A survey by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has revealed that US museums are facing a deepening crisis, with attendance declining and finances deteriorating amid federal funding cuts and political pressures under the Trump administration. The survey of 511 museum directors, conducted in July and August 2025, found that only 45% of museums reported attendance at or above pre-pandemic 2019 levels, down from 51% in 2024.
Financial performance is also worsening: 52% of museums reported a stronger bottom line in 2024 than before the pandemic, a drop from 57% in the previous survey, while 26% reported a weaker bottom line, up from 19%. Projections for 2025 are less optimistic than for 2024.
The Trump effect is being felt through executive orders and federal cuts. The survey found that 34% of museums suffered cancellation of government grants or contracts, 29% saw decreased attendance due to changes in travel or economic uncertainty, 18% experienced changes to grant scope, and 13% faced new legal restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion activities. Only 31% reported no impact.
For affected museums, the median loss from cancelled grants was $30,000, with lost grants most commonly from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Among those that lost federal funds, 35% deferred facility improvements, 28% cancelled or reduced public programming, and 24% cut programming for students, rural communities, people with disabilities, the elderly, or veterans.
Natanya Khashan, associate vice-president at the AAM, said: 'The most direct impact we’re seeing as it pertains to the administration is the federal grant cancellations... This is often mid-project and most museums have not been able to replace that funding.' Critically, 67% of museums reported that lost funding had not been replaced by foundations or donors; only 8% reported full replacement.
One affected institution is the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, which lost two grants worth $260,000 for conservation of a collection of more than 3,000 African American quilts. Executive director Julie Rodrigues Widholm called the cancellation 'devastating'.
