Save the date: February 24-25, 2025
For over 15 years, Museums Advocacy Day has been providing the essential training and support advocates need to meet effectively with members of Congress and their staff. Museums Advocacy Day 2025 provides a critical opportunity to make the case for museums early in what is sure to be a high-stakes year for museums and other causes.
Museums Advocacy Day 2025 will take place in Arlington, VA and Washington, DC on February 24-25!
New headquarters
The new Museums Advocacy Day headquarters hotel, where Monday programming takes place, will be the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel. Jump to the FAQs below for location and transportation information, as well as a preview of what to expect at Museums Advocacy Day 2025.
Don’t miss a thing!
Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to unite with museum colleagues and supporters from across the country as one voice to reaffirm our essential value, collective contributions, and aspirations while making the critical case for museums directly to Congress. Mark your calendar now, and sign up for updates about Museums Advocacy Day 2025, including registration, program, and more.
Why participate?
Museums Advocacy Day harnesses the collective power of our voices.
Together as a field, we’ve defeated several threats to eliminate federal agencies supporting museums and helped secure billions of dollars in financial relief that enabled many museums to survive and saved thousands of museum jobs. As museums across the country continue to recover and serve their communities in powerful ways, we must keep making our case to Congress.
As a constituent, you are in the best position to create lasting change. It’s up to each of us to speak up and make the case for museums and tell the story of why museums are essential in our communities.
Get unique learning and advocacy experience.
Get timely, insider information from policy leaders and the tools and information you need to be a successful advocate for museums. Network with peers from your region, hear from federal agency and nonprofit leaders, and build your own professional and leadership skills.
Learn advocacy strategies and techniques you can use not only on Capitol Hill, but also year-round during virtual visits, with your city council and state legislators, with local and regional funders, and to advocate for yourself throughout your career.
Museums Advocacy Day is inspiring, energizing, and impactful.
Unite with museum colleagues and supporters from across the country as one voice by connecting with lawmakers to reaffirm our value, collective contributions, and aspirations.
Lawmakers need to hear from you loud and clear the urgent and continued need for economic assistance for museums, and how you and your museum are serving your community in unique and critical ways.
Did you miss Museums Advocacy Day 2024?
Here’s more about what to expect from participating in this unique gathering of museum advocates!
» Browse the 2024 photo album
It was a joy to capture the energy of Museums Advocacy Day 2024, as hundreds of advocates gathered to make their case to legislators and their staffs.
» Celebrate recent milestones
In 2023, we witnessed an advocacy milestone: an 80% increase in funding over the past decade to the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Office of Museum Services. Learn more in 2024’s opening remarks!
» Learn about the policy issues
Important Note: The legislative agenda for Museums Advocacy Day 2025, including key asks, are not yet available. Early on, you can begin by familiarizing yourself with these recent updates on policy issues impacting museums.
» Revisit the 2024 schedule
Peek at last year’s schedule (PDF) and stay tuned for the 2025 schedule. Whether you are a new or seasoned advocate, you will get all the preparation you need from our timely program, updated each year, to effectively make the case for museums!
Join our collective cause
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Your support makes the difference!
Together with one voice we reaffirm our essential value, collective contributions, and aspirations while making the critical case for museums directly to Congress. Learn how you can contribute.
Museums Advocacy Day would not be possible without the field-wide support of our Ally organizations.
ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT
» Each year, funds raised through the support of museums and corporate partners contribute to making congressional meetings, legislative briefings and advocacy trainings, and robust logistical support for Museums Advocacy Day possible. To learn more about being an organizational supporter, please contact Eileen Goldspiel at egoldspiel@aam-us.org.
We welcome contributions from individual donors to support advocacy for the field.
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS
» Consider making an individual donation to support Alliance advocacy, and speak up for museums! As lawmakers continue to consider and advance legislation, effective advocates are critical to making our case for museums all year round. You can empower all museum professionals and supporters to raise their voices with a donation.
Recently, AAM earned a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, the very highest level attainable. To learn more, visit candid.org. AAM is a 501(c)3 and all gifts are tax-deductible according to the extent of the law. Our tax identification number is EIN 53-0205889.
Don’t wait until February—advocate today.
Bookmark the
Advocate from Anywhere
page for all the tools and resources from the Alliance that you need to advocate effectively year-round!
Explore AAM’s
Guide to Working with a New Congress (.pdf)
to get started today on important stakeholder education and relationship building early in a new legislative session.
Sign up to get timely
Alliance Advocacy Alerts
straight to your inbox. Alerts are sent approximately once per month and are accessible online anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jump to questions:
About Museums Advocacy Day | Location & Travel | Congressional Meetings
About Museums Advocacy Day
Who should attend?
Museum professionals, independent professionals, and advocates, including museum studies and related students, who work for and with the museum field, are encouraged to attend, at any stage of your career and in any role at your museum. Museum board members and trustees are also highly encouraged to participate.
See AAM’s Trustee Resource Center to learn more about engaging your board in advocacy.
What can I expect leading up to Museums Advocacy Day 2025, and how can I prepare?
At any time, you can access our breadth of Advocacy and Advocate from Anywhere resources to learn about your legislators, deepen your own advocacy skills, and engage in year-round advocacy for museums.
In the weeks leading up to Museums Advocacy Day 2025, registered attendees will receive materials to help them prepare and learn about their legislators, the legislative process, issues affecting museums, and advocacy tips and best practices.
What can I expect during Museums Advocacy Day, how does the overall event go, and what’s included?
Registration for Museums Advocacy Day includes access to all Museums Advocacy Day programming and events. Museums Advocacy Day 2025 takes place in Arlington, VA Monday, Feb. 24, and includes a day of advocacy and policy sessions and opportunities for participants to network and prepare for Tuesday Congressional meetings. Tuesday, Feb. 25 will take place in Washington, DC with advocates on Capitol Hill for Congressional meetings.
More information about programming, events, and registration desk hours will be updated on this page and in emails to registered attendees prior to Museums Advocacy Day.
How can I receive email updates about Museums Advocacy Day?
- Ensure you are subscribed to AAM emails by filling out this form (it will notify you if you are already subscribed).
- If you haven’t already done so, add communications@aam-us.org to your Safe Senders list.
- Sign up for updates about Museums Advocacy Day!
Location & Travel
Where will the Museums Advocacy Day 2025 take place?
Please note a change in hotel/headquarters location for 2025. The Museums Advocacy Day headquarters hotel for February 24-25, 2025, where Monday programming takes place, will be:
Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel
900 South Orme Street, Arlington VA, 22204
Pentagon City is an vibrant neighborhood across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Near the Pentagon City Metro stop are many retail and dining options.
This hotel has the transportation options below for access to the Metro station and Capitol Hill.
What travel options are available in the metro area?
In the DC Metro area and for the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, the following transportation options are available:
Hotel Shuttle
- Complimentary round trip airport shuttle to DCA/Ronald Regan National Airport
- Complimentary shuttle to Pentagon City Metro
WMATA – Metro/Bus
- The hotel is located in the vicinity of the Pentagon City Metro. On the Metro’s Blue line, you can reach the Capitol South Metro in three stops ($2-5).
- WMATA’s website has information on bus routes, train stations, schedules, fares, and SmarTrip cards.
Taxi/ride-share
- It is an estimated six-minute ride from DCA/Ronald Regan National Airport to the hotel.
- Dependent upon traffic conditions and time of day, it is an estimated 15-30 minute ride from the hotel to Capitol Hill.
Congressional Meetings
How are Congressional meetings scheduled?
After registering for Museums Advocacy Day, AAM will arrange your Congressional meetings on Capitol Hill for you based on the information you provide during registration, including grouping you with any fellow advocates from your state or congressional district.
Access to your Congressional meetings schedule will be emailed to you prior to Museums Advocacy Day 2025, including fellow advocates in your meetings. In some cases an advocate may be making visits in more than one state, in some states or congressional districts there may be delegations of one.
Scheduling is a fluid process, and updates will be ongoing until the time of Museums Advocacy Day. Once you’ve accessed your meeting schedule, it will always be available to you via electronic format as any updates are made.
How do Congressional meetings go, and what can I expect?
- One or more congressional staff may join your meetings. Meetings may range in length from 10-30 minutes, and could take place in individual offices, conference rooms, common office spaces, or even hallways.
- Meetings should generally include introductions, exchanging business cards, sharing relevant stories, making the field-wide asks, engaging with legislators and staff (not just talking at them!), and building rapport.
- Advocates participating in congressional meetings should be prepared to be flexible, polite, and positive when moving around Capitol Hill and meeting with congressional offices.
- Always thank legislators and staff for any ways they have previously supported museums or your museum and for their time meeting with you. Meeting follow-up is a valuable way to cover any information that was not able to be raised during a meeting. Templates will be made available from AAM to help you easily send thank you messages to the offices that met with you.
What should I know about visiting Capitol Hill?
- The United States Capitol Police provides information for general access, awareness, and navigational ease throughout the Capitol Complex. Prior to visiting, review the regulations and prohibitions.
- The Capitol Visitors Center (CVC) provides:
- Capitol Etiquette resource
- List of items that are prohibited in the CVC
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Security is high across Capitol Hill. Carry your photo ID with you at all times during Museums Advocacy Day. Be prepared for security checks when you enter legislative office buildings or the Library of Congress—build time into your schedule to get through security. The less metal you wear, the quicker it will be to enter.
- D.C.’s weather can vary day-to-day. Check the forecast and pack accordingly—and wear comfortable shoes!
- Bring lots of business cards to share and leave with Congressional offices.
- Don’t forget your cell phone charger, or external battery if you’ve got one.
More details will be available soon about housing, registration, and more for Museums Advocacy Day 2025. If you have additional questions, please contact AAM staff at museumsadvocacyday@aam-us.org.