For those trying to navigate how to protest the dissolution of IMLS, I thought this email newsletter from the Oakland Museum of California was a great example.
I like how they cite specific examples of how IMLS has served them and then call on their audiences to advocate on their behalf. (Copied and pasted below). American needs to know what these agencies do.
Dear OMCA Community:
While there are many urgent national issues competing for our attention right now, we are asking that you take a few moments right away to make your voice heard in support of museums and libraries in our country.
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. While the IMLS budget is small, it efficiently provides critical resources to libraries and museums in all 50 states and territories and helps generate tens of millions of dollars in private philanthropy. This Executive Order would essentially gut IMLS within seven days.
At OMCA, IMLS has funded critical projects over the past several years that serve our community, provide educational opportunities for children and families, and support preservation and care of California's cultural heritage. This includes:
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Public and family programs like our beloved Friday Nights @ OMCA;
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The creation of the Family Nature Playspace - our first-ever early childhood exhibit that serves thousands of young children and their caregivers each year;
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Cataloging and digitizing the Dugan Aguilar photographic archives, which are featured in our current exhibition Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar's Photographs of Native California.
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Awarding OMCA the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2022, which helped us attract broader public and private funding.
Museums are among our country's most valued institutions. They serve as economic engines, community anchors, and critical partners with schools. They are the repositories of our history, our creativity, and our scientific understanding. Here are some vital Facts and Data about museums in the United States that demonstrate how essential these institutions are to the very fabric of this country.
Thanks to the American Alliance of Museums, making your voice heard is EASY and URGENT. This is what you can do NOW:
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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!
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Write your members of Congress. Get started with our template letter and PERSONALIZE it with your stories about the importance of museums to your life. These emails have significantly more impact when you customize them and tell YOUR story to YOUR elected officials. You don't need to know details on the grants - just let these officials know how much you value this country's museums AND libraries.
Thank you so much for joining me to help meet this moment. It is so important right now to support our cultural institutions and the values they represent.
In community,
Lori Fogarty, Director and CEO
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[Andrea] [Jones]
[Founder]
[Peak Experience Lab]
[Brentwood] [Maryland]
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2025 03:19 PM
From: Grace Belizario
Subject: Urgent: Act Now to Save IMLS
🚨 NOW is the time to speak up for museums and save IMLS!
Congressional offices are open, and it's time to flood their phone lines and inboxes. Contact your elected officials right now using our templates as a guide: congressweb.com/aam/95/
📞 Call your elected officials using our draft script. Members of Congress are home this week-call their federal AND district offices.
📝 Send emails to your elected officials using our template form. It is imperative that you personalize these with your stories!
Share this information with your colleagues, board, and museum's supporters. This is the time to come together and stand up for the entire museum field.
Step by step guide and all links here www.aam-us.org/2025/03/17/urgent-act-now-to-save-imls/
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Grace Belizario
Assistant Director, Volunteer & Member Engagement
American Alliance of Museums
Arlington VA
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