IMLS webinar details Museums for All guidelines, data and practical steps for museums

The Institute of Museum and Library Services on Wednesday laid out the Museums for All program’s baseline rules and practical steps for museums that want to increase access for families using SNAP EBT cards. The webinar featured program staff, a representative of the Association of Children’s Museums and a participating museum leader.

IMLS program manager Helen Wexler said Museums for All aims to ‘‘expand access to the nation’s museums’’ by encouraging participating sites to offer free or reduced general admission to people who present SNAP EBT cards. ‘‘Museums are meant for all members of their community,’’ Wexler said, describing the program as complementary to other museum access efforts.

Bridal Cartwright of the Association of Children’s Museums summarized the program’s core guideline: museums should offer a general admission rate of no more than $3 per person for up to four people when one individual displays a SNAP EBT card. Cartwright emphasized flexibility: museums may set different prices, exclude special add-on attractions from the Museums for All rate, or accept other government-issued IDs such as WIC or Medicaid, at their discretion.

Program reach and results: Cartwright said more than 1,400 museums participate nationwide, including institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The program has facilitated more than 10 million visits since its 2014 launch. Cartwright also described about 118 local ‘‘hubs’’ (communities with three or more participating sites) and said hubs help with joint marketing and recruitment.

A participating museum’s perspective: Ken Myford, vice president of sponsorship and development at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, said his museum joined Museums for All in June 2022 and chose to offer free admission via the program. ‘‘We offer 100% free admission through the Museums for All program,’’ Myford said, noting the Hall had welcomed 5,671 visitors through the program as of Sept. 30 in the reported year and that a sponsor-funded field-trip effort brought more than 1,500 students and teachers to the museum this fall.

Operational guidance and reporting: Cartwright walked through practical issues for museums adopting Museums for All—handling online ticketing or pre-registration, ensuring ticket allocations for Museums for All visitors, and communicating clear instructions on websites. She said the primary reporting expectation is a quarterly attendance figure; optional fields allow museums to report sponsorships, partnership details and testimonials.

Q&A highlights: In response to questions from attendees, staff recommended free museums still register to be listed and to use the program for joint marketing, and said access memberships can complement daily reduced admission to reduce stigma and encourage repeat visits. On add-on pricing, Cartwright said there is no fixed cap for special exhibitions and that museums may choose how to price those offerings relative to the Museums for All baseline.

Next steps and resources: Registrations are submitted at www.museums4all.org; IMLS provides branded collateral, a searchable map, staff training recommendations and templates to help museums promote participation. Wexler said a recording, slides and transcript will be posted at imls.gov/webinars and reminded attendees that an IMLS funding opportunity deadline is Nov. 15.

This webinar combined program guidance, participation data and operational tips to help museums consider whether and how to join Museums for All and to support existing participants in expanding community access.