The Maryland Museums Association is a volunteer-managed alliance of institutions that collect, hold, interpret, and protect the material and cultural heritage of the Free State. We advocate for state museum funding, equity in the profession, and authentic interpretation of our shared histories in service of increased cultural understanding.
Our Priorities
Legislative Advocacy
Session 2025
In mid-September, the Maryland Museums Association submitted a letter to the Moore Administration requesting funding of the Museum Assistance Program (MAP). Last year, MMA worked tirelessly to pass enabling legislation to renew this program administered by the Maryland Historical Trust. Now, we all must work to see funding allocated to the grant program in the Governor's FY2026 budget. The goal is $5 million.
In the letter, co-signed by the Maryland Center of History and Culture and Preservation Maryland, here's how we made the case:
"The time is now to help Maryland’s museums. Marylanders are looking to our museums to recognize the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the 250th of the American Revolution, and the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Maryland. In 2026, museums have an essential role in the goals of the MD 250 Commission to advance expansive and inclusive narratives of the American experience—making this proposed funding particularly urgent. We strongly support your vision to 'leave no history behind' and fulfilling the promise of MAP in the FY2026 budget will advance that work in a monumental way."
Sending this letter was our first official step into Session 2025, next we will convene the Maryland greater museum community We will host a virtual convening and planning meeting this October. All are welcome. No membership or prior advocacy experience is needed. During this meeting, we will transparently share our process and the many ways that you can contribute now and during Session. To receive Doodle polls, meeting notices, and timely emails with news, resources, and grants, please joining the Google Group and our email list.
Please also be sure to familiarize yourself with the MyMGA website so that you and your organization(s) can submit testimony in support of our likely bill. Contact us anytime at marylandmuseums@gmail.com.
Our Partners in Advocacy
Building on Last Year's Successes
Maryland Museums Association has perhaps never had such a busy Spring participating in Session in Annapolis and we're pleased to share the following news:
Maryland Historical Trust - Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance Program – Funding passed creating an opportunity for future funding up to $5M for the Museum Assistance Program at Maryland Historical Trust — and with the removal of the restriction disallowing Maryland State Arts Council funding recipients from applying. This will continue to be our focus moving forward!
$1M in general funds was allocated for the Maryland Humanities' Strengthening the Humanities in Nonprofits for Equity (SHINE) grant program supporting small and mid–size nonprofits in strengthening artistic, cultural, and educational opportunities and programming in communities across the State.
The Maryland 250 Commission was again supported at $250,000 with the provisions that $125,000 shall be expended only for the purpose of grants from the Department of Planning to county or municipal organizations throughout the State dedicated to the effort of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
A new grant program of up to $250,000 for maritime history was established within the Department of Natural Resources Waterway Improvement Fund.
The state museum run by the Maryland Commission of African American History and Culture in Annapolis will now be known as the Banneker-Douglas-Tubman Museum.
Funding from the Maryland State Arts Council's Preservation of Cultural Arts Program Special Fund supported the Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center among other arts organizations.
Additionally, many museums were funded through the Maryland State Department of Education State Aided Institutions Program and individual funding bills.
Museum Assistance Program Fast Facts
The state legislature created the Museum Assistance Program in 1990 to provide funding and technical assistance to museums; it remains in statute.
Between 1991 and 2011 the Maryland Museum Assistance Program supported 125 museums with grants with awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
From 2001 to 2004, MAP provided general operating support for 35 museums, allowing them to address important administrative needs. In its last year of funding, 2013, the Program offered technical assistance to 35 museums.
The Museum Assistance Program was always overwhelmingly popular, with demand holding steady at two to four times the available funds.
The majority of Maryland’s museums are small non-profits, and some are unstaffed or staffed only by volunteers. Mid- and long-range planning will help a museum of any size set priorities and develop new capacity for education, equity, and the upcoming America 250 in 2026.
The return of the Museum Assistance Program to the Maryland Historical Trust is the simplest solution to the challenge of providing support for the state’s history museums. Always a lean and efficient program, this approach would require the creation of no new legislative or implementation mechanisms.
There are ~450 museums in Maryland including in every county.
The Museum Assistance Program, alone among State funding programs, can support planning and staff salaries. Disaster planning for sites and collections is also difficult to fund through other project-focused grant channels
The program appropriation fluctuated annually. Museum Assistance Program grant funding peaked in FY2007 and FY2008: in those two years together, over $3.5 million was made available for more than 80 projects.
Maryland currently has no program funding or staff dedicated to supporting the important work of the state’s historical and cultural museums.
The Museum Assistance Program has enabled Maryland’s history museums to provide educational services to more than 600,000 Maryland schoolchildren both in museums and through classroom programs.
History museums are ineligible for most Maryland State Arts Council grant programs – including their operating grants – as their work is outside of its core mission.
Museum Funding Reports
Preservation, Survey, and Museum Funding Needs (Joint Chairman's Report (JCR), 2016)
For many years, Maryland was a national leader in providing support for the preservation and interpretation of our irreplaceable heritage. Historic preservation and history museum assistance programs were supported by the Maryland Historical Trust Grant Fund, a continuing, non-lapsing special fund. Despite demonstrated demand for these programs, appropriations to the MHT Grant Fund were suspended beginning in fiscal year 2012.
At the close of the 2016 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the Chairmen of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and House Appropriations Committee directed MHT to work with partners to evaluate the state of its historic preservation and museum grant programs. The following report addresses specific issues identified by legislators including need and demand for this type of State support, funding options, staff capacity to administer these programs, and the experience of other states.
As this report demonstrates, the unmet needs of the state’s historic preservation and history museum community are substantial. Threats to our tangible and intangible cultural heritage continue to grow. State and federal sources of funding for cultural resource preservation have all but disappeared, leaving our local government and private sector partners with few options.
PreserveMaryland: The Role of Museums and the Museum Assistance Program (2014)
The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) Museum Assistance Program served the state’s historical and cultural museums by providing grants, technical assistance and networking opportunities from 1999 to 2011, with the cessation of grant funding.
In September 2013, MHT launched a formal needs assessment. This paper is the culmination of the needs assessment process, which opened with a statewide survey. Focus groups brought together museum representatives to review the survey’s findings and to offer perspectives on future programming.
Semiquincentennial
Maryland's Semiquincentennial Commission known as Maryland 250, was re-established by Governor Wes Moore on July 3, 2023. The Commission is led by thirty-three Commissioners and staffed with two state employees. MMA is actively engaged with the Commission without having an appointment on the official body. Specifically, MMA seeks to be a hub of accurate information about the resources that might be available to practitioners and organizations in Maryland from Maryland 250 and other sources of technical or financial assistance.
As of February 2024, Maryland 250 staff is now hosting stakeholder Zoom meetings every 6 weeks having started on and offering standing Zoom office hours. Each virtual convening will begin with a brief presentation; then, stakeholders will have an opportunity to share updates on the status of their 250th planning; and there will be an opportunity to ask questions of stakeholders from around the state. Additional topics planned include launching a local 250th Commission; funding and marketing for the 250th; service opportunities for the 250th; civic engagement and the 250th; and history.
We encourage everyone to take advantage of these meetings as an opportunity to stay up-to-date and share information with each other on regional and local commissions and what individual museum folks are working on. Please email Maryland 250 Assistant Administrator, Erin Bode, at Erin.Bode@Maryland.gov to request calendar invitations for virtual convenings and/or virtual office hours.
Statewide Preservation Plan
Maryland Museums Association was pleased to host and co-host meetings for museum workers at all-size organizations as part of the stakeholder research completed by the Maryland Historical Trust for the new statewide preservation plan. Based on this feedback and input from partner agencies and organizations, the plan puts forward a new set of goals, objectives, and strategies for preservation professionals in Maryland.
Released in April 2024, Heritage2031, Maryland’s statewide preservation plan (2023-2031), is an eight-year guidance document for government agencies, nonprofit advocates, and other involved in historic preservation, archaeology, and cultural heritage throughout the state.
We thank Maryland Historical Trust for encouraging robust participation and for their efforts to immediately respond to requests made during the process, stating:
"In developing the plan, participants requested information about resources to support work by, with, about, and for marginalized communities and communities underrepresented in the historic record. While we have produced this list to respond to this request, resources such as these may be helpful to all kinds of projects. We have also refreshed our chart on funding opportunities, which includes but is not limited to a focus on marginalized and underrepresented communities. These lists will continue to be updated on MHT's website. If you wish to be included or know of another resource or funding opportunity, please let us know."
Economic Impact Reports
Maryland Heritage Areas Program: Economic Contribution Analysis (2020)
American Alliance of Museums | Museums as Economic Engines: A National Report (2018)
