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California museums and libraries warn of lost grants as IMLS, NEA and state programs face cuts
Summary
Leaders from the California State Library, California Arts Council and several major museums testified that IMLS and NEA terminations and state-level grant rescissions have jeopardized exhibits, school visits and technical services; witnesses asked legislators to restore $27.9 million in museum grant funding and consider other state remedies.
Directors of California's state library and arts agencies, and representatives of museums large and small, told legislators that federal and state funding disruptions are already interrupting education, preservation, and public‑facing programs.
Greg Lucas, California State Librarian, said federal IMLS payments were briefly canceled and then partly restored; at one point the state faced a roughly $3.4 million shortfall for the current fiscal year, and he said only 50% of next-year federal IMLS funds were guaranteed when he testified. “We had a $3,400,000 hole in this year's budget,” Lucas told the committee, adding that the partnership with IMLS supports statewide ebook systems and other services that reach small and rural libraries.
Danielle Purcell, director of the California Arts Council (CAC), described rapid damage assessment work after NEA termination notices and said the CAC is preparing talking points and working with arts specialists who support local partners across 58 counties. Purcell noted that NEA partnership agreements were approved for FY 2025 but that the White House’s FY 2026 proposal to eliminate NEA, NEH and IMLS had created urgent uncertainty.
Museum leaders urged the Legislature to restore a recently defunded state museum grant program. Jennifer Caballero, executive director of the California Association of Museums, told the committee that a $27.9 million museum grant fund in the California Cultural and Historical Endowment was eliminated during 2024 budget negotiations despite 148 applicants requesting roughly $80 million. She said California museums together support roughly $6.5 billion in economic activity and serve more than 22 million visitors annually.
Anne Burrows, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, said her institution had already lost $1.5 million in awards—about 20% of its operating budget—and was weighing whether to accept future federal awards if they arrived with conditions tied to the administration’s priorities.
Why it matters: museum and library grants support school visits, preservation of at‑risk collections, workforce development and climate‑related exhibits. Panelists said those services reach low‑income and rural students who lack private philanthropic support and rely on public funding.
Lawmakers’ response: several members pressed witnesses for district-level impact data and discussed options including restoring the CAC budget (advocates requested a $5 million restoration) and appropriating bond funds reserved for climate and natural‑history projects.
Ending note: witnesses described ongoing coordination with federal agencies, litigation where appropriate, and an urgent need for state contingency planning to maintain core services while federal appeals and congressional appropriations play out.
