• NEBG’s $250,000 “Museums for America” grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was canceled without explanation or cause following cuts to IMLS called for by the President in a March 14, 2025, executive order.
  • Awarded in 2024, the grant was intended to be distributed over three years to expand essential curatorial practices that would enhance the visitor experience and make data from the Garden’s living plant collections accessible to the scientific community and the public.  
  • Public gardens are cultural institutions that protect biodiversity, contribute to scientific research, preserve history, inspire environmental stewardship, engage in community education, create access to green space, and more.  
  • The Garden is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and has held AAM accreditation for 20 years. As is true for many cultural institutions, grants play an important role in funding our mission. 
  • Federal support of cultural institutions helps to build just, vibrant, and prosperous communities. The museum sector alone generates more than $50 billion in economic benefits to the American economy and supports more than 726,000 jobs.
  • NEBG is appealing the grant termination, and you can help.  

April 2025
New England Botanic Garden Staff

Cuts to federal funding have not spared the cultural sector here in central Massachusetts. On April 15, the Garden received notice that a $250,000 “Museums for America” grant we received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) had been terminated. This news comes in the wake of slashes to IMLS by an executive order issued by the President last month. In the weeks since, news coverage has included stories from other cultural organizations across the state experiencing grant terminations. While no official accounting of all canceled grants has been made public, the American Alliance for Museums (AAM) has indicated that thousands of similar grants to institutions were canceled. 

The Garden is appealing the cancellation decision, and calling on our community of members, donors, and visitors for support. We have held AAM Accreditation for over 20 years, indicating that our organization operates at the highest standard of museum best practice, and the IMLS funds awarded to the Garden were granted after a rigorous application process. Without swift action to stop such reckless and abrupt grant terminations, vital programs that enrich our lives will be lost. 

IMLS Makes a Difference Locally and Nationally
IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides grants to museums and libraries across the country. According to AAM, the agency accounts for just 0.0046% of the federal budget, but they play an outsize role as a funder, especially for smaller cultural institutions.  

NEBG’s grant was part of IMLS’s “Museums for America” program, a portfolio that in FY24 included grants totaling over $22 million distributed to more than 100 museums of diverse sizes, disciplines, and geographies. In Massachusetts alone, 24 different organizations benefited from nearly $8.5 million in IMLS funding last year. 

What Was NEBG’s Grant Designed To Do?
The Garden’s IMLS grant, awarded in 2024, was meant to be distributed over three years to help us expand essential curatorial practices. These include hiring a full-time staff person responsible for inventorying the Garden’s scientifically significant plant collections, making records accessible online to a global audience, and enriching the visitor experience for those on site. (Learn more in our March blog, “One GPS Point at a Time: Collections Management at the Garden”).  

Receiving the IMLS grant, the Garden’s first, marked an important milestone toward fulfillment of key goals outlined in our strategic plan. Plant record keeping may not sound flashy, but it’s among the most important work a botanic garden can do. Knowledge held in our garden’s living collection has the power to inform future plant science, public horticulture, and conservation work, but only if it’s well-documented and made accessible to others.  

Building and maintaining a modern plant records and collection management system takes resources. It’s labor-intensive, involving tracking down source information, ensuring the accuracy of plant nomenclature, mapping plant locations, and more. But this work is critical and that’s why we plan to protect it. 

Here’s What You Can Do To Help

  • Contact Your Elected Officials: Use this online form to write or call your elected officials today. Urge them to use their legislative and oversight powers to reinstate the Garden’s grant from IMLS. Thousands of museums, public gardens, and libraries receive support from IMLS each year, and the community services we deliver in turn pay dividends. The museum sector generates more than $50 billion in economic benefits to the American economy and supports more than 726,000 jobs. The form linked above contains a letter template that you can customize and personalize. Feel free to copy the information here in the section about the grant: Awarded in 2024, New England Botanic Garden’s $250,000 “Museums for America” grant from IMLS was meant to be distributed over three years to help the Garden expand essential curatorial practices. These include hiring a full-time staff person responsible for inventorying the Garden’s scientifically significant plant collections, making records accessible online to a global audience, and enriching the visitor experience for those on site. Receiving the IMLS grant, the Garden’s first, marked an important milestone toward fulfillment of key goals outlined in the organization’s strategic plan. Strong collections management practices are critical at a botanic garden. Knowledge held in New England Botanic Garden’s living plant collection has the power to inform future plant science, public horticulture, and conservation work, but only if it’s well-documented and made accessible to others. Loss of this grant has a serious impact on New England Botanic Garden, and I’m asking that it be reinstated. 
  • Spread the Word: Share this blog post and follow the Garden on social media @NewEnglandBG. Engage with our posts about this issue and share the stories of other cultural organizations, too, to amplify our call to action.  
  • Stay Informed: This is a critical moment in the history of our democracy. It can be overwhelming to stay tuned in when we face a barrage of news about injustices every day. Take a break in nature when you need one. Green spaces are great places to find both peace and the energy to continue advocating for the programs and organizations you care about. We’re here to be a resource. 
  • Reach Out: If you have questions about how to advocate on the Garden’s behalf, please contact us at marketing@nebg.org. We appreciate your support!

NEWS & UPDATES

The Garden’s IMLS Coverage