The 2020 Governor's Budget Is Here!
The Governor’s Budget for the 2020-2022 biennium has been released.
To view the full budget bill, visit https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/bill/2020/1/
A few highlights of the new budget bill are listed below. VAM will provide more detail on both the Governor’s budget and the budget amendments proposed by the House and Senate after the holiday.
If you are interested in learning more about advocacy, check out VAM's Advocacy resources, and register to attend our 2020 Virginia Museum Advocacy Day on February 5th.
Museums and organizations listed in the Operating Expenses section of the budget:
Note: the totals listed for each organization include both general funds (state budget) and special or non-general funds (this can come from various sources)
Frontier Culture Museum (page 238) $3,115,398 each year of biennium
Gunston Hall (page 238) $914,376 each year
Jamestown Yorktown Foundation (page 238) $19,666,480 each year
Library of Virginia (page 239) $6,017,426 each year
In addition, $17,233,584 each year for the Library of Virginia is designated a part of the formula grants to local libraries; the stated priority for this aid is to provide internet access to all patrons.
Science Museum of Virginia (page 241) $11,673,283 each year
Out of this appropriation, $150,000 the first year and $150,000 the second year is provided to pilot a STEM partnership between the Science Museum of Virginia, the Virginia Air and Space Center, and the Virginia Living Museum for programs that promote achievement for K-12 students in Hampton Roads and across the state, leveraging technology in the vital STEM component of the workforce pipeline.
University of Mary Washington Museums (page 208) Gari Melcher's Belmont would receive $799,139 each year; James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library would receive $327,897 each year.
Virginia Museum of Natural History (page 241) $3,545,803 each year
Virginia Commission for the Arts (page 242) $8,199,798 each year to provide grants; $678,130 each year for operational support
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (page 242) $43,632,450 each year
Virginia Humanities (page 210) $4,491,367 each year
Department of Historic Resources (page 386) $12,593,023the first year, $10,100,023 the second
The difference is in funding for preservation assistance offered in year one only.
Also under the Department of Historic Resources are a few interesting items:
"The Department of Historic Resources shall follow and provide input on federal legislation designed to establish a new national system of recognizing and fundingPresidential Libraries for those entities that are not included in the 1955 Presidential Library Act."
"Included in this Item is $100,000 the first year and $150,000 the second year from the general fund to support the preservation and care of historical African American graves and cemeteries." In addition to this item, 9 specific African American cemeteries throughout the state are listed as receiving specific amounts.
"Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Historic Preservation, $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to the City of Richmond to support a historic house museum." Other museums listed without name here are:
- Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Historic Preservation, $2,443,000 the first year from the general fund is provided to the City of Alexandria to support a museum.
- Out of the amounts for Financial Assistance for Historic Preservation, $350,000 the first year and $350,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to the City ofCharlottesville to support a visitor center at a historic site.
Department of Veteran's Services (page 451)
This is not a trraditional place for finding funding related to museums, but in year one, there is $5,000,000 allocated to Fairfax County for the construction of the Virginia Veterans Parade Field at the new National Museum of the US Army.