The Filson Historical Society Responds to Termination of Federal Grant
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Filson Historical Society announced that it received notice at 10:00 p.m. on April 9, 2025 that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has terminated its Museums for America grant. The Filson is in the final year of a two-plus year grant from IMLS, which supports museums and libraries through grantmaking, professional development, and research.
Awarded in 2023, the grant was to provide $130,133 through December 2025 to support payroll costs for staff working to expand access to the organization’s unprocessed manuscript collections. These letters, diaries, financial records, and other paper materials represent the untold or forgotten stories of families, churches, businesses, and community groups from across Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. As of April 9, $35,152 in awarded funds remained unused.
This grant termination is one of several affecting cultural institutions and library systems across the country. Beyond the Filson, they will reduce the services of state and local library systems across the nation, weakening the healthy environment of literacy, civics, art, and history that has sustained our republic for 249 years. Despite the loss of federal funding, the Filson remains committed to retaining staff members hired through the project’s scheduled conclusion in December.
“The preservation and accessibility of our region’s history is essential—especially in times of uncertainty,” said Filson leadership in a statement. “We remain steadfast in our mission to tell the stories of the people who built, shaped, and protected this city, region, and nation.”
The Filson intends to pursue all available appeal mechanisms in the terms of the grant and will follow due process in an effort to reverse this decision. A detailed FAQ sheet about the grant and its termination is available on the Filson’s website.
“The Filson is more than an archive,” the statement continued. “It is a space where all voices come together—our quilts and correspondence, portraits and uniforms tell the full, rich story of our shared past. At the Filson, we all belong.”
For additional information or to support the Filson’s ongoing mission, please visit www.filsonhistorical.org.
