April 2025
The Executive Council of the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), on behalf of its membership, expresses great concern regarding plans by the current United States Administration to effectively shutter imperative cultural funding organisations, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
The IMLS and NEH have long been recognised as critical support agencies for United States museum and library facilities.
Without the historic financial and technical support of these organisations, many ICMM member institutions, large and small, would have been unable to carry out a myriad of activities, including underwater research and recovery projects, exhibitions that seek to inform the public of the nation’s rich maritime heritage, and marine science projects that promote sound stewardship of US coastal and inland waters.
IMLS and NEH grants have been vital for maritime museums to attract additional private and public funding, enhancing the value and scale of proposed work.
IMLS and NEH endorsements have created opportunities for international cooperation including the digitisation of critical information that has further grown the global impact of American museology.
At a recent meeting of its Executive Council, ICMM expressed concern that the end of these organisations’ funding would disproportionally affect the viability of smaller community-based maritime museums.
“Maritime museums are often places that preserve the traditions of coastal communities, from Maine to the bayous of the Mississippi River Delta. Knowledge transfer, grants, partnerships, and joint promotions engendered by IMLS and NEH support have been vital to a healthy sector involving Americans from all walks of life.”
Members of the International Council of Maritime Museums call upon the current United States Administration to reverse its proposal to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services and National Endowment for the Humanities, and proactively support the contribution that all maritime museums make to promoting a greater appreciation of the nation’s maritime past, present and future.