Advocacy and Policy

1. Sign up for our Action Alerts to stay informed.
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 us so we can reshare your posts. You can also reshare posts from us and others to amplify messages and stories about conservation. 
4. Use the forms we share to send a quick email to your congressional representatives. This generally takes about 1-2 minutes. 
5. Make a quick phone call to your member of Congress and ask them to support IMLS and NEH. (see "Review Current Advocacy Actions" for most recent actions, campaigns, and details).

• Sign up for AAM Advocacy Alerts or explore their advocacy resources
• Get alerts from National Humanities Alliance or explore their resources
• Check Americans for the Arts (AFTA) Advocacy Hub
• Use the National Council of Nonprofits' resource guide
• Learn about AASLH advocacy efforts
• Visit the Society of American Archivists advocacy pages
• Explore the American Library Association pages

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

• Write your state and local officials in support of conservation and preservation efforts and funding. Explain the impact of conservation on their district or state. 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 on their website. 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.

Congressional Directories

• House of Representatives
• US Senate
• Find your federal or state representative (you can enter your ZIP code only and ignore the email field)

Engage Your Professional Network

• Encourage your museum, archive, and library colleagues to advocate.
• Encourage advocacy-related sessions and discussions at conferences and meetings.
• Use our Advocacy Alerts to stay informed and share within your network.

Get Your Institution and/or Clients Involved

• Ask your museum, library, or archive leadership to issue a statement in support of conservation or sign on to letters of support. Join coalition efforts with AAM, ALA, and NHA to amplify advocacy. 
• Encourage your clients to advocate for the field within their network.
• Work with your institution and clients to invite your local, state, and federal elected officials for site visits to see conservation work in action.
• Consider allocating time at work for advocacy and get your institution involved.

Share Your Stories with Legislators, Funders, and Your Community

• Personalize your outreach—describe conservation projects funded by organizations or institutions that need your support, such as IMLS, NEH, NPS, or FAIC, and explain the impact to your community.
• Write an op-ed for a local or national publication, emphasizing why conservation is essential and how their readership can support the field.
• 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 us so we can reshare your posts. You can also reshare posts from others to amplify messages and stories about conservation. 
• Send your testimonial about why conservation matters to us so we can share your story as part of our advocacy efforts. 

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

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.

Key Federal Agencies and Programs That Have Supported Conservation

Many of these agencies have faced dramatic cuts to funding and staffing. This has impacted many funding opportunities that have been the backbone of conservation support for years. Our work is at risk, and the cultural heritage of our nation and communities are, too. When having conversations with your representatives, it's helpful to be familiar with these agencies and programs. 

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

The Office of Museum Services has historically funded and supported these types of programming and initiatives:

• Funding for collections care, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, and disaster preparedness for museums and libraries.
• Support for preservation at small and mid-sized museums through the Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program
• 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 Collections and Infrastructure

NEH has undergone significant restructuring, but has historically funded and supported these types of programming and initiatives:

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

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

NEA has historically funded and supported these types of programming and initiatives:

• 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)

NPS and NCPTT have historically funded and supported these types of programming and initiatives:

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

Smithsonian Institution & Library of Congress

While the Smithsonian and Library of Congress do not typically offer funding opportunities, both rely upon federal funding and are cornerstones of research and employment opportunities in the field. 

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

Without federal support, conservation training, disaster response, and preservation research will be severely impacted. In early 2025, many federal grants were revoked, resulting in cancelled projects, loss of employment, and increased risk to collections. While some were reinstated, the termination of these grants led to:

• 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 our 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.

FAIC Programs Impacted by Reduced or Terminated Funding

• 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.
• 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.

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

Having statistics about the impact of conservation can be a helpful conversation starter with your representatives. We've gathered some data for you to reference:

Labor and Economic Statistics

We submitted this data for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). 

• 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.

We formally submitted this information and several recommendations to better inform the SOC. Our Task Force’s overview letter and spreadsheet with specific comments can be accessed here: AIC Task Force Submission.

Economic Impact of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums' report on Museums as Economic Engines  provides key talking points about the economic impact of the museum sector.