Take Action to Save IMLS The Trump Administration's assault on federal agencies dedicated to funding America’s cultural sector continues. As highlighted in an Advocacy Alert distributed earlier this week by the Cultural Alliance, President Trump issued a late-night executive order on Friday, March 14, that will effectively gut the only federal agency dedicated to supporting American museums. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is a government agency that efficiently provides critical funding to museums and libraries in all 50 states. According to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), IMLS makes up only 0.0046% of the federal budget. Meanwhile, museums generate more than $50 billion in economic benefit to the American economy and support more than 726,000 jobs. American museums receive bi-partisan support, with research showing that 96% of Americans would approve of lawmakers who act to support museums and 96% of Americans want to maintain or increase federal funding for museums. You can be part of the national response to the elimination of the IMLS. Take just a few minutes to email and call your representatives in Congress today using AAM’s templates to ask them to speak up to the Administration about the importance of IMLS. Please personalize the template email, as personalized emails and messages are more effective! |
The Local Impact of Federal Freezes As a result of the far-reaching effects of these executive orders, organizations across the Philadelphia region are reporting event cancellations and other devastating impacts. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Cultural Alliance President and CEO Patty Wilson Aden shared preliminary results from our federal funding freeze impact survey. The article also features First Person Arts, a local nonprofit dedicated to live storytelling and community building. First Person Arts recently announced the cancellation of the entire season of its marquee StorySlam events, which were funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and had been scheduled to run monthly through June. As the landscape continues to evolve, the Cultural Alliance is asking arts, culture, and humanities organizations to fill out our survey on the consequences of the loss of federal funding. We want to hear about how executive orders impacting the IMLS, NEA, NEH, and other federal funding sources will affect your organization’s operations, educational services, and programming plans. The survey is open until March 31: |
Support the Cultural Alliance The Cultural Alliance is a tireless advocate for arts and culture. By supporting the Cultural Alliance, you are taking action to protect our creative community. | |
