Advocate for Conservation

AIC's Related Events:

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

Watch AIC's virtual Advocacy 101 session, where AIC's Lissa Rosenthal-Yoffe and Ruth Seyler 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. WATCH

April 23, 2025 – 7:00-8:00pm EDT: Member-led Sharing Session on Federal Actions (For AIC Members)

The Member Engagement Subcommittee is hosting a live non-recorded Zoom session for members to share subjective, personal experiences with recent government changes, such as presidential EOs, federal layoffs, grant cancellations, etc. This session will bring members together to connect and share in a supportive environment. REGISTER

Allied Organizations' Resources

• Sign up for AAM Advocacy Alerts
• Check Americans for the Arts (AFTA) Advocacy Hub
• Use the National Council of Nonprofits' resource guide

Advocacy Alert - April 7, 2025

NEH, IMLS, and NEA Updates

NEH Update from National Humanities Alliance (NHA) – April 4

NHA learned on April 4 that dozens of staff at the National Endowment for the Humanities have been placed on administrative leave. NPR confirms that the action has affected 145 staff members, amounting to 80 percent of the agency's workforce. NEH staff are dedicated public servants who play an essential role in NEH grantmaking. We believe that this degree of staff reduction prohibits the NEH from fulfilling its statutory obligations, and we are exploring further actions.

INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES UPDATE from Americans for the Arts (AFTA)

4/4/2025 - A lawsuit was filed by  21 State Attorneys General to stop President Trump's Executive Order #14238 from dismantling 3 federal agencies that provide services and funding for museums and public libraries, mediation services, and minority business development. Specifically, the Institute of Museum and Library Services was forced to place 85% of its staff on administrative leave and cancel all open grants on 3/31/25. This lawsuit is led by the Attorneys General of New York, Hawaii, and Rhode Island and are joined by Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington state, and Wisconsin.

The lawsuit argues that the executive order violates the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by eliminating the programs of agencies without any regard for the laws and regulations that govern each source of federal funding. The coalition argues that the President cannot decide unilaterally to override laws governing federal spending, and that this executive order unconstitutionally overrides Congress' power to decide how federal funds are spent.

► Read more about this update.
► Read the IMLS reduction of staff memorandum.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS UPDATE (NEA)

4/3/2025 - The U.S. District Court in Rhode Island denied a motion for preliminary injunctive relief to arts organizations applying for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funding, despite the possibility of President Trump's Executive Order #14168 certification being reimposed. However, the court held that any NEA decision to make projects that promote "gender ideology" ineligible for funds is "likely" a violation of the First Amendment and outside its statutory authority. 

► Read the ACLU press release.
► Read the judge's ruling.

Advocacy Alert - April 3, 2025

Grant Termination

As noted in previous alerts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has had its staff put on administrative leave with a lack of clarity on the status of already committed grants. In the last few days, news came out that the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) will likely be targeted by the end of this week to cut its staff by 70-80%. We have learned of grant terminations by both NEH and IMLS being sent out to some grantees.

If your grant has been terminated:

• Contact your members of Congress immediately. They need to be aware of the direct impacts. They will not know if you do not tell them. Call AND write to ensure the message gets received. AAM has set up a template you can use. You will need to add into the template as much information as possible about the grant and the impacts of losing it. During Museums Advocacy Day, we heard from many Congressional offices that they wanted to be notified if any grants were delayed or terminated for museums in their districts.
• If you have connections to Congressional staff, please contact them directly.
• Review the National Council of Nonprofits checklist "What to do when your federal grant or contract is terminated"
• Please also let AAM know if your grant has been terminated.
• If you are responding to the termination letters, please do so through the eGMS system, or official grants reporting system.
• If you are a Federally recognized tribe whose grant has been terminated, you should also contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• Share your story with local media.

Continue to Put Pressure on Congress

If you don't have a grant that was terminated, please continue to engage your members of Congress and your state legislators.

• Share influential stories on your social media channels on how your museum impacts the community
• Visit Your Legislators Locally: 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.
• Share your story with local media.
• Write AND call your members of Congress about the impacts of gutting these agencies (note, AAM has updated this template to include NEH and IMLS)
• Write AND call your state-level elected officials and ask them to join in speaking up to members of Congress.
• Encourage your museum's Board, supporters, and members to write and call their members of Congress.

AAM continues to work with Congressional champions to identify viable options to help support the museum community. Continue to check this webpage for further updates.

Your steadfast advocacy efforts make a big difference in building needed support for museums and museum professionals. Looking for more advocacy tools and resources? Visit the Advocacy section of the AAM Resource Library today.

Advocacy Alert - April 1, 2025

Latest on IMLS as of 3/31

On March 31, the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave as a follow up to the executive order from March 14. Read AAM's statement.

Placing the entire staff on administrative leave raises questions as to whether the agency will be able to fulfill its legal obligations to disperse congressionally appropriated funding, leaving museums, libraries, and communities across the country at risk of losing vital resources.  We are in communication with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to assess the sector's legal options.

If your legally promised grant or contract gets delayed or cancelled, please let your members of Congress know immediately. They need to hear how their districts and states are being impacted by these actions.  Be as specific as possible on what is being lost.

We encourage you to continue to get the word out about the impacts of the dismantling of IMLS.  

• Write AND call your members of Congress about IMLS.
• Write AND call your state-level elected officials and ask them to join in speaking up to members of Congress.
• Encourage your museum's Board, supporters, and members to write and call their members of Congress.
• Share your story with local media. 
• Invite Congress: Members of Congress will be in their home districts for two weeks 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. 
• If you attended Museums Advocacy Day, contact staff members you met to let them know about the staff being placed on administrative leave 

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS & ACTIONS UPDATE

3/27/2025 - President Trump signed an executive order entitled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," aiming to eliminate "divisive, race-centered ideology" from federal historical institutions. The order directs Vice President Vance to oversee the removal of such ideologies from the Smithsonian Institution's museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo. Among the other directives in the executive order, it also instructs the Secretary of the Interior to investigate similar "divisive, race-centered ideology" found on federal monuments, memorials, statues, and markers within the Secretary’s jurisdiction. 
► Read more about this update.


3/25/2025 - President Trump issued Executive Order #14248 entitled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” seeking to make changes to the way federal elections are administered at the state level, which will be challenged in court as unconstitutional per Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution. Notably, the executive order also describes inaccurately the rules of nonprofit lobbying with federal funds. 
► Read more about this update.

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JUDICIAL UPDATE

3/28/2025 - U.S. District Court Judge James Paul Oetken of the Southern District of New York has temporarily blocked a portion of President Trump's Executive Order #14238attempting to dismantle and fire Voice of America (VOA) staff and journalists, following a lawsuit alleging that the administration sought to interfere with VOA's editorial independence. The court's decision prevents the dismissal of staff and the appointment of new personnel pending further legal proceedings. 
► Read more about this update.


3/27/2025 - Senior U.S. District Court Judge William Smith of Rhode Island heard arguments concerning the constitutionality of complying with President Trump’s “gender ideology” Executive Order #14168, linked to the National Endowment for the Arts new grant guidelines. While Judge Smith did not promise an injunction, he said he would help get the plaintiffs "out of this 'Hobson's choice' they have to make about whether to submit a proposal they want to submit versus the proposal they think they might have to submit."
A ruling is expected on 4/3/25 or by the morning of the following day. 
► Read more about this update.


CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE

3/26/2025 - House DOGE Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) held a highly slanted hearing on “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable.” Witnesses included NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger. The president is expected to sign a threatened executive order to defund federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds these two public media outlets.
► Watch the full hearing.


INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES (IMLS) UPDATE

3/24/2025 - The National Museum and Library Services Board issued a letter to Trump-appointed IMLS Acting Director Keith E. Sonderling—with all board members signing—expressing their support of the agency. The letter underscores protecting the agency’s important statutory functions amid the implementation of Trump’s Executive Order #14238to ultimately dismantle IMLS.
► Read the letter.

THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS UPDATE

3/30/2025 - CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment this morning, interviewing recently removed Kennedy Center President  Deborah Rutter and former Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra Ben Folds, who resigned on February 12th.
► Watch the full CBS interview.


3/17/2025 - Prior to chairing his first in-person board meeting of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, President Trump toured the Center's exterior and interior physical facilities with his recently appointed Interim President Ric Grenell. He expressed displeasure in the state of "disrepair" of the main building's appearance and an interest in closing the recently expanded "The Reach" facilities for its "lack of windows." On a programming note, the President also expressed an interest in bringing more Broadway shows to the Kennedy Center as well as hosting and choosing the honorees for the televised and renowned Kennedy Center Honors program. 
► Read more about this update.

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.

See our Past Alerts section for older alerts.

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).

If you have a few minutes more, consider:

1. Sharing your story with local media. Here are some recent examples of published articles and Op-Eds:
   “Trump Administration Seeks to Starve Libraries and Museums of Funding by Shuttering This Little-Known Agency”
   “Funding for Iowa Museums and Libraries in Jeopardy Following Trump Executive Order”
   “Holland Museum Facing 'Critical Financial Challenge' Amid Federal Funding Cuts”
   “Op-Ed: The President is Dismantling an Important Program for Alaska Libraries and Museums”
2. Inviting Congress: Members of Congress will be in their home districts from April 13-27, with extended weekends available during that time and all of August. Use this opportunity to invite your members of Congress to your museum or local collecting institution, arrange meetings, or attend public forums they may host.

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!

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:
  • Breaking News Updates Impacting the Arts & Culture (updated regularly)
  • 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.

Alerts from AIC and Allies

• AAM: Call to Support U.S. Representatives' Letter to the Administration:

  NEW 3/26/25: 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 orderthat 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.  

• 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.

Previous AIC Member Community Posts:

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

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.

See How Museums Contribute to the Economy

• https://www.aam-us.org/2018/01/19/museums-as-economic-engines
  

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