Dear Friends of the HRM,

It is with great disappointment that the Hudson River Museum shares that we were notified on the night of April 9 that our Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) matching grant (No. MA-253509-OMS-23) in the amount of $124,930 has been abruptly terminated. The letter states that our grant “is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interest of the United States and the IMLS Program.”

This termination was a part of an unprecedented nationwide Executive Order that has impacted numerous museums and libraries. The abrupt loss of funding will have immediate and unfortunate consequences for our organization and the communities we serve. IMLS grants operate as reimbursement grants, meaning the Museum had already committed and expended significant funds in good faith—funds that will now likely not be reimbursed. As a result, the Museum has been left to shoulder this unexpected financial burden.

Without this funding, our digitization and public access project is in peril. More than a behind-the-scenes effort, this project is a public service—designed to share 6,000–8,000 previously unseen images from our collection that reflect the lives and legacies of local artists and historically underrepresented communities in Yonkers, greater Westchester, and the US. This was the HRM’s opportunity to broaden access to these essential stories, contribute to national scholarship, and make our resources freely available to the public in new and important ways. The IMLS funding would have also expanded educational access, engaged our local and online communities, and strengthened the visibility of underrepresented stories in our collection and within the broader narrative of American history. These stories matter.

Thank you to all who wrote letters and made phone calls on our behalf. We deeply appreciate your efforts. Your advocacy matters, and we will continue to make our voices heard. During these turbulent times, your participation and support are more important than ever to the Hudson River Museum’s present and future.

If you can, please consider making a gift, in any amount meaningful to you, to support our work at hrm.org/donate.

With you, we will navigate with resilience.

In partnership,

Masha Turchinsky
Director and CEO, Hudson River Museum

Image: Photographer once known. Women Working in Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Mill, ca. 1900. Hudson River Museum archives, INV.0732.