14-04-2025
Executive order cuts funding for Iowa museums and libraries
DES MOINES, Iowa — Federal grants to local libraries and museums have been halted following an executive order.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order a month ago, dismantling seven independent government agencies. The order states the goal is to reduce the parts of the federal bureaucracy that Mr. Trump determined to be 'unnecessary.'
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is one of the agencies named in the order. The IMLS distributes millions of dollars in federal grants to libraries and museums across the country.
The institute was inaugurated in 1996 under a Republican-led Congress. The Trump administration proposed significant cuts to the IMLS in 2018, which would have reduced and eventually eliminated the institute's grant programs. However, Congress ultimately ensured the institute was able to continue operations.
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In the fiscal year 2024, Iowa received $2.5 million in grants from the IMLS.
In 2019, a grant from the IMLS was awarded to the Science Center of Iowa. The grant was used to revitalize their What On Earth? exhibit.
The Science Center was expecting to receive another grant this year, which they planned to use on projects throughout the museum. However, early last week, they learned this grant was terminated, and the project is now on hold.
'It wasn't a huge surprise. I think with grants, that's always something that you have to be cautious and careful of. It also makes us be a little more resourceful,' said Amy Hock, the museum's Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
According to Hock, general admission ticket sales only cover about 65% of the operating costs for the museum. She said they utilize corporate and donor donations as well as grants to make up the remainder.
Nationwide, museums receive only 20% of grant funding from the IMLS. The remaining 80% of grants go to libraries across the country. As a result, libraries will see more significant impacts from these funding cuts.
The State Library of Iowa received $2,210,343 in the fiscal year 2024, according to a release from the Iowa Library Association.
The release said in part, 'The State Library of Iowa is able to support our robust net of libraries, and much of that is made possible with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency that administers funding to our nation's libraries.'
The Iowa Library Association went on to urge people to contact their elected officials regarding these funding cuts.
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