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  SCHOLARSHIPS OPPORTUNITIES  
  SMAC OFFERS SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2006 AAM ANNUAL MEETING

The Small Museum Administrators' Committee (SMAC) is offering four (4) $500
scholarships to assist in underwriting the costs to attend the 2006 American
Association of Museums Annual Meeting scheduled for April 27 - May 1, 2006
in Boston, Massachusetts.    Applicants must be current SMAC members through
AAM and be employed in a museum with a budget under $350,000.  Only one
applicant per museum per year is eligible.

To apply, submit a letter (no more than 2 pages) discussing your current
responsibilities, activities (previous workshops, conferences, professional
service) and career goals.  Indicate how attendance at the AAM conference
will benefit both you and your museum.  Please include a resume, a brochure
from your museum, proof of museum's budget size, and a letter of support
from your institution (i.e. board member, executive director).

Send three (3) copies of your application postmarked by January 13, 2006 to
Lisa Tremper Hanover, Director, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at
Ursinus College, PO Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426.  Faxed applications
will not be accepted.  The scholarship award will be announced and the
winner notified by February 10, 2005 to take advantage of AAM Early-Bird
Registration costs.  The scholarship recipient is expected to attend the
SMAC Business Meeting and Luncheon at the AAM conference.
  
     
  GRANTS INFORMATION  
     
     
  The Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) is still accepting applications for the 2006 program. Contact Heritage Preservation to receive an application, or download an application from Heritage Preservation's Web site, www.heritagepreservation.org. The postmark deadline for applications is December 1, 2005.  Eligible participants will be accepted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis. See below.
  
 

2006 Conservation Assessment Program Changes
 Changes will streamline application process and allow more museums to participate
 Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are pleased to announce upcoming changes to the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) starting in FY2006.  The changes will allow more museums to participate and will streamline the application process.
 CAP will be administered through a cooperative agreement between IMLS and Heritage Preservation with two modifications to the eligibility requirements.  The number of days per year a museum must be open to the public will change from 120 days to 90 days, and for organizations who participated in CAP prior to 1999, there is an opportunity to update their assessment through ReCAP.
CAP is a program for small to mid-sized museums and provides a general assessment of the museum’s collections, environmental conditions, and historic buildings by a conservator. Following the assessment, the assessor provides a written report recommending priorities to improve collections care.  This report assists museums in long-range planning, fund-raising, and educating board and staff.  Museums with buildings older than 50 years are also offered an architectural assessment to identify priorities for the care of the building(s). Zoos, aquariums, nature centers, botanical gardens, and arboreta may have one of their CAP assessors evaluate at conservation needs of their living collections.
The FY2006 CAP applications will be mailed on Friday, October 7, 2005, to museums on the CAP mailing list and will also be available on Heritage Preservation’s Web site at www.heritagepreservation.org.  Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the postmark deadline of December 1, 2005.
 To be added to Heritage Preservation’s CAP mailing list, or for more information, please contact Maria Galban at mgalban@heritagepreservation.org or 202-233-0832.  

 
  The History Channel Save Our History Grant Program returns for a second year! $250,000 in Save Our History grants from The History Channel available in the Fall of 2005 to support or help fund educational programming initiatives!

Based on its success among history organizations and schools in 2004-2005, The History Channel, in collaboration with The American Association for State and Local History and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, is proud to announce the 2005-2006 Save Our History Grant Program.

Last year, The History Channel awarded $250,000 in grants to twenty-nine local history organizations in twenty-seven states across the country. A diverse mix of museums, historic sites, preservation organizations, historical societies, archives, libraries, and other organizations were awarded grants in 2004-2005. To read abstracts of the outstanding 2004-2005 Save Our History grant projects, please visit www.saveourhistory.com.
If your organization has an existing educational program, challenge yourself to create a unique, rewarding Save Our History project. If you are interested in creating new educational programming, Save Our History provides an excellent platform for you to do so. If you have questions on how to get started, a Save Our History representative will be happy to provide guidance and support. Please email us at info@saveourhistory.com.

Important dates
* July 8, 2005 - 2005-2006 Save Our History grant application will be posted at www.saveourhistory.com
* August 2005 – 2005-2006 Save Our History Educator’s Manual available
* October 21, 2005 - Completed Save Our History grant applications due
* December 2005 - Save Our History grant recipients notified
* May 2006 - Save Our History National Honors event in Washington DC recognizing 2005-2006 grant recipients
Please visit www.saveourhistory.com after July 8, 2005 for further details on guidelines and judging criteria.
 
  
     
 
Call for Proposals
2006 National Preservation Conference
Deadline: January 13, 2006
The National Trust for Historic Preservation invites you to propose an educational session for the 2006 National Preservation Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The conference theme is Making Preservation Work! This is an opportunity to highlight preservation challenges, share cutting-edge ideas, and engage your peers at the premier educational and networking event for community leaders, volunteers, and staff of the historic preservation movement.
Your proposal should focus on one or more of the following:
--Revitalization of historic neighborhoods, especially with resident involvement and innovative partnerships with financial institutions
--The latest in green architecture’s synergy with historic structures
--Creative approaches to adaptive uses of historic structures, downtown revitalization, brownfield and riverfront development
--Contributions of preservation-based revitalization to livability, including health and physical fitness
--Models for rural heritage preservation and development
--Participation of diverse populations in the development of preservation programs and projects
 
We also encourage proposals on topics that are of perennial interest:
--Organizational development — board training, effective leadership, fundraising
--Effective public advocacy and critical issues
--Stewardship, interpretation, and marketing of historic sites
--Heritage education programs across grade levels
--Cultural heritage tourism programs in urban and rural areas
--Critical issues for local preservation commissions

For a proposal form and instructions go to www.nthpconference.org. Click on "Propose a Session."

If you have any questions, contact Walter Gallas, Senior Education Planner, Conferences, National Trust for Historic Preservation, phone (202) 588-6095, email: walter_gallas@nthp.org.

  
     
  IMLS  
     
 

The Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) provides assessments by professional conservators for small to mid-sized museums.  The conservators assess the condition of collections and make recommendations for improvement.  For museums with buildings more than 50 years old, CAP also supports an assessment by a preservation architect.  After coming on site, the assessors prepare a report identifying the museum’s conservation priorities that can provide a framework for collections care planning and the basis for conservation funding.   A second assessment (re-CAP) will be available to organizations who participated in CAP prior to 1999.

The FY2006 CAP applications are now available! To receive an application, call the CAP staff or download it from Heritage Preservation’s Web site, www.heritagepreservation.org. The postmark deadline for applications is December 1, 2005.  Eligible participants will be accepted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis. CAP will be administered through a cooperative agreement between the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage Preservation.
For more information, contact Kate Marks (kmarks@heritagepreservation.org, 202-233-0831) or Maria Galban (mgalban@heritagepreservation.org, 202-233-0832).

  
  National Report on Status of Museums' Data Collection Activities: Analysis and Extensive Compendium of Reports about Museums

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) released its June 8, 2005 Museum Data Collection Report and Analysis, a national study on the status of America's museums' data collection activities. The report updates a similar study commissioned by IMLS in 1998 and focuses on data collected and reported by museums between 1999 and 2004 (or planned through 2006).
"The U.S. Congress charges IMLS to analyze museum and library trends and needs to provide reliable data for the development of good policies that will inform federal support for these institutions," said Mary Chute, Acting Director of IMLS. "The release of the 2005 Museum Data Collection Report and Analysis will also help museums advance professional practices and heighten awareness of the public value of museums in America's communities."
The report looked at a wide range of museum data, both qualitative and quantitative, including case studies, strategic plans, benchmarking, and best practices research. Surveying 490 sources, the report found that many museum studies are available on the internet and includes 246 of the studies in the report itself constituting an extensive compendium of museum data information. Categorized by annual reports, directories and surveys, economic impact studies, facilities, finance (financial reports, cost analyses and salary surveys), funding trends, and general, museums nationwide are encouraged to use the compendium as a new research tool.
The report notes the problems and difficulties, as well as the value and benefits of data collection efforts and cites the World Wide Web as having enormous potential for gathering and sharing museum data (a significant difference from the study done in 1998). The report also outlines needed areas of growth and further research for museums notably in the area of performance and outcomes measures, diversity, and small and rural museums.
Among the recommendations for museums in the report are the creation of a collaborative working group tasked with different areas of research, standardization of definitions and data categories for conducting surveys, and collaborations with other organizations that collect data on museums. The report also recommends museums build platforms to showcase their value and share data collection efforts.
Museum Data Collection Report and Analysis is free and available online at http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/Museum_Data_Collection.pdf
For print copies, please email your request to imlsinfo@imls.gov.

  
  Here are two additional grant opportunities for museums:
National Leadership Grants for Museums and Libraries http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/IMLS/OPLA/OPLA/NLG-FY06/listing.html General Information
Original Due Date for Applications: Feb 01, 2006

IMLS deadlines are postmark dates that remain the same from year to year. Should a deadline fall on a Sunday or a holiday, applications postmarked the following business day will be accepted.
Current Due Date for Applications: Feb 01, 2006
Expected Number of Awards: Not Available.
Estimated Total Program Funding: Not Available.
Award Ceiling: $1,000,000.00
Award Floor: $25,000.00
CFDA Number: 45.312 -- Institute of Museum and Library Services_National Leadership Grants
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: Yes
Eligible Applicants
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Program Overview:

National Leadership Grants enable libraries and museums to help all individuals attain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and resources that enhance their engagement in community, work, family, and society. Projects should enable libraries and museums to address current problems in creative ways, develop and test innovative solutions, and expand the boundaries within which cultural heritage institutions operate. The results of these projects will help equip tomorrow's libraries and museums to better meet the needs of a Nation of Learners.

Successful proposals will show evidence that they will have national impact and generate results―whether new tools, research, models, services, practices, or alliances―that can be widely adapted or replicated to extend the benefit of federal support. Proposals will reflect an understanding of current issues and needs, showing the potential for far-reaching impact throughout the museum and/or library community. Projects will provide creative solutions to issues of national importance and provide leadership for other organizations.

Categories:

Advancing Learning Communities - supports new opportunities for libraries and museums to engage with other organizations to meet the educational, economic, and social needs of learners of all ages. Projects will support learning throughout the lifetime, whether that learning takes place in communities, in schools, or in the workplace. A learning society requires a new vision in which learning is seen as a community-wide responsibility, supported by both formal and informal educational entities. IMLS will support programs based on current research in cognitive science; learning and literacy partnerships among early, adult, and community learning providers; development of innovative learning technologies using library and museum content; and exploration of new ways to integrate digital and physical services and programs.

Building Digital Resources - supports the creation, use, preservation, and presentation of significant digital resources as well as the development of tools to manage digital assets. IMLS will support projects that preserve and enhance access to valuable library and museum resources; support the development of tools to help libraries and museums manage and share digital assets; address the challenges of preserving and archiving digital media; and enhance interoperability, integration, and seamless access to digital assets, particularly projects that are of statewide, regional, thematic, or national scope.

Research and Demonstration - supports basic and applied research and demonstration projects to test potential solutions to problems in a real-world environment. IMLS will support research to improve the effectiveness of library and museum services and their impacts on users; enhance understanding of learning within and across different age groups; fulfill users' needs and expectations; address knowledge integration; integrate physical and digital experiences; and develop new methodologies, standards, or practices.

Partnerships:

IMLS particularly encourages projects that meet community needs through innovative collaborations between museums and libraries and with other organizations as appropriate. Partnerships between libraries and museums are particularly encouraged under this program.

 
 

Museum Assessment Program
General Information Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: MAP-FY06
Posted Date: Jul 18, 2005
Original Due Date for Applications: Feb 15, 2006
IMLS deadlines are postmark dates that remain the same from year to year. Should a deadline fall on a Sunday or a holiday, applications postmarked the following business day will be accepted.
Current Due Date for Applications: Feb 15, 2006
IMLS deadlines are postmark dates that remain the same from year to year. Should a deadline fall on a Sunday or a holiday, applications postmarked the following business day will be accepted.
Archive Date: Mar 17, 2006
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Category of Funding Activity: Arts (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Expected Number of Awards: Not Available.
Estimated Total Program Funding: Not Available.
Award Ceiling: none
Award Floor: none
CFDA Number: 45.302 -- Museum Assessment Program
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No
Eligible Applicants
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is funded by IMLS and administered by the American Association of Museums. It is designed to help museums assess their strengths and weaknesses and plan for the future.

The program provides technical assistance for four assessments: (1) collections management, (2) governance, (3) institutional, and (4) public dimension. Assessments are funded on a first-come, first-served basis. Museums may apply for MAP assessments in any sequence. Museums that received an IMLS grant for any given MAP assessment on or before September 1999 may apply for a grant to fund participation in that assessment a second time. Application materials can be obtained by contacting the American Association of Museums or by visiting its Web site at www.aam-us.org.

In all MAP assessments, members of the museum staff and governing authority complete a self-study and receive a site visit by one or more museum professionals who tour the museum and meet with staff, governing officials, and volunteers. The surveyors work with the museum and MAP staff to produce a report evaluating the museum's operations, making recommendations, and suggesting resources.
Categories
Collections Management Assessment supports a review of collections use, planning, and policies and procedures in the context of overall museum operations.
Governance Assessment supports an examination of the roles, responsibilities, and performance of governing authorities and advisory boards. The assessment improves the ability of the museum's governing authority to fulfill its stewardship responsibilities and contribute to the success of the organization.
Institutional Assessment supports an overview of the management and operations of the entire museum and helps the museum set priorities, prepare for strategic planning, and operate more efficiently, thereby improving its services to the community and increasing its base of support.
Public Dimension Assessment supports an evaluation of the way in which the museum serves its community and audiences through exhibits, programs, and other services and communicates with its audience through public relations, planning, and evaluation.
You can access this information via the website by cutting and pasting this link: http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/IMLS/OPLA/OPLA/MAP-FY06/Grant.html.

  
  African American History & Culture in Museums: Strategic Crossroads and New Opportunities
A new publication, African American History & Culture in Museums: Strategic Crossroads and New Opportunities, is available from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The reports results from a day-long forum where 30 invitees-leaders in the African American museum community and the museum community at large-explored the evolving role of African American museums, their contributions, and their challenges. The session was a critical listening opportunity for IMLS staff and will be used to help make connections between IMLS programs and the needs of the African American museum community. A clear outcome of the meeting was that IMLS must continue to work closely with the African American museum community to raise awareness about its existing grant opportunities and to create new ones.
"African American museums are catalysts for deepening appreciation and understanding of the African American experience and they play an essential role in the creation of scholarship, the stewardship of collections, and the development of public programs," writes Robert Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in the preface of the report. "As such, these museums are a vital component in the ongoing effort of our country to create "a Nation of Learners"-- an effort that is the central mission of the IMLS."
This report, along with other discussions and consultations, will also help guide IMLS in the development of a new grant program that seeks to recognize and support the role of African American museums in communities across the United States as authorized by The National Museum of African American History and Culture Act.
To obtain free copies of the report, email the Institute of Museum and Library Services at imlsinfo@imls.gov, or access it electronically from the agency Web site at: http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/African_American_Museums.pdf
  
     
  AASLH  
     
  The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces the winners of the 61st annual Leadership in History Awards, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. Awards for 2006 represent 85 organizations and individuals. Presentation of the awards will be made at a special banquet during the 2006 AASLH Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, September 16, 2006. The banquet is supported by a generous contribution from the History Channel.

The awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout America. The awards include:

 The Award of Merit which is presented for excellence in history programs, projects, and people when compared with similar activities nationwide;

 The Albert B. Corey Award, named in honor of a founder and former president of AASLH, which recognizes primarily volunteer-operated historical organizations that best display the qualities of vigor, scholarship, and imagination in their work.

In addition to the two awards listed above, AASLH added a new award this year. This award is given at the discretion of the awards committee to 5% or less of the total winners of the Award of Merit.

 The WOW Award is an award for a project that is highly inspirational, exhibits exceptional scholarship, and/or is exceedingly entrepreneurial in terms of funding, partnerships, or collaborations, creative problem solving, or unusual project design and inclusiveness.

For more information about the awards program, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203. The Tennessee Winners are:
Name: Richard M. Cornelius
Nomination: for educating the public about the Scopes trial for forty years

Name: Electravision Creative Film and Television and Nashville Public Library
Nomination: the documentary, “A Century of Service: Nashville Public Library”

Name: Historic Rugby
Nomination: the film, “The Power of a Dream”

Name: Jackson County Historical Society
Nomination: the development of the Jackson County Archives and Veteran’s Hall

  
 

Summer Workshop Registration Open

Make plans now to take advantage of AASLH’s summer workshop series. There are several opportunities for professional development through AASLH over the next few months.

The last 2006 session of our online workshop, The Basics of Archives will begin on May 16 and run until June 23. Registration is now open online. Visit http://aaslh.org/workshop.htm to register or get more information. Registration for the online workshop is $85 for AASLH members and $95 for nonmembers. Deadline for registering is May 10.

Registration is also available for our summer on-site workshops. These workshops offer a great opportunity to get away from the office, learn from your colleagues, and visit some wonderful institutions and cities. Digitization and Museums is a great three day workshop that focuses on the basics of starting a digitization program at your museum, archive or historic site. Jill Koelling and Leigh Grinstead of the Collaborative Digitization Project in Colorado present an engaging program that will get you moving into digital collections even if you have no idea what metadata means. Cost for the workshop is $200 for members and $250 for nonmembers. Sessions will be held at the Center for Oral and Public History at California State University in Fullerton, CA (near Los Angeles) on June 14-16; the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, WA on July 26-28; and the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, OH on August 23-25. Make plans to attend one of these great workshops and move to the forefront of museum technology in the 21st century. Visit http://aaslh.org/workshop.htm to register or get more information.

  
 

Not Your Ordinary Workshop Series March – May 2006 Schedule
Telling the Tough Stories: A workshop and dialogue about museums, their community, and the ethics of interpreting slavery.
March 3-5: Nashville, TN; host: Belle Meade Plantation       Cost: $75.00

Digitization and Museums: Bringing our collections into the 21st century  Explore new technologies in museums with in-depth training on digitizing your collection.  Tailor it to your needs by attending one, two or all three days.  Day 1 presents issues surrounding the digitization of primary source materials.  Day 2 focuses on basic digital imaging techniques.  Day 3 introduces creating metadata for digital objects.
Instructor: Jill M. Koelling, Collaborative Digitization Project
March 22-24: Atlanta, GA; host: Atlanta History Center
Cost: $70 per day member/$85 nonmember; $200 for three days member/$250 nonmember. 

Historic House Museums Issues and Operations, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  This 2 day workshop focuses on this unique segment of museums by providing instruction on the management and interpretation of historic houses.
Instructors: George McDaniel, Drayton Hall; Max van Balgooy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation
March 30-31: Norfolk, VA; host: The Historic Houses at the Chrysler Museum of Art
Cost:  $250 member/$300 nonmember; $20 discount if fee is received by Feb. 25.

Collections Management and Practices:  This 2 day workshop offers the opportunity to learn about your institution’s responsibility to its collection, improve policies and procedures, and hear about the best practices of collections care.
Instructors: Vicki Berger, Arizona Historical Society Museum; Rick Kerschner, Shelburne Museum
May 5-6:  Birmingham, AL; host Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Cost:  $250 members/$300 nonmembers; $20 discount if fee is received by Mar. 24.

For registration information, visit www.aaslh.org/workshop.htm or call Bethany Hawkins at (615) 320-3203.

Also coming up from AASLH:
Presidential Sites and Libraries Conference IV: The American Presidential Community.  Presented by AASLH and co-hosted by National Park Service and the National Archives Office of Presidential Libraries.  This conference will inspire attendees to fully engage the “Power of Presidential Connections” inherent in the resources they administer.  Through panel discussions, town hall meetings, and forums, conferees will identify and learn new ways to meet the 21st century challenges facing the institutions that foster and protect presidential heritage.  www.aaslg.org/pressites.htm
Jun. 19-22: Hyde Park, NY; host: Franklin D. Roosevelt NHP and FDR Presidential Library         Cost:  TBA

  
  The American Association for State and Local History announces its
newest program - Performance Management. 

Performance Management, developed in partnership with the Center for
Nonprofit Management of Nashville, helps museums measure and analyze
visitor satisfaction and opinions. The survey instrument has been
developed and tested over the past three years with the help of ten
pilot museums. What can Performance Management do for your museum?
It can:

1. Measure, in a scientific and unbiased manner, what your visitors
think and want;
2. Accurately target areas needing improvement;
3. Integrate survey results into staff goals;
4. Include visitors' wants and needs in your next strategic plan;
5. Prepare for a capital campaign by identifying how visitors
currently view the museum and what they value;
6. Provide valuable "hard data" for funding requests and grant
proposals;
7. Support change requiring sensitive decisions;
8. Improve your institutional image;
9. Prevent throwing money at issues that will not improve your
position with visitors;
10. Initiate positive change!

The Performance Management can be costly for small museums -- but it
can also be a very valuable tool for museums who are looking to make
major changes, launch a capital campaign or embark on a new
strategic plan and wish to include visitors' wants and needs in the
plan.

To read more about Performance Management, visit
http://www.aaslh.org/perfmanagement.htm
  
  AASLH and the Center for Nonprofit Management have developed a program called Performance Management for History Museums. It is an affordable, tested program designed specifically to measure visitor satisfaction. The Individual museum cost is $3,500 and you must be a member of AASLH. To find out more go to http://www.aaslh.org/perfmanagement.htm.
 
  The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is pleased to announce the launch of the AASLH Career Center, a new online resource designed to help you find job opportunities in the field of state and local history.

The new and enhanced AASLH Career Center will make its debut on August 1, 2005 and will provide you with:

a.. Job search control - quickly and easily find relevant industry job listings and sign up for automatic email notification of new jobs that match your critieria
b.. Easy job application - apply online and create a password-protected account for managing your job search
c.. Resume posting - make your resume available to employers in the industry, confidentially if you choose
d.. Best of all, AASLH Career Center is available FREE to job seekers. Don't miss this unique opportunity to connect with the industry's best employers. Visit www.aaslh.org to learn more.
  
  Letter from AASLH regarding Federal Formula Grants to Museums dated July 12, 2005.
How Would Federal Formula Grants for Museums Work?
by Sandra Sageser Clark, Chair, AASLH Formula Grant Task Force & Director, Michigan Historical Center
The Federal government uses formula grants to the states to achieve broad national purposes while allowing for regional and local differences. Such grants leverage, rather than replace, state and local funding for those purposes.
Libraries, historic preservation, the arts, and many social and health services receive such funding. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is inviting state, regional, and national museum service providers and their members to join with it in obtaining such funding for museums. The Council fo State Historic Records Coordinators is leading a similar effort for archives. (Contact Kathleen Roe kroe@coshrc.org for details.)
It takes two federal legislative actions to create such funding. The first is authorizing legislation that sets the broad purpose of the grant, the maximum amount that may be spent, and the formula for dividing the funds among the states. Usually the formula includes a base amount for every state with the remainder being divided among the states based on an indicator of relative need, such as population. The second legislative action is the annual appropriation that determines how much will be spent on the grants each year.
Each state determines the state agency that will accept the money and ensure its expenditure in accordance with the federal authorizing law, as well as federal rules and accounting principles.
The authorizing legislation sets the requirements each state must meet. This includes the ratio of state and local matching dollars for the federal funds and may include "maintenance of effort" --keeping state funding at existing levels. It requires statewide planning. It may set the composition of the group that makes the decisions about what projects and organizations receive funding. It may require that a percentage of the funds be spent for a specific purpose, such as supporting small museums.
Because the federal requirements are broad, each state must use an inclusive statewide process to develop a multi-year plan that assesses the needs of the state and how grant funds will be used to meet those needs. That plan is approved and monitored by the federal government. The plan could include statewide initiatives, such as a series of educational workshops. It could include re-grants or consultants to serve individual organizations. It might focus on capital projects, care of collections, Internet access, or a combination of goals. Each year the state reports progress on its plan, and at designated intervals it is required to develop a new plan.
AASLH has formed a task force to obtain federal formula grants for museums. For details, visit the advocacy section of www.aaslh.org. The current focus of the task force is inviting national museum service providers to be part of the effort. Those who agree to participate will join the task force on the Coalition Committee that drafts the proposed authorizing legislation and then leads the legislative effort. The Council of Regions will have two seats on the Committee, and the National Association of State Museum Associations will have four. We hope to have everyone on board by next spring. In the meantime, we invite your questions, suggestions, and concerns. All will be essential as the Coalition Committee begins its work. Contact Terry David (davis@aaslh.org) 0r me (clarkss@mi.gov) to share your thoughts.

We look forward to hearing from you!

  
  Letter from AASLH:
Dear Colleague:
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) -- the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) -- has been targeted for zero funding in the President's FY 2006 proposed budget. A minimum funding level of $8 million is needed for grants and an additional $2 million for staffing and other program administration related costs in FY 2006 if this small but critically important program is to continue to provide access to key documents of our democracy, history, and culture.
We need your help!!

Over the past 40 years, the Commission has awarded a total of $153 million to over 4,000 state and local government archives, colleges and universities, and other institutions to preserve and publish important historical records that document American history. Through the work of the documentary editions, more and more of the documentary record has been made readily available in books and electronic formats, enabling the research on a wealth of award winning new books by noted historians such as Joseph Ellis, David McCullough, Michael Beschloss, Jack Rakove, James McPherson, and others. Accessible documents and documentary editions provide the essential evidence that enables historians to tell the story of our nation's history. Editions and archival collections have also provided the resources for the creation of a vast number of authentic tools for educators at all levels.

In FY 2004 the NHPRC received its full authorized level of $10 million, but FY 2005 Congress appropriated only $5 million--after the Administration proposed cutting the program to $2 million. In spite of the cuts, last year the president signed legislation (P.L. 108-383) reauthorizing the Commission's grants program for another four years at the $10 million level. The White House should stand by its commitment and provide funding for the NHPRC.

As Americans take stock of who we are and decide what parts of our culture, history, and values we will bring with us into the future, we must preserve the historical evidence. The NHPRC is playing a vital role in preserving, protecting, and making accessible the nation’s documentary heritage. NHPRC deserves funding, and we need your help to make sure it receives it.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

FAX letters to you members of Congress. E-mail is not often given the consideration deserved because of the volume coming in. Hard copy letters are a problem too because they have to be irradiated prior to being delivered to a member's office and arrive weeks if not months late. Ask your congressmen and senators to support $8 million for the grant-making arm of the NHPRC and an additional $2 million for staffing. Well-reasoned arguments with examples to support them work best. Also, please pass this information on to your colleagues and others, urging them to act. For a list of Congressional addresses via zip code, tap into: http://www.house.gov/writerep/  or make use of the Humanities Action Network at www.humanitiesadvocacy.org.

In the House, the subcommittee of jurisdiction is the Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, District of Columbia, 2358 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-6028; Phone (202) 225-2141; Fax (202) 225-0900. Members include: Chair -- Joe Knollenberg (R-MI); Frank Wolf (R-VA), Harold Rogers (R-KY), Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), Anne Northup (R-KY), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), John Sweeney (R-NY), John Culberson (R-TX), and Ralph Regula (R-OH); Ranking Minority Member -- John Olver (D-MA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), James Clyburn (D-SC), Steve Rothman (D-NJ).

In the Senate, the subcommittee with appropriations jurisdictional responsibility for the NHPRC is: Transportation, Treasury, and General Government, Senate Dirksen Office Building, Room 133, Washington D.C. 20510; Phone (202) 224-5310; Fax (202) 224-4401. Eventually, the subcommittee will have nineteen members; thus far the following have been appointed: Chair, Christopher Bond (R-MO), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Sam Brownback (R-KS); Ranking Minority Member - Patty Murray (D-WA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Harry Reid (D-NV), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Byron Dorgan (D-ND).

If you are a constituent of any of the above listed members of Congress, your voice especially counts. If you are from a state not listed, write your members of Congress and ask for their support.
Key Points to Raise in your FAX Include:
*The longest surviving democracy on earth has a duty to document and preserve its history. The NHPRC makes grants each year to institutions across the country to preserve historical records, publish historical papers, and to make historical materials more accessible (for a listing of past NHPRC grants by states, .click here
*The Commission has an outstanding record of making grants to edit and publish historical documents, to develop archival programs, to promote the preservation and use of historical records, to promote regional and national coordination in addressing major archival issues, and to support a wide range of other activities relating to America's documentary heritage. While the National Archives concentrates on federal records, the NHPRC helps archivists, documentary editors, and historians by making available non-Federal records of exceptional historical significance. Books by scholarly and popular authors like David McCullough's John Adams, would not have been possible without the type of documentary editions that emerge from the NHPRC's work.
*The public benefits that come from the preservation and dissemination of documents significant to an understanding of the United States were most eloquently stated by J. Franklin Jameson, founder of the National Archives and the NHPRC in a November 30, 1927 memorandum: "The publication of documentary historical materials is a regular function of all civilized governments, and it is not likely to be omitted by any government in which there is any appreciation of how much historical study does and can do for the promotion of national patriotism."
*Documentary editions and historical records are used not only by scholars, students, and teachers at every educational level, but also by documentary film-makers and museum curators. The Internet has literally opened up a new world for the dissemination of the products of NHPRC funded projects but that dissemination and truly democratic access to reliable historical sources will come at a substantial cost.
*NHPRC grants are a good investment for the country. They result in major matching investment from private sources, which would not have been available otherwise. Federal funds ensure potential backers that the projects are of genuine significance and capably staffed and organized. Through this model cost-sharing program, in which the average non-Federal contribution is almost 50%, NHPRC has efficiently used federal leverage to preserve our documentary heritage.
*Loss of the NHPRC's funding to projects will have a domino effect causing funding from other sources to be withdrawn or reduced. The NHPRC's grants are the linchpins for the funding structure of most projects--without them the structure will collapse.
Thank you so much for being an active and engaged member of the AASLH family! Be sure to copy me at davis@aaslh.org on any correspondence you send.
  
     
  AAM  
     
 

AAM Museum Advocacy Team Action Alert – March 24, 2006
 Contact Congress: Help Support FY 2007 Increases for NEA and NEH

National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities Dear Colleagues Circulating Now

The co-chairs of the Congressional Humanities Caucus, Representatives Jim Leach (R-IA) and David Price (D-NC), have prepared a "Dear Colleague" letter in support of a $15 million increase for the NEH in FY 2007 that is currently circulating in the House of Representatives.  The deadline for Representatives to sign on to this letter is Wednesday, March 29!

Also this week, a "Dear Colleague" letter is being circulated on Capitol Hill by the Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs, Representatives Chris Shays (R-CT) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY), urging all members to support an increased funding level of $170 million for the NEA in FY 2007. Representatives Shays and Slaughter are encouraging grassroots efforts to help gather additional signatories to this letter. The deadline for Representatives to sign on to this letter is Friday, March 31!

What is a "Dear Colleague" and Why Is It Important?

Dear Colleague letters are one of the ways members of Congress communicate with each other about issues of special importance or interest to them and their constituents. In essence, Dear Colleagues are a mechanism for members to lobby each other for support on particular issues being considered throughout the year. A large number of signatures on Dear Colleague letters, particularly if they represent members from both sides of the aisle, will send a very important message to the leadership of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee as it begins to consider specific allocations in the FY 2007 Interior spending bill. 

Congressmen Leach and Price are requesting $156 million for the NEH in FY 2007, an increase of $15 million above the FY 2006 enacted level ($140.95 million) and the President's FY 2007 request for level funding. Remind your representatives that this modest increase for the NEH will provide crucial support for humanities programs that educate the public, provide resources for teachers, increase literacy, facilitate scholarly research, and preserve historical documents and collections in communities across the country. 

Similarly, the President's FY 2007 budget requests no new funding for the NEA, but rather a level-funding request of $124.41 million. Representatives Shays and Slaughter are requesting a total appropriation of $170 million for FY07. In addition, the budget request reallocates funds at the expense of some valuable programs, such as Challenge America. This important program ensures that direct grants from the NEA reach underserved populations, including places where opportunities to experience arts and culture are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability. Now is the time to urge your Representative to signal their support for the arts by signing on to the Dear Colleague letter.

Action for Advocates

Now is the time for advocates and museum professionals like you to call, email or fax your representatives and ask them to sign-on to the NEA, NEH or both letters today.  The National Humanities Alliance has posted a customizable draft message for you to email or fax to your members of Congress at the Humanities

Advocacy Network web site http://www.humanitiesadvocacy.org/action_ctr.html.    

You can also quickly and easily access Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center to contact your Member of Congress and ask him or her to sign on to the NEA Dear Colleague letter.

Let your representatives know that you are calling, faxing or e-mailing to ask them to sign onto one or both of the "Dear Colleague" letters now being circulated in support of the arts and humanities. Always thank your members and their staffs for considering the positions of constituents like yourself and for their support of this important work.

Remember:

The deadline for your Representative to add their signature to the NEH letter is COB, Wednesday, March 29.

The deadline for your Representative to add their signature to the NEA letter is Friday, March 31.

How Members of Congress Can Sign-On to the Dear Colleagues

To sign on to the NEH letter, Congressional offices should contact Naomi Zeff with Representative Leach's office (R-IA) at 202-225-6576, or Susan Howard with Representative Price's office (D-NC), at 202-225-1784. 

To sign on to the NEA letter, Congressional offices should contact Sarah Moore with Representative Shays' (R-CT) office at 202-225-5541 or Michelle Adams with Representative Slaughter's (D-NY) office at 202-225-3615.

All members of Congress can be reached by phone through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

  
  Applications for the February 15, 2006 postmark deadline for the Museum Assessment Program are now available at www.aam-us.org/museumresources/map/apply_howto.cfm.
Applicants will be accepted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis.
Under a new Cooperative Agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the American Association of Museums (AAM) has streamlined the program, making it more accessible to the field.  Changes this year include a decrease in the number of days (now 90) your museum must be open to be eligible, and museums with budgets under $125,000 can now participate for free.  AAM covers all Surveyor travel costs (up to $850) and participants receive a $150 Resource Packet from the AAM Bookstore at the completion of their assessment.
The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is an assessment tool that can help your museum attain excellence in operations and planning through a confidential process of self-study and peer review.
For more information, or to request a hard copy of the application, call 202/289-9118 or e-mail map@aam-us.org.
 
  The Committee on Audience Research and Evaluation (CARE) of the American Association of Museums (AAM) is currently accepting applications for two CARE Scholarships/Fellowships to the 2006 Annual Meeting of AAM. The fellowships are for $1000 each, awarded to two individuals interested or active in the field of audience research and evaluation. The monies must be used to attend the 2006 AAM Annual Meeting in Boston.
The two scholarships/fellowships are for first-time attendees only –they are restricted to CARE members who have never before attended an AAM Annual Meeting, and may include students or non-students.

Fellowship recipients must….
* Be a current, paid member of CARE at the time of the award
* Attend the CARE Business Meeting at the Annual Meeting
* Attend the CARE Evening Event at the Annual Meeting
* Attend the CARE Issues Luncheon at the Annual Meeting
* Write a short article for the next issue of the Gauge following the Annual Meeting (About the topic you covered if you presented something, or about your experience at the Annual Meeting if you did not present)
* Attend the CARE poster luncheon, either as a presenter or to see what other people are researching
Preference will be given to those who are presenting at the Annual Meeting, either in a panel session or presenting a poster (one type of presentation will not be weighed more heavily than the other).
The deadline for proposals is Tuesday January 31.
To apply for a 2006 CARE Scholarship/Fellowship, please send a word attachment with the information below to Keni Sturgeon at Keni_Sturgeon@brown.edu

To be considered for one of the two awards please include the following information (must be in a Word attachment):

Name:
Address:
Institutional Affiliation (if any):
Current Title (if applicable):
Email address:
Phone number:
What practical experience do you have in audience research/evaluation? Do you plan on presenting at this year’s Annual Meeting? Why would you like to attend the Annual Meeting? How do you think you will benefit professionally from attending the Annual Meeting? How might you, now or in the future, contribute to the field of audience research and evaluation?
We hope to see you in Boston in April. Information about AAM and the Annual Meeting may be found at http://www.aam-us.org/.
Sincerely,
Keni Sturgeon
CARE Scholarship/Fellowship Committee
Committee on Audience Research and Evaluation
American Association of Museums
Keni_Sturgeon@brown.edu

 
  Dear Colleague,
In early September AAM mailed the 2005 Museum Financial Information Survey to 5,000 museums. We want the survey results to be truly representative of all types and sizes in the United States, because it will be used by museums, funders, government agencies, policy makers, and associations to make important decisions that affect museums. However, we are concerned that the AAM mailing database may under represent, for example:

    ·       Small museums
    ·       Historic house/sites
    ·       Museums governed by university, tribal, city, state, county, or federal entities

Help us make the survey as complete as possible! If your museum does not receive a survey and you want to participate, download the survey in PDF format from the AAM Web site at www.aam-us.org or email research@aam-us.org.  If your museum did receive a survey, please complete and return it. The deadline for survey responses is October 28, 2005.

The survey is only 6 pages long, includes a helpful glossary of financial terms, and consists of yes/no and fill-in-the-blank questions. As an incentive and thank-you to those completing the survey, all respondents receive a $20 AAM Bookstore coupon, and have the chance to win $500 in “AAM Bucks” good for AAM products and services, registrations to the 2006 annual meeting, or an individual membership.

Thank you very much for assisting us in providing accurate information about U.S. museums.

Jeffrey P. Buchheit
Assistant Director, Museum Assessment Program
Staff Liaison to the Small Museum Administrators Committee
American Association of Museums
1575 Eye Street, NW  Suite 400
Washington, DC  20005
202-289-9119
fax  202-289-6578
AAM100 1906-2006
Leadership to the Field,
Service to the Public
American Assoc. of Museums Annual Meeting
Boston, Massachusetts
April 27th - May 1st, 2006

 
 
AAM Museum Advocacy Team
Action Alert - July 13, 2005
Contact AAM: Help Protect Incentives for Noncash Gifts

What's the Breaking News on Regulation of Noncash Gifts?

For several weeks, AAM has been communicating with museum advocates and professionals about Senator Grassley (R-IA) and the Senate Finance Committee's increased interest in reforming regulation and oversight of non-profits, including changing the way taxpayers can take deductions for donations of non-cash gifts to museums and other non-profits. In response to appeals from AAM and our CEO, Ed Able, many of you have already submitted letters on this crucial issue to your members of Congress (See a sampling of letters from museums) and we thank you.

Now it's time to be sure that reforms made in the best interest of the non-profit community are accepted. On June 21, the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector released to Congress its second and final report, which recommends more than 120 actions to be taken by charitable organizations, by Congress and by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to strengthen the nonprofit sector's transparency, governance, and accountability.  AAM has joined a growing list of nonprofit organizations in endorsing the Panel's report as a whole, which includes recommendations on noncash gifts.

Action for Museums to Take By Noon, Friday, July 15, 2005

It is key that museums and the larger nonprofit community proactively support reasonable reforms to ensure that actions detrimental to the mission-based work of museums and other nonprofits are not taken. AAM has developed and is currently circulating, among the museum community and beyond to nonprofits from all sectors, the following letter to Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Max Baucus (D-MT) of the Senate Finance Committee. At this time more than 80 national, regional, state and local museum, educational and social service organizations have signed on and we are hoping your museum will be able to join the list of signatories as well.

If your museum would like to join as a signatory, please e-mail Jason Hall at AAM at jhall@aam-us.org no later than Noon on Friday, July 15, 2005.

Joint Letter on Noncash Gifts to Senate Finance Committee Chair and Ranking Member

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Committee on Finance
United States Senate
SD-219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

The Honorable Max Baucus
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Finance
United States Senate
SD-219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Dear Mr. Chairman and Senator Baucus:

We understand that this summer you expect to introduce legislation to correct abuses of charities by those seeking personal benefits, and to encourage additional donations for charitable purposes As you are considering reforms relating to the donation of noncash gifts, we urge you to move with caution, given the importance of such donations to many kinds of charities, but also to give strong consideration to adopting the reforms in this area that have been proposed in the recent final report of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector.

With respect to the need for caution and deliberation, a number of our organizations have already contacted you about some of the most damaging proposals that have been put forward in recent months, including those that would replace the current fair market value deduction with a deduction for the lesser of the donor's cost basis or fair market value. As you know, a similar proposal enacted in 1986 for gifts of appreciated property was temporarily repealed several times and then fully repealed in 1993 after the evidence of the dramatic reduction in giving was documented. For example, for museums alone, a national survey demonstrated a 60% drop in giving to museums generally from 1985 to 1987, and a second national survey, of art museums only, showed a drop of 63% from 1986-88. And initial evidence of the impact of changes to the car donation deduction which became effective on January 1, 2005 suggests that donations to charities in this area have been reduced by as much as fifty percent.

At the same time, however, we share your concern that if the American taxpayer is to continue to subsidize giving to charities via the tax deduction system, that system should be fair and transparent. If Americans lose confidence in giving to charity, the public service missions of all of our organizations will suffer. In addition, where we have good evidence, as with the effective Art Advisory Panel mechanism at the Internal Revenue Service, we can see that there is a need for reforms to tighten up the valuation process in noncash gifts.

In this context of the need for reform but also the need to proceed thoughtfully, balancing a proposal's potential benefit in increasing the accuracy of valuation against its potential costs in discouraging donors to charitable purposes, we strongly encourage you to review and adopt the recommendations on noncash gifts of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, as expressed in its June 2005 Final Report (pp. 53-60.)

As you know, the Panel, convened with your encouragement by Independent Sector, represents a wide variety of charities, and the process by which its conclusions were drawn incorporated a great deal of additional advice from many of us and other kinds of charities. We strongly believe that continuing to base noncash gift deductions on fair market value is the right way to maintain and encourage Americans' historical pattern of generous giving for charitable purposes, but we are fully aware that, as the Panel's Report points out, "problems have arisen due to the lack of clear, objective standards for establishing clear market value of the donated property." We know that unless we take effective steps to address those problems, we cannot maintain confidence in the fair market value deduction mechanism that has been so successful in encouraging giving for charitable purposes.

The Panel's recommendations on noncash gifts are those effective steps. Strengthening the definition of a qualified appraisal and a qualified appraiser for these purposes, expanding penalties on taxpayers for grossly inflated valuations for deduction purposes, imposing new penalties on appraisers for such valuations, and mandating electronic filing of Forms 8282 and 8283 will collectively go a long way toward restoring justified confidence in the accuracy of fair market value deductions, but do so in ways that will not unduly discourage giving. These recommendations, which would apply to all forms of appreciated property, along with the additional specific recommendations on conservation and historic façade easements and on clothing and household items, would be practical, substantial, and effective ways to increase valuation accuracy.

Thus we strongly encourage you to enact these provisions where so recommended by the Panel, and to direct the IRS to take action to incorporate them into regulations or policies where so recommended, as part of your forthcoming legislation in this area.

Finally, many of us previously have been in productive contact with you and your staff members on these issues, and we would be happy to continue to work collaboratively with you and them on this issue as the legislative process unfolds. We share your goal of strengthening the nonprofit sector by assuring that it continues to merit high levels of public confidence.
Sincerely,
Cc: Dean Zerbe, Tax Counsel
Jon Selib, Tax Counsel

National Organizations
American Arts Alliance
American Association of Museums
American Association for State and Local History
Americans for the Arts
American Heart Association
American Symphony Orchestra League
American Zoo and Aquarium Association
Associated Writing Programs
Association of Performing Arts Presenters
Association of College and University Museums and Galleries
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Association of Jewish Aging Services
Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies
College Art Association
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council of American Jewish Museums
Dance/USA
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
Independent Sector
International Association of Jewish Vocational Services
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Literary Network
Museum Store Association
National Association of Independent Schools
National Cancer Coalition, Inc.
National Catholic Development Conference
National Committee on Planned Giving
National Council of Jewish Women
1-880-Save-A-Pet.com
The Arc of the United States
The Center for Social and Economic Leadership
The Nature Conservancy
The Points of Light Foundation
United Cerebral Palsy
United Jewish Communities

Regional, State, and Local Organizations
Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado
Association of Midwest Museums
Bland County Historical Society
Christian Appalachian Project
Colon & Associates, LLC
David Posnack Hebrew Day School of Broward County
David Posnack Jewish Community Center of Broward County
Fort Wayne (IN) Jewish Federation
Hecksher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY
Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services of New York City
Jewish Community Foundation of Colorado
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
Jewish Family Service of Broward County
Jewish Family Service of New Orleans
Jewish Family Service of Wilkes-Barre, PA
Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Jewish Federation of New Hampshire
Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County
Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies & Museums
Michigan Nonprofit Association
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
New England Museum Association
New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations
New Orleans Hillel Foundation
North Carolina Center for Nonprofits
Mount Vernon Ladies Association
Museum Association of Arizona
Museum Association of New York
Museum of disABILITY History
Oklahoma Museums Association
Southeastern Museums Conference
The Frick Collection
This Century Art Gallery, Williamsburg, VA
UJA Federation of New York
United Jewish Communities of Metrowest, NJ
United Jewish Community of Broward County
United Jewish Federation of San Diego County
Virginia Association of Museums
Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum, Auburn, NY
Wolf Creek Indian Village and Museum
Youngstown Area Jewish Federation

 
 
AAM Museum Advocacy Team  Action Alert - July 8, 2005
Contact Congress: Ask Senate Interior Appropriators to Support Increases for NEA and NEH
 As reported to Museum Advocacy Team members in June, and thanks to the efforts of AAM and other cultural advocacy groups and advocates in the field, members of both the House and Senate Appropriations' committees approved increases for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations (H.R. 2361). The House approved a $10 million increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and a $5 million increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Senate approved a $5 million increase for each agency in an amendment offered by Senators Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), Larry Craig (R-Idaho), and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.).
The Senate passed its chamber's final version of H.R. 2361 on Wednesday, June 29th, including an increase of $5 million for each agency. The House version of the H.R. 2361 passed on May 19th and includes the full $10 million dollar increase for NEA and the $5 million increase for NEH. Advocates have done a great job so far this year showing our support for NEA and NEH funding. We've won the House and Senate floor battles, but the war is not over yet. H.R. 2361 will now be considered by a House-Senate conference to iron out this and other differences between the two versions of the bill.
What can you do for NEA and NEH funding during the conference?
The members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Related Agencies have been assigned to the House-Senate Interior Appropriations Conference Committee. Now is the time to contact these Senators and urge their support for the House-approved $10 million increase for NEA and for maintaining the $5 million increase for NEH approved by both chambers. If your Senators are not Interior Appropriators (listed below) we still need your help. Please contact your Senators and ask them to urge their colleagues on the Interior conference committee to support the $10 million increase for NEA and the $5 million for NEH.
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior Members
Senator Conrad Burns (Chairman) (R-MT)
http://burns.senate.gov/
Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)
http://stevens.senate.gov/
Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)
http://cochran.senate.gov/
Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM)
http://domenici.senate.gov/
Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT)
http://bennett.senate.gov/
Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH)
http://gregg.senate.gov/
Senator Larry Craig (R-ID)
http://craig.senate.gov/
Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO)
http://allard.senate.gov/
Senator Byron Dorgan (Ranking Member) (D-ND)
http://dorgan.senate.gov/
Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
http://www.byrd.senate.gov/
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
http://www.leahy.senate.gov/
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)
http://www.reid.senate.gov/
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)
http://www.kohl.senate.gov

 Plan a Summer Visit for your Senators and Representative Now
Congress is about to return from the July 4th recess to finish appropriations and other matters. There will be another district work period from August 1-September 2.  Invite your Senators and Representative to visit your museum with their family and staff.  Arrange a tour of your museum and bring them behind the scenes to see museum operations.  A recess visit is a great opportunity to explain how your museum serves the public and the important role federal grant programs play in supporting your institution's public mission.
 Contact Your Representatives in Congress
Legislators rely on the opinions and positions of their constituents to inform their votes throughout the annual appropriations process.
Visit http://www.house.gov/writerep/ to write or e-mail your Representative or http://www.senate.gov to get your Senators' contact information. If you send an e-mail, be sure to include the topic, bill or agency in your subject line so that it can be directed to the appropriate staff member responsible for the issue.
 Or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you to the office of your Representative or Senators and request to speak to the staffer responsible for the issue you are calling about.

Forward to a friend!
Have a colleague who should know this information?
Feel free to pass this alert on!

Join Museum Advocacy Team®, a network of museum professionals, volunteers and supporters who educate policymakers and advocate for federal policies favorable to our field.  MAT members receive alerts about national legislation and regulation affecting museum operations and are among the first to learn about and act upon breaking news. As a MAT member, you can use your leadership to express your views and make museum-related policies better. To join MAT and receive Museum Advocacy Team® Action Alerts, please contact AAM Government & Media Relations at [202] 289-9125 or e-mail MAT@aam-us.org.

 
  Letter from AAM:
Dear Colleague:

I wanted to contact you personally about an issue that you may also be following through Aviso and other AAM communications - that is the increased scrutiny of acceptable non-profit governance, financial reporting and charitable giving practices in Congress.  I am deeply concerned about proposals the Senate Finance Committee is considering reversing the charitable tax treatment of gifts of appreciated property - especially non-cash gifts such as art, collectables, and real estate.

This issue may be familiar to those who remember the passage of the 1986 tax reform bill.  That legislation eliminated the fair-market value deduction of gifts of appreciated property.  This effectively stopped gifts of art and other collections to museums.  AAM successfully led the 7 year effort to reverse the law. It was reinstated in 1993.  We have an opportunity to prevent returning to that dark period in our history when an unknown number of objects never made it into public co