As America gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, the very institutions entrusted with preserving the nation's history are facing a profound crisis. A stark new survey reveals museums across the United States are grappling with plummeting attendance, precarious finances, and the chilling effects of political culture wars under the Trump administration.
Survey Reveals a Sector in Reverse
A major study conducted by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in July and August 2025 has delivered sobering news. The research, which polled 511 museum directors, indicates that recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic has not just stalled but is actively reversing. Only 45% of museums reported attendance at or above their 2019 pre-pandemic levels, a decline from 51% in 2024.
Financially, the picture is equally bleak. Just over half (52%) reported a stronger financial position in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic times, down from 57% the previous year. Meanwhile, a growing number—26%—reported a weaker bottom line. Projections for 2025 are less optimistic than they were for the prior year.
The Direct Impact of Federal Policy
The survey quantifies the direct impact of executive actions and federal funding cuts. A significant one-third of museums (34%) suffered the cancellation of government grants or contracts. For those affected, the median loss was $30,000, with funding commonly cut from key bodies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
These cuts have had immediate, damaging consequences. Among museums that lost federal funds:
- 35% had to defer facility improvements.
- 28% cancelled or reduced public programming.
- 24% cut educational programmes for students, rural communities, and veterans.
Critically, 67% of museums reported that this lost funding has not been replaced by other donors or foundations. "We’re seeing declines in attendance, weaker financial performance and growing instability," said Natanya Khashan of the AAM.
Case Studies: From Berkeley to Tulsa
The human and cultural cost of these policies is evident in institutions nationwide. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) had two federal grants totalling $260,000 cancelled. This funding was earmarked for the conservation of a historic collection of over 3,000 African American quilts.
"That was devastating," said executive director Julie Rodrigues Widholm. "There’s an urgency to restoring the quilts... It was hard to navigate an understanding because it was so unprecedented." While media coverage of the loss eventually spurred new donors to fill the gap, Widholm cautions that philanthropy across the US is under severe strain.
Elsewhere, institutions like the Greenwood Rising museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which tells the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, feel the indirect pressure. Though it doesn't rely on federal money, its executive director Raymond Doswell notes that corporate donors are now "very concerned about the language of diversity." He warns that philanthropic resources are being stretched thin as organisations previously reliant on state and federal aid seek new support.
A Battle for American Identity
The crisis extends beyond balance sheets into the realm of ideology and historical narrative. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to reshape major cultural bodies like the Smithsonian Institution, pushing a nationalist, "anti-woke" agenda. This has led to the resignation of senior figures like Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery, and prompted accusations of self-censorship among curators.
Federal officials are now demanding extensive reviews of exhibition content, aiming to promote a more triumphalist view of American history over narratives that examine systemic injustice. This political pressure creates a "trickle-down wariness of controversy" among institutions and their funders, says Stephen Reily, former director of the Speed Art Museum in Kentucky.
Marjorie Schwarzer, a noted museum historian, argues this political climate is unprecedented. "Museums are focused on their mission and the public trust... They are not used to having to think about one individual who’s the president," she said. "This is throwing everybody off... It was out and out bullying."
She warns that the loss of federal funding, which has historically been a catalyst for innovation in public programming and accessibility, risks causing American museums to lose their international leadership edge. As the nation approaches its semiquincentennial, the battle over who gets to tell America's story—and with what funding—is intensifying, leaving the future of its cultural heritage in the balance.
