Announcements

The NSCDA Letter of Support

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Washington, DC (March 16, 2017) – In response to recent reports that funding for the Institute of Museum Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Endowment for the Arts may be eliminated in this year’s federal budget, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America issues the following statement:

“The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America works to inspire all people to understand and honor our origins as a nation. We understand that by promoting respect for the people, places and events that led to the formation of our country, we can encourage the patriotism of our fellow citizens and foster interest and understanding, not among the few, but for the many.

Since our inception one hundred and twenty five years ago, the NSCDA has recognized the critical role of museums and historic sites in advancing our mission, embarking on our first preservation effort—led by the NSCD-New York—in partnership with the City of New York in 1896 to save Van Cortlandt House Museum. Today, the NSCDA owns, operates, or provides significant support for over 80 historic sites, museums, and collections across the country. The structures and artifacts the NSCDA preserves are not just relics from times past, they are windows to the great people and noble deeds that led to our origin and development as a nation. We feel a responsibility, as members of the NSCDA and descendants of the founders, to ensure that these stories of America’s origins not only endure, but also retain the power to inspire, protecting our freedom and the perpetuity of our republic.

Three federal agencies stand as partners with the NSCDA and so many other history organizations in preservation and education: the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. While total federal funding of these three agencies, together, represents only .01% of the federal budget, the impact of those dollars on museums and historic sites nationally is unparalleled.

Grant funding from IMLS, NEH and NEA help NSCDA museums—and many others—leverage private dollars to expand our reach and invest further in our communities. These agencies create jobs and drive economic investments in each and every state, each and every community.

The NSCDA supports the continued and robust funding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. These organizations are more critical today than ever, bringing Americans together to celebrate our past, our democratic ideals, and the enduring, creative American spirit.

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About The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, founded in 1891, is an unincorporated association of 44 Corporate Societies with over 15,000 members. Headquartered at Dumbarton House, a Federal period house museum in Washington, D.C., the NSCDA has been a leader in the field of historic preservation, restoration and the interpretation of historic sites since 1897.

Press Contact: Karen Daly at KarenDaly@dumbartonhouse.org or 202-337-2288

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