commonwealth.
The resumption of healthy funding for museums and history organizations through the Cultural and Historical Support grants will address economic pressures on nonprofit museums to operate in the service of their communities.
Thank you for your initiative and assistance with the PHMC’s Cultural and Historical Grants program for nonprofit museums, historic sites, and historical societies across the Commonwealth. We look forward to your continued support.
Sincerely,
Please feel free to add information about how important this funding is to your organization and send it on your organization’s letterhead. To help us keep track of this push, please forward copies of your letters to us at PA Museums. This step is very important as we try to reach out to as many elected officials as we can.
Now is the time; please lend your voice to this effort.
THE AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS (AAM)
Congress, unable to tackle its task of completing a budget, approved a continuation of current funding levels through December 20, 2024 to avoid a government shutdown. The Senate has recommended a reduced budget for the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Office of Museum Services (OMS) for FY 2025, while the House bill proposes even deeper cuts.
As the House and Senate continue negotiations, take action with AAM's easy-to-use template and urge your legislators to oppose these cuts and support at least $55.5 million for OMS and support at least $209 million each for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mark your calendar for February 24-25 in Arlington, VA, and Washington, D.C. The new headquarters hotel, the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel will host Monday's Museums Advocacy Day programming. Museums Advocacy Day 2025 is a critical opportunity to make the case for museums early in what is sure to be a high-stakes year for museums and other causes. This is a chance to meet with key decision-makers and advocate directly for the issues that matter most to museums. Stay tuned for additional information and registration details this fall.
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