Museums for All is a nationwide initiative dedicated to removing financial barriers to museum access. Administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) through a cooperative agreement with the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the initiative is open to all manner of cultural institutions, and gives participating institutions the opportunity to offer reduced admission costs (ranging from free to $3.00) to all visitors with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefits (SNAP EBT) card. These reduced rates are available year-round during all normal operating hours, and exist to help low-income families become regular museum-goers and build lifelong museum habits.

Since the launch of the initiative in 2014/15, Museums for All has grown significantly. Between 2017 and 2023, the number of cultural institutions participating in the initiative increased from 228 to over 1,100. During that same period of time, the number of visitors served through the initiative increased from nearly 1 million to more than 6 million. At present, the initiative is represented in all 50 US states, along with the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.

In 2024, IMLS and ACM hired Knology to evaluate the initiative. Our focus has been on how Museums for All is impacting participating institutions and their capacity to invite and welcome SNAP EBT card holders. We’re also examining the barriers institutions face when implementing the program, along with ways they’re overcoming these barriers. Our evaluation began with a review of existing program data—including monthly webinars, open-ended responses from an earlier evaluation, open-ended responses from yearly reporting, and existing recommendations on the Museums for All website.

What Are We Finding?

Several themes have emerged from our review of existing data. Below, we discuss some of the ways participating institutions are creating welcoming, inviting environments, while also highlighting the common implementation barriers they’ve confronted and their strategies for overcoming these barriers

Inviting

Institutions extended invitations to visitors to participate in Museums for All in four different ways: (1) by working with community organizations to spread the word; (2) by leveraging front-line staff to inform visitors; (3) by promoting the program through their websites, social media channels, printed materials, and advertisements in the community; (4) by partnering with other institutions to promote the program. Some examples of these practices – and their impacts – are included below.

• “We have seen a large increase in participants using the Museums for All Program. Our staff has been vocally telling visitors about the program and we have posted a sign with the reduced admission price that is more visible for visitors.”
• “We did an ad campaign with our city bus system to place ads inside the buses, which increased our M4A attendance from 117 last year to 161! (same quarter comparison).”

Welcoming

Beyond inviting visitors, participating institutions also welcomed them in four distinct ways: (1) by offering discounted or free admission for revenue generating programs such as memberships, camps, and parties; (2) by providing discounted or free admission to special events or exhibitions; (3) by developing new programming or content; and (4) by facilitating staff trainings on anti-bias, inclusion, and (in a few cases) the Museums for All program itself. Some examples of these practices – and their impacts – are included below.

• “We expanded our Museums for All discount to our winter lighting event and received much encouraging feedback from individuals who would not have been able to visit the event otherwise.”
• “Now, more than 1/3 of our MfA participants ultimately apply for a 'Warm Welcome' membership (90%) discount program. The biggest motivator is that this program gets early application to our summer camp scholarships. This year, all summer camp scholarships came from Warm Welcome and all but 1 or those families were first MfA families.”

Implementation Barriers

Participating institutions reported a number of barriers to program implementation. Three of the most common barriers were: (1) difficulties getting visitors to use Museums for All (along with a lack of understanding as to why visitors are not using the program); (2) difficulties reaching the target population; and (3) difficulties tracking Museums for All usage. Statements testifying to these barriers are included below.

• “I have had a number of inquiries regarding the Museums 4 All admission, but no takers for this period. The low numbers we currently have of M4A visitors is making me consider proposing a free admission, rather than the current $3/family, for Museum for All eligible families. Any stats or follow up ideas on this would be appreciated.”
• “We have added 4 free days for ACM visitors throughout the year. We still struggle advertising it as we have few visitors even on that day. We have tried to reach out to the local social services departments as well with no luck. We really want our Museums for All discount to be used more often and help those who need it. Please let us know any other ideas to help us spread the word better. “
• “We continue to advertise our participation in the Museums for All Program. We suspect that the lack of visitors identifying as qualifying under the Museums for All program is likely due to the fact that the [institution’s] admission is a suggested donation only. Visitors can simply choose not to donate without having to identify as part of the MFA program and show their EBT card.”

Partnerships

One way participating institutions are overcoming implementation barriers is by forming partnerships. To create new community partnerships or deepen existing ones, institutions leveraged Museums for All to collaborate with a number of organizations, including government agencies, schools, other museums, businesses, and foundations. At times, they brought multiple partners together through this work. Partners supported the program by spreading the word, providing funding, arranging group visits, and co-facilitating programs. Examples of participating institutions’ partnerships – along with the benefits they conferred – are included below.

• “The Museum is partnering with a number of agencies to spread the Museums for All word. Our partners include the [City] Housing Authority, [County] Family Success Administration and [County] WIC. These agencies are distributing M4A flyers, bookmarks and displaying posters in the lobbies of their offices.”
• “We started a great partnership with the [area] Food Collective and hosted one of their resource fairs, allowing Museums for All to connect with many service providers in [area] and gaining more access to people who qualify. We also printed cards that these service providers can give to clients to help them know which museums are participating.”

Financial

Another way participating institutions are overcoming their implementation barriers is by seeking financial support. Some received financial support for their Museums for All initiative, or for other free-access programs. Some funding supported free access outside of Museums for All, though the institutions believe these programs also captured Museums for All visitors. Institutions received support for a range of activities connected to Museums for All (admission, training, advertisements, etc.). Some institutions incorporated Museums for All into larger funding requests. For others, the challenge of financing Museums for All was still a barrier to fully supporting the program through training and advertising. Examples of these different situations are included below.

• “The Museum received two special grants from [company] and [Foundation] that provided free admission for all visitors for the month of August connected to an exhibition featuring a BIPOC artist. For the whole summer, children plus one adult received free admission to [state] museums provided by [state] Humanities. We had wonderful visitation during these periods, but therefore had no requests specifically for Museums for All admission.”
• “We have been so pleased with the continued response of our visitors using the Museums for All admissions and now have members donating their unused free guest passes to support the program as well as grant funding.”
• “We are seeing an uptick this summer for Museums for All. We currently offer it as free admission. We haven't been able to secure a sponsorship for this, so may adjust this to a reduced cost if we aren't able to find funding.”

Community

Participants reported that Museums for All contributed to positive public perceptions of their institutions. These perceptions were evident in press coverage, in feedback from visitors who did not use the program but expressed gratitude to the museum for providing the service, and in the open support provided by public figures and local government agencies. A few institutions reported increased overall attendance that they attributed to Museums for All. Examples of these perceptions and impacts are included below.

• “The local NBC Affiliate did a great story on the program.”
• “There is considerable appreciation of this program by individuals using it and the community at-large.”
• “They are grateful for the benefits and we are noticing an increase in attendance to the museum.”

Conclusion

Our review of existing Museums for All data shows that participating institutions’ efforts are well received. The programs they’ve launched are generating positive public perceptions, increases in Museums For All attendance, and new opportunities for financial support. In the coming months, we’ll continue looking at the initiative’s impact on institutions. Check back soon for results from a survey of participants, and case studies of select institutions!

About This Article

Museums for All is an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency based in Washington, DC. The initiative is administered by the Association of Children’s Museums through a cooperative agreement with IMLS. This article is part of our ongoing evaluation of the Museums for All initiative

Photo courtesy of the Arizona Museum of Natural History