On Wednesday, March 11, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 1105, finalizing the funding levels for federal agencies for the fiscal year 2009, which began October 1, 2008. The $410 billion measure represents the culmination of more than a year of work on 9 annual spending bills that fund nearly all areas of the government. Several of these spending bills were held up by political wrangling and in the fall, Congress passed a temporary measure to level fund most of the government until this bill could be finalized.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) Office of Museum Services - which supports our nation's 17,500 museums through a variety of competitive grant programs - will get a $3.7 million increase over FY08 levels. "While we still have a long way to go to achieve the level of funding our community needs, this $35 million for IMLS' Office of Museum Services - an 11% increase - is an important step toward seeing an even larger increase for FY10 after our extremely successful Museums Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill," said AAM President Ford W. Bell. "Members of Congress are definitely hearing from constituents about IMLS funding." You can click here to let your representatives in Congress know that you want to see an even larger increase in FY10.
Here are the levels that will go into effect for the remainder of the fiscal year 2009:
IMLS' Office of Museum Services: $35 million, a $3.7 million increase over the previous year.
National Endowment for the Humanities: $155 million, a $10 million increase over the previous year.
National Endowment for the Arts: $155 million, a $10 million increase over the previous year.
Arts in Education programs at the Department of Education: $38.16 million, a $660,000 increase over the previous year.
Teaching American History grants at the Department of Education: $118.9 million, a $1 million increase over the previous year.
National Science Foundation educational programs: $845.26 million. These funds support informal learning experiences designed to increase interest and engagement in the understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund: $69.5 million, including $20 million for Save America's Treasures. These funds support the preservation of nationally significant sites, structures, and artifacts.
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