Advocate for Conservation

If You Only Have 5 Minutes, Do This!

1. Sign up for AIC’s Action Alerts to stay informed, using this survey or the form in "Sign up for action alerts."
2. Follow us on social media.
3. Post on social media. Share specific examples of how conservation is important and about the need for funding conservation and preservation activities. Consider using hashtags or keywords, and tag AIC/FAIC so we can reshare your posts. You can also reshare posts from us and others to amplify messages and stories about conservation. 
4. Send a quick email to your congressional representatives (see "Review Current Advocacy Actions" for most recent actions, campaigns, and details).
5. Make a quick phone call to your member of Congress and ask them to support IMLS and NEH funding. (see "Review Current Advocacy Actions" for most recent actions, campaigns, and details).

Review Current Advocacy Actions

Have an upcoming advocacy action or alert? Submit it using our form so we can add to this page. Bookmark this page to check back weekly for new updates.

Allied Organizations' Resources

• Sign up for AAM Advocacy Alerts to get involved, particularly noting these alerts:
  • Impact of Recent Executive Orders and Message from AAM leadership - February 7, 2025
• Check Americans for the Arts (AFTA) Advocacy Hub, particularly noting these alerts:
  • Americans For the Arts Take Action to Save IMLS, March 19, 2025, and Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund's Comprehensive FAQ about the impacts of executive orders, February 7, 2025
• Use the National Council of Nonprofits' resource guide on how recent executive orders impact nonprofits.

Recent Alerts from AIC and Allies

• AIC: Act Now to Save IMLS, AIC alert, March 17, 2025
• AAM: Ask Your Museum’s Supporters to Save IMLS - March 17, 2025. These facts will help inform you as you speak out and contact your representatives (see If You Have 5 Minutes, Do This! for more information).
  
• AAM/Congressweb: Protect IMLS from Indiscriminate Staffing Cuts: templates for general public, museum professionals, and letters to state reps
• ALA: Reach out to your representation in Congress to tell the administration that we expect our next AOTUS to be impartial, highly qualified, and ethically motivated, in response to the recent firing of the head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) - March 17, 2025
• AAM: Contact your members of Congress to express your concerns about potential indiscriminate staffing cuts at IMLS that could severely weaken its ability to fulfill its mission and support our field. 
• AASLH: For those of you affiliated with organizations, fill out AASLH's short survey on how changes to federal funding are affecting your organization. 
• AAM: Read American Alliance of Museums (AAM) posting on social media about the results of a survey of museum leaders, asking what would happen without funding from agencies.
• Learn about IMLS’ first ever National Museum Survey.

AIC Listening Sessions and Events:

March 21, 2025 – 12:00-1:00pm EST: Member-led Sharing Session on Current Events (For AIC Members)

The Member Engagement Subcommittee is hosted a live member non recorded Zoom session for members to share subjective, personal experiences with recent government changes. This session will bring members together to connect and share feelings and fears in a supportive environment.This event will be repeated for members.

April 7, 2025 3:00-3:45pm EST: Advocacy 101: How to Use our Toolkit for Protecting Federal Funding for Preservation (Open to all)

Join AIC for a virtual Advocacy 101 and walk through our Advocacy Toolkit with tips on how to take action, why federal funding for conservation is critical, what’s at risk if agencies are defunded, and FAIC programs that would be eliminated without federal funding. Also learn the conservation impact: get the stats, learn everyday advocacy, and discover partner organizations advocating for support, and more. REGISTER

Previous AIC Member Community Posts:

• Federal Funding Updates: Alerts, Messages, and Resources – February 14, 2025
• Federal Funding - Alerts Messages and Resources – February 7, 2025

Short phone calls and emails to your Congressperson are the most effective when contacting Congress.

• Write your state and local officials in support of IMLS using this template letter to explain the impact of IMLS funding cuts on their districts. PERSONALIZE it with your stories! These emails have significantly more impact when you customize them and tell YOUR story to YOUR elected officials.
• Call both the local (district) office and Washington office. Find their phone numbers and a draft script here. Be sure to contact their federal AND district offices!

Congressional staffers tend to keep tallies of those calling or emailing in for or against a particular issue. The tallies are often the only information passed on to the elected official. Focus on reaching your representatives quickly and use the templates provided.

Engage Your Professional Network

• Encourage your museum, archive, and library colleagues to advocate.
• Discuss the issue at conferences, meetings, and conservation labs.
• Use AIC’s Advocacy Alerts to stay informed.

Get Your Institution and/or Clients Involved

• Ask your museum, library, or archive leadership, and clients to issue a statement or letter of support.
• Work with your institution and clients to invite members of Congress for site visits to see conservation work in action.
• Join coalition efforts with AIC and FAIC, AAM, ALA, and NHA to amplify advocacy.

Share Your Stories with Legislators, Funders, and Your Community

• Personalize your outreach—describe conservation projects funded by IMLS, NEH, or NPS and explain the impact.
• Write an op-ed for a local or national publication, emphasizing why federal conservation funding is essential.
• Share specific examples of how conservation is important and about the need for funding conservation and preservation activities. Consider using hashtags or keywords, and tag AIC/FAIC so we can reshare your posts. You can also reshare posts from others to amplify messages and stories about conservation. 
• Plan to participate in our annual Ask A Conservator Day.
• Share quotes about why conservation matters.

Conservation is not optional—it’s essential. Your voice matters!

Key Federal Agencies and Programs Supporting Conservation



Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – Office of Museum Services (OMS)

• Funds collections care, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, and disaster preparedness for museums and libraries.
• Supports preservation at small and mid-sized museums through the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program
• Provides grants for training museum and library staff, ensuring the next generation of professionals can sustain the field.



National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) – Division of Preservation and Access

• Supports research and training in conservation science and funds preservation projects at libraries, archives, and museums.
• Provides grants for digitization and reformatting endangered materials.
• Funds emergency preparedness and response training for  the National Heritage Responders, Alliance for Response Networks, and others



National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

• Funds projects that integrate conservation into public art, traditional craft preservation, and artist archives.
• Supports training for artists and conservators.



National Park Service (NPS) and National Center for Preservation Technology & Training (NCPTT)

• Provides conservation and restoration grants for historic structures, collections, and archaeological materials.
• Administers the Save America’s Treasures program, which has helped conserve national treasures such as the Star-Spangled Banner.



Smithsonian Institution & Library of Congress

• Support cutting-edge research in conservation science that benefits the entire field.
• Offer funding and training for conservation interns and early-career professionals.

• Loss of federal conservation grants, making it harder for institutions to maintain collections.
• Elimination of emergency response programs, leaving museums and archives vulnerable to climate disasters.
• Cancellation of outreach programs that support small and mid-sized museums, like FAIC’s Collections Assessment for Preservation program.
• Decreased funding for scientific research in conservation, slowing innovation and best practices.
• Fewer paid conservation internships and training programs, making the field less accessible.
• Increased reliance on private donors and state funding, which cannot fully replace federal investment.

Federal funding supports critical conservation programs.

If IMLS and NEH lose funding, these essential FAIC initiatives could disappear:

IMLS-Funded Programs at Risk 

• Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) – Helps small and mid-sized institutions develop conservation strategies.
• Connecting to Collections Care (C2C Care) – Provides training and resources for collections professionals.
• Sustainability Tools in Cultural Heritage (STiCH) – Supports sustainable conservation practices.

NEH-Funded Initiatives at Risk

• Affordable professional development workshops for conservation professionals.
• Alliance for Response regional networks, connecting cultural institutions with emergency responders.
• Climate resilience planning training for institutions and communities.
• National Heritage Responders – emergency response teams for cultural institutions after disasters.

Without federal support, conservation training, disaster response, and preservation research will be severely impacted.

We recognize that state programs are impacted as well. Be sure to advocate at the local level as well using resources shared here.

Labor and Economic Statistics

Key Data on Cultural Heritage Occupations from AIC’s official submission for 2028 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Cultural Heritage Occupations Data includes:

• Economic Impact: The cultural heritage sector contributed 4.3% of US GDP in 2022, amounting to $1.1 trillion.
• Current Workforce Size: At least 37,000 individuals are currently classified under SOC 25-4000 (“Librarians, Curators, and Archivists”).
• Employment Distribution (AIC Data):
  • 41% work in museums.
  • 29% work in private businesses.
  • 18% work in library/archive settings.
  • The remaining professionals are employed across diverse organizations.
• Underrepresentation in SOCs: The current SOC system does not fully capture the breadth of cultural heritage occupations, leading to misclassification and underreporting.
• Interdisciplinary Scope: Cultural heritage professionals work in non-profits, education, arts, historic preservation, scientific, and business sectors, yet are only represented in outdated institutional groupings.
  • Salary Data Distortion: Existing salary reporting focuses only on museum roles, which:
  • Undermines job equity and salary negotiations.
  • Complicates government contracts, RFPs, and job descriptions at federal, state, and local levels.
• Emerging Digital Cultural Heritage Roles: Professionals working with born-digital photographic images, audiovisual materials, and other digital assets are not adequately classified in current BLS occupational schema.
• Built Heritage Tradespersons: Practitioners working on historic buildings and structures do not fit under SOC 25-4000, though they could align with a “Museum Technician” category.
• Call for a New SOC Category: Establishing a Cultural Heritage Occupations classification would:
  • Strengthen national workforce data accuracy.
  • Increase visibility for cultural heritage professionals.
  • Align with the NEH-AIC report recommendation for high-impact labor data to support field-wide advocacy.

About AIC’s SOC Task Force Submission

AIC formally submitted recommendations as part of the Statistical Policy Directive No.10 SOC revision for 2028. Full Submission and Comments:

• AIC Task Force’s overview letter and spreadsheet with specific comments can be accessed here: AIC Task Force Submission.

While there may be pressing advocacy needs in these times, advocacy is also a long game. As often as possible, engage with your representatives to voice your support for the field, and engage with your community through outreach activities to explain the need for political advocacy. 

• Talk about your advocacy efforts with your family, friends, and neighbors via email, social media, and in person
• Set up an appointment with your Congressperson in their district office
• Invite your Congressperson on a lab tour or to events at your organization  

This leads to a greater understanding of the role conservation professionals play and builds the case for broader support. 

Attend a Capitol Hill advocacy day organized for arts and humanities professionals. We partner with allied organizations to advocate for funding and recognition for conservation and preservation.Some of these organizations offer training sessions on how to be an effective advocate and will book appointments for you to meet with elected officials. Typically, you attend appointments in a group, which can help a first-time advocate. 

Organizations with Advocacy Days

• American Alliance of Museums
• Americans for the Arts
• National Humanities Alliance



Advocacy days typically take place in February and March, but dates change yearly, so be sure to update your calendars. If you want conservation to have a greater role in advocacy, you need to attend these events.

Plan to participate in our annual Ask A Conservator Day.

Share stories from previous years about why Conservation matters. You can find posts using #AskAConservator on your social media platforms.

Check out their resources to expand your advocacy efforts!



American Alliance of Museums (AAM) – Advocacy Center

American Library Association (ALA) – I Love Libraries Action Center

National Humanities Alliance (NHA) – Advocacy Hub

Americans for the Arts (AFTA) – Policy & Legislative Issues

Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) – Disaster Response & Preparedness