News

September 25, 2025

Keith Sonderling
Acting Director
Institute of Museum and Library Services
955 L’Enfant Plaza North SW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20024-2135 

Re: Request to release the National Museum Study results - This request does not require allocation of new money or the creation of a new program.

Dear Acting Director Sonderling,

The Coalition of State Museum Associations (COSMA) is writing to formally request the release of the results of the National Museum Survey (NMS) on behalf of our state museum association members and their member museums who participated in this research. As you know, this was the first national survey of museums in the United States, designed to be an annual, decades-long effort to better understand and support the museum and cultural center sector. Years of planning and significant taxpayer dollars went into its development and implementation, and tens of thousands of museums across the nation dedicated time and resources to participate.

Survey participants were assured that the results of this first survey would be released in June 2025. The delay in making this information available undermines the trust and goodwill of the museum community, which responded in good faith with the understanding that the results would be publicly accessible. The data gathered is critical for informing decision-making at the local, state, and national levels, and withholding it diminishes the return on investment of public funds.

We also note that several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have been filed for the release of this data without success. If the cancellation of the contract with the company managing the synthesis and anonymization of the data is the cause of the delay, we urge IMLS to take immediate corrective action. Either the contract should be reinstated so the legally required work can be completed, or the agency should fulfill this responsibility internally. In either case, the obligation to provide access to survey results remains.

Museums are key partners in promoting understanding of critical issues, providing educational experiences to learners of all ages, broadening exposure to the history of our country, supporting the ethical stewardship of sensitive art and artifacts, and improving access, safety, and resilience of important cultural and historic treasures. The release of NMS data will help all US museums better understand the landscape of museum sector work and cultivate more stability for museums across the nation while preserving jobs that are vital to communities of all sizes.

The National Museum Survey was a historic and long-overdue effort to capture the true scope, diversity, and needs of the museum field, and completing its first year was a critical milestone. Abandoning this work now would squander years of investment, taxpayer dollars, and the trust of the thousands of Americans who work at and visit museums. Even if this administration chooses not to continue the survey into the future, IMLS must honor its obligation and release the results of the initial survey to the public without further delay.

If you have any questions, please contact COSMA Board chair Rusty Baker at rusty.baker@pamuseums.org or 717-280-3822.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

The Coalition of State Museum Associations (COSMA) stands in strong support of statewide museum associations and their respective museum members— spanning all types and sizes and serving every American community. We defend federal agencies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as well as the Smithsonian Institution (SI) and National Parks Service (NPS), all of whom play important roles in the sector and the cultural ecosystem. These pillars of American culture currently face serious threats that will damage them and make the entire cultural landscape less vibrant, less meaningful, and less able to serve the public.

COSMA condemns the disruption caused by additional proposed funding cuts, elimination of services, and abrupt terminations of legally awarded grant funding from the IMLS and NEH to cultural institutions across the nation. The proposed termination of federal employees and the elimination or reduction of agency services have sown uncertainty in our field and have threatened to damage institutions and organizations that have projects with and funding they expected from IMLS and NEH.

Cuts to the NEH negatively affect some of COSMA’s strongest partners, state humanities councils, that receive funding for their operations and services at the state level. We condemn these wrongful grant terminations and budget cuts to the state humanities councils who rely on this funding to deliver public programming, educational initiatives, and outreach efforts at the state and local levels.

A recent Executive Order (EO), “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” targets the SI and NPS. The EO insinuates that these leading cultural institutions are not aligned with the American people and our values. There is, in fact, broad public support for the nation’s museums, parks, and cultural community. The Smithsonian family of museums and the National Parks foster critical thinking, a sense of place, and self-expression, which are fundamental to the well-being and education of our citizens with free speech at its bedrock.

COSMA stands united with our partners and colleagues across the cultural sector in ensuring that we protect the full richness of our history and oppose censorship or self-censorship.

COSMA urges statewide museum associations to contact appropriate members of the United States Congress and to encourage all of the American public who believe in the power and inherent necessity of museums and cultural heritage sites to work towards restoring these federal agencies to their full power as authorized by federal law, and support them in doing the important work of preserving and sharing our rich cultural heritage.

 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Coalition of State Museum Associations (COSMA) has released its Common Service Model aimed at creating best practices across all areas of state museum association administration. The model seeks to enhance the governance, financial stability, member services, communications and advocacy initiatives conducted by state museum associations nationwide. 

COSMA received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to pursue the project, which included a comprehensive written survey and two virtual focus group convenings for the entire state museum association network. These platforms provided fundamental information about how state museum associations function. From there, the grant advisory committee and grant project teams compiled responses and the best practices model. 

“The Common Service Model is a major step forward in advancing our state museum associations,” said Linda Endersby, COSMA Interim Managing Director. “We are excited to introduce this valuable framework to our member associations and work together to address their individual challenges and needs.” 

The Common Service Model is formatted as a guide divided into five sections including governance, communications, member services, financial stability and advocacy. The best practices are defined in the categories of basic, good, better and best, and each section also includes links to helpful resources, articles, guides and books. 

Download a copy of the Common Service Model and learn more at StateMuseumAssociations.org/common-service-model. 

“COSMA is also planning a series of resources and programming to assist our member associations with the implementation of the common service model,” said Ruth White, COSMA Program Committee Chair. “Through the Common Service Model and additional resources we hope to provide a universe of options from which each state museum association can choose what is beneficial for their state.” 

The Coalition of State Museum Associations (COSMA) is the only national entity whose priority is to serve the needs and aspirations of state museum associations through partnership building, programming and resources. For more information about COSMA, visit StateMuseumAssociations.org or call 682-219-9599.