Historical and Cultural Institutions - Slated to Become History?

UPDATE

May 5, 2009 - As of today, the Pennsylvania Senate is calling for zero funding in the FY 2009-2010 state budget.  If the Senate version, SB 850, prevails, this would result in the elimination in all funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.  Arts administrators and advocates are urged to take action in the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance's Online Action Center.

On February 4, 2009, Governor Ed Rendell revealed his proposal for Pennsylvania's Executive Budget.  Cuts and eliminations were made across 89% of all line items in the budget. In particular, Rendell noted the cuts of 20% to the 500 items under control of the Executive Branch.

Some cuts appeared more severe than others - including the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which saw a reduction of 10% on their line items, and the complete elimination of Museum Assistance Grants for FY10 and future years.

Tourists flock to the Greater Philadelphia area for its countless historical sites and museums - while supporting the local economy.  These same institutions provide area (and sometimes far away!) students with valuable, hands-on educational experiences.   Historical organizations in the area draw an annual attendance of almost 4 million visits.  2.7 million visits (68% of all historical admissions) are free of charge.  In a recent Penn State-Harrisburg poll, 91% of respondents surveyed said that they would support public funding for these kinds of organizations.

The Museum Assistance Grant program provides organizations with critical funding all across the Commonwealth.  The loss of this line item program could result in many closures.

Historical organizations and museums are being encouraged to take action before the final budget is approved.  The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance has created an online campaign, complete with a form letter which participants can send to 35 legislators in the Pennsylvania House and Senate that cover appropriations and cultural issues: http://ga1.org/campaign/Preserve_PHMC . This link can be forwarded along to colleagues, members, and visitors. 

Below, the Cultual Alliance has created a button you can paste onto your organization's website, which can be hyperlinked to the campaign website.  The flyer .pdf file can also be distributed to your organization's visitors, and passed around at upcoming events.