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The intent of this web page is to provide helpful and  information about the ongoing changes to the Institute for Museum and Library Services and discussions around public funding of museums. We will continue to update this page as much as possible.
Please contact us to share additional resources. 

News/Updates

Federal Funding Cut Puts Michigan's Cultural and Educational Programming at Risk (MidMichiganNow.com, 4/23/25)

DOGE Has Decimated the Institute of Museum and Library Services (Artnet, 3/31/25)

Federal Funding for Libraries and Museums on the Chopping Block (New America, 3/26/25)*

Michigan libraries, museums brace for loss of federal funds after Trump executive order (Detroit Free Press, 3/25/25)*

Stateside: Monday, March 24, 2025 (Michigan Public Radio, 3/25/25)

What’s happening with the Institute of Museum and Library Services after Trump’s executive order (AP, 3/20/25)

Federal cuts could hurt libraries & museums across UP (TV 6, 3/20/25)

Trump administration seeks to starve libraries and museums of funding by shuttering this little-known agency (The Conversation, 3/20/25)

Keith E. Sonderling Sworn In as Acting Director of Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS, 3/20/25)

Federal agency responsible for library and museum funding gets a visit from DOGE (Michigan Public, 3/20/25)

Michigan rural libraries brace for hit from Trump order targeting spending (Bridge Michigan, 3/19/25)*

MMA Statement on the Placing of IMLS Staff on Administrative Leave

Issued by the Michigan Museums Association on April 1, 2025

The decision to place the entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on administrative leave is an outrageous and reckless move that threatens the very institutions it was created to support. The Michigan Museums Association staff and board condemn this unprecedented action, which disrupts essential funding, programming, and resources that countless museums, libraries, and communities depend on. IMLS is a federally authorized agency, legally established and funded by Congress, with a critical mandate to support cultural and educational institutions across the nation. It is unacceptable for an agency of this importance to be thrown into chaos without a clear, public justification. Immediate action must be taken to restore IMLS operations before irreparable harm is done.

We urge you to contact your members of Congress to demand transparency, accountability, and the swift reinstatement of IMLS staff. Our communities cannot afford this disruption, and we must take action now.

Joint Statement on IMLS from Michigan Libraries, Museums, and Archives

Issued by the Michigan Library Association on March 18, 2025

On March 14, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) that adversely affects the only federal agency that provides resources to our nation’s libraries, museums, and archives. The EO “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” directs the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to eliminate non-statutory programs and reduce its functions and personnel to the minimum required by law. For IMLS, this would mean a dramatic reduction in its scope and capacity to support our nation's cultural institutions. Libraries and museums across the country will feel the effects of these cuts, particularly in areas reliant on discretionary funding and special initiatives.

Michigan receives modest federal funding from IMLS, but our 397 public library systems, 87 academic libraries, nearly 3,000 school libraries, 650 museums, and hundreds of historical organizations pride themselves on using these resources efficiently and innovatively to deliver outstanding programs and services. The changes to IMLS ordered in the EO would be devastating to the cultural and literary landscape enjoyed by all Michigan residents.

What is at stake if IMLS reduces its workforce and dismantles programming, funding, and services to our libraries, museums, and archives? 

Close to $2.25 million/year in individual grants to our libraries, and an additional $1.77 million/year for our museums and archives could be affected.

In addition, the Library of Michigan may be adversely affected if the $4.78 million Grants to States were to cease including:

  • the Michigan Electronic Library (MeL and MeLCat) – a centralized catalog and resource-sharing service (inter-library loan) created to lend and share materials among all types of libraries in Michigan 
  • MeL databases that are used extensively by our academic and school libraries  
  • travel stipends for library staff to attend professional development opportunities to stay current with trends that affect the profession 
  • funding for cohorts on financial sustainability, digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and public library management 
  • excellent training and educational opportunities for all library workers through participation in Niche Academy offerings

We strongly support continued funding and staffing and implore President Trump to rescind this Executive Order. Our goal is to ensure that the IMLS continues to fund worthy and essential library, museum, and archival programs that benefit Michigan communities well into the future.

In Fiscal Year 2024, the government spent $6.75 trillion, exceeding its revenue and resulting in a deficit. While the stated purpose of the EO is to reduce bureaucracy and waste, it is unreasonable to target the federal funding allocated to libraries and museums that represents just a tiny fraction – approximately 0.0043% in FY 2024 – of the federal budget. This minimal investment supports institutions that are vital to education, cultural preservation, and community enrichment.

While funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025 (ending Sept. 2025) has been appropriated to the IMLS in the newly approved Continuing Resolution, we have no guarantees of funding for IMLS in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

It is time to take a stand and speak up today by calling, writing, emailing, visiting, or sending a letter to your federal elected officials. We encourage you to use one of the links below that have been set up by various national organizations.

Contact your legislators and tell them to continue fully funding IMLS – both discretionary programs and those explicitly mandated by law. Don’t forget that your communication will be stronger by adding your own words, and how this will affect you, your cultural institution, and your community.

American Library Association:

https://app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-page?cid=9CyapZUB9sorxFLO4J0c&lang=en

EveryLibrary:

https://action.everylibrary.org/saveimls2025

American Association for State and Local History:

https://www.congressweb.com/aam/94/

American Alliance of Museums:

https://www.congressweb.com/aam/95/

Collectively, we the undersigned, stand together and call on all Michiganders who value reading, learning, history, and enrichment to take a stand in support of our libraries, museums, and archives. We urge President Trump to rescind the EO targeting IMLS and implore Congress to continue fully funding IMLS at levels that protect both discretionary and statutory programs. 

Sincerely,

Deborah E. Mikula

Executive Director, Michigan Library Association

Steven Bowers

President, Library Cooperatives of Michigan

Christine Beachler

President, Michigan Association of School Librarians

Mies Martin

President, Michigan Academic Library Association

Lisa Craig Brisson

Executive Director, Michigan Museums Association

Elizabeth Nicholson Green

President, Michigan Archival Association

Larry J. Wagenaar

Executive Director and CEO, Historical Society of Michigan

Urgent: Act Now to Save IMLS (American Alliance of Museums)

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on March 17, 2025.

NOW is the time to speak up for museums! 

On March 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy, directing further cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an agency that is already operating at a minimum level, making up only 0.0046% of the overall federal budget. IMLS efficiently provides critical resources to libraries and museums in all 50 states and territories.  This EO would essentially gut IMLS within seven days.  We are in communication with our coalition partners, agency contacts, and champions on Capitol Hill to assess the full impacts of the Executive Order and will provide updates on our webpage.

What you can do NOW:

  1. Call your members of Congress. Find their phone numbers and a draft script here. Members of Congress are home this week, so be sure to contact their federal AND district offices!
  2. Write your members of Congress. Get started with our template letter and PERSONALIZE it with your stories! These emails have significantly more impact when you customize them and tell YOUR story to YOUR elected officials.
  3. Write your state and local officials using our template letter.
  4. Call your state and local officials.  Find their phone numbers and a draft script here.
  5. Get your museum's supporters involved! You can find template language for your email and social media outreach here.

Share this information with your entire staff and board, and urge them to take action TODAY!

Save the Institute of Museum & Library Services

Information on 5 calls website [we encourage you to call through them directly] (accessed 3/20/25)

On Friday, March 14th, Trump signed an executive order that calls for there elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries. Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, this EO is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer:

  • Early literacy development and grade-level reading programs
  • Summer reading programs for kids 
  • High-speed internet access
  • Employment assistance for job seekers 
  • Braille and talking books for people with visual impairments
  • Homework and research resources for students and faculty
  • Veterans’ telehealth spaces equipped with technology and staff support
  • STEM programs, simulation equipment and training for workforce development
  • Small business support for budding entrepreneurs

To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities. Call on your representatives to show up for America’s libraries and urge the White House to maintain the IMLS’s modest federal funding.

Materials provided by the American Library Association

Script

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I’m calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to work to protect federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Libraries and museums are vital parts of our communities and provide so many essential services. Please show up for our libraries and urge the White House to hold back its attack on their funding.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.

AAM Advocacy Alert

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on 4/11/2025

Grant Terminations: IMLS Appeals

This week, federal agencies, including IMLS and NEH, have continued to send large numbers of grant termination letters to awardees.

If you received an IMLS termination letter, AAM is encouraging museums to file an appeal with IMLS. 

  • Please review Procedures for Requesting a Review of Suspension or Termination beginning on p. 20. 
  • Email the appeal to Director Sonderling at ksonderling@imls.gov with copy to grantsadmin@imls.gov and IMLS General Counsel at ogc@imls.gov.
  • Also use the eGMS system to file your termination appeal as it is the official record for the government.
  • We have been told that it's unclear if organizations will be reimbursed for expenses accrued prior to the date of termination. Thus, it is very important to submit all expenses accrued for federal grants prior to the date on the termination letter. 
  • If you have received a reimbursement for expenses accrued in February and/or March, please let AAM know.   

Grant Terminations: All Agencies

  • Contact your members of Congress immediately. They need to be aware of the direct impact of your grant termination. 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.
  • Please also let AAM know if your grant has been terminated.
  • Inform and engage the public (see below)
  • Review the National Council of Nonprofits checklist "What to do when your federal grant or contract is terminated"
  • Recommendations from Holland & Knight "What Recipients Need to Know if a Federal Grant is Terminated by the Government" 

Inform and Engage the Public

It can be very advantageous to inform the public, your members, and your supporters about your grant termination, both for advocacy purposes and generating greater support from the public.

Inform and Engage Congress and State Lawmakers: Keep the Pressure On

Whether your grant was terminated or not, it is important to continue to contact and share the information with Congressional offices and state lawmakers. We understand that it may not always feel like these calls and emails make a difference, but it is important to continue to pressure our lawmakers. Don't let them off the hook!

  • 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.
  • Call AND write your members of Congress about your grant terminations (this link is specific to those who have a terminated grant)
  • Write AND call your members of Congress about the potential impacts of gutting IMLS and NEH (this link can be used by anyone concerned about the cuts to these agencies)
  • Write AND call your state-level elected officials and ask them to join in speaking up to members of Congress.

Litigation Update

Lawsuits Filed: On April 4, a coalition of 21 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for attempting to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services. On April 7, ALA and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union representing museum and library workers, filed a suit challenging the Trump administration's gutting of IMLS. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of ALA and AFSCME by Democracy Forward and co-counsel Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP, asks the court to block the dismantling of the IMLS as directed by a Trump executive order. The complaint argues that cutting programs at IMLS will violate the law by eliminating programs Congress has provided funding for and directed IMLS to undertake. In this rapidly evolving landscape, we continue to work with legal counsel and peer associations to evaluate the right strategy for the museum sector. 

Special Note About AAM Accreditation: AAM has received questions regarding the impact on the Accreditation Program. We would like to assure you that AAM's Accreditation Program is not federally funded and therefore will not be impacted.

AAM Advocacy Alert

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on 4/3/2025

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.

AAM Advocacy Alert

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on 4/1/2025

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

Congressional Actions To Date:

  • Senate Letter: Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who were the lead authors of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2018, sent a letter to Sonderling reminding the Administration of its obligation to faithfully execute the provisions of the law as authorized and appropriated.
  • Members of the New York Congressional delegation wrote a letter in opposition to the executive order on IMLS. View the letter.
  • Members of the New Hampshire Congressional delegation wrote a letter urging the President to reverse the executive order on IMLS. View the letter.
  • As noted in the previous communications, Reps. Dina Titus and Suzanne Bonamici are leading a letter in the House in support of IMLS, this letter is currently in the process of collecting signatures from other House members and we will share the final version with the full list of Congressional signers once the letter is final.

AAM Statement on the Placing of IMLS Staff on Administrative Leave

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on March 31, 2025.

On March 31, the entire Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff was placed on administrative leave.

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.  

This move continues to undermine the will of the American people—96% of whom want to see federal funding for museums maintained or increased—and prevents American taxpayer dollars from reaching America’s communities.

IMLS makes up only 0.0046% of the federal budget and efficiently provides critical resources to libraries and museums in all 50 states and territories in communities rural to urban. The museum sector, in turn, generates $50 billion in economic impact. Museums are vital community anchors, serving all Americans, including youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. Museums are not only centers for education and inspiration but also economic engines—creating jobs, driving tourism, and strengthening local economies.

We are in communication with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to assess the sector’s legal options.

IMLS Update and Take Action

Issued by the American Alliance of Museums on March 26, 2025.

IMLS Update

As a follow up to last week's Advocacy Alert, we wanted to provide you with a few updates and additional ways you can take action.

NEW: 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.

Call your House Member to urge them to sign on to the IMLS letter.

Thank you to everyone who has already written and called your members of Congress since our alert went out last week.  45,000 letters and calls have gone through AAM's letter writing system.  Keep it up!

As you have likely heard, Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling was appointed as Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) last Thursday, March 20 to carry out the executive order Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy at IMLS.  AAM is closely following these developments and will update this webpage as we know more.

The National Museum and Library Services Board sent Acting Director Sonderling a welcome letter that lays out the agency's statutory mandates.  The Board serves in an official advisory capacity to the Director of IMLS

Actions You Can Take NOW:

If you attended Museums Advocacy Day, contact staff members you met to let them know about the potential impacts of the executive order and, if it is a House member, to ask their bosses to sign onto the letter by Reps. Titus and Bonamici. 

The Michigan Museums Association is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. 

Thank you to our Partners!


Michigan Museums Association       313-334-7643       PO Box 5246, Cheboygan, MI 49721      lcbrisson@michiganmuseums.org

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