State Historical Society seeks spending authority for exhibits, archives move and America250 commemoration

The Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee received the Idaho State Historical Society’s FY26 budget presentation, which included requests for staffing at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, authority to accept and spend fundraising and grant revenues, funds to consolidate off‑site collections and reappropriation authority for America250 projects.

Brooke Dupree, Legislative Services analyst, summarized the society’s structure and recent budget history, noting a negative borrowing figure on the consolidated fund schedule tied to timing differences in when records management fees are received versus when expenses occur. Dupree said the agency’s FY24 spike in expenditures reflected a $5 million infrastructure appropriation and that the FY26 requests include multiple ongoing and one‑time items funded from miscellaneous revenue, federal grant funds and the general fund.

Janet Gallimore, director of the Idaho State Historical Society, told the committee the agency raises a significant portion of its operating budget through earned revenue, grants and partnerships and needs legislative spending authority to accept and expend those funds. She described ongoing fundraising campaigns (including a $2 million campaign for work at the Old Idaho Penitentiary), and outlined a two‑part plan to consolidate off‑site collections into the State Archives building to modernize storage and improve public access.

Gallimore said the agency is requesting positions at the Old Idaho Penitentiary to expand educational programming and earned‑revenue capacity; the commission added staff last year and the current request adds additional educator and store/operations roles. She said the penitentiary initiative is intended to increase students served (an internal target cited in the briefing was growth from about 6,000 to 12,000 students) and raise earned income to help support operations.

On America250, Gallimore said the society has an approved portfolio of activities that includes grants to Boise State University and Idaho Public Television, curriculum work and public exhibits; she told the committee roughly $1.4 million of the $1.65 million appropriation is already obligated to projects and partners and that the society is working with an advisory council to coordinate commemorative activities.

The society also brought artifacts — silver service pieces associated with ships named USS Idaho — for committee members to view in the hearing room. Gallimore said the society is coordinating with federal and nonprofit partners to curate and catalog items that travel on naval vessels so they can be preserved and returned to Idaho collections in the future.

The committee asked for: fund balances and fundraising totals tied to recent campaigns; evidence and early metrics for the Old Pen positions (student counts and revenue impact); and timing and cost estimates for the multi‑year archives consolidation and move. The society committed to provide those details to the committee.