Natural Science Collections Alliance
Our members are part of an international community of museums, botanical gardens, herbariums, universities and other institutions that house natural science collections and utilize them in research, exhibitions, academic and informal science education, and outreach activities.
On March 28, 2025, NSC Alliance led 74 professional societies and organizations in sending a letter to Congress expressing deep concern regarding the March 14 Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for elimination. The groups urged lawmakers to work with the Administration to ensure that Congress’ long-standing and bipartisan commitment […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which NSC Alliance is a member, has written to appropriators urging them to provide at least $9.9 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year (FY) 2026. “Funding for NSF lags far behind congressionally authorized levels and the amount needed to truly meet our national […]
On March 4, 2025, NSCA joined the American Institute of Biological Sciences and 50 other scientific societies and organizations in sending a letter to congressional leaders urging them to oppose recent executive actions that are harming the U.S. scientific enterprise. “Recent actions have disrupted vital scientific research, impeded scientific meetings and review panels, delayed salary […]
As the year wraps up and we head into the holiday season, we invite you to take a look at NSC Alliance’s accomplishments in 2024. We engaged in a number of efforts to elevate the profile of natural history collections with policymakers, researchers, and the general public. A few highlights are presented below: Read the full annual […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has finalized a rule change for Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) permits in support of which NSCA and SPNHC jointly submitted comments earlier this year. The revision makes it possible for NOAA to issue permits for longer than the current 5-year term. The joint comments are mentioned and […]
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time / 1:00-2:00 PM Mountain TimeThis webinar will be recorded. Please join us for an information session about repatriation and how it relates to natural history collections, including zoological, botanical, paleontological, and geological collections. Speakers, including National NAGPRA Program Manager Melanie O’Brien and others, will discuss the […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which NSC Alliance is a member, has sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators urging them to fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) at no less than $11.9 billion in the finalized fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. CNSF is an alliance of over 140 professional […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), of which NSC Alliance is a member, has issued a statement urging House appropriators to strengthen support for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the final fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations legislation. CNSF is an alliance of over 140 professional organizations, universities, and businesses that advocates for the […]
NSC Alliance joined more than 1,100 local, state, and national organizations in sending a letter calling on Congress to reject arbitrary funding levels for non-defense discretionary appropriations, and instead fully appropriate the necessary funds to keep pace with rising costs and keep poison pill policy riders out of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending package. […]
The Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN), in collaboration with the U.S. Culture Collection Network, has published a new Special Report in the journal BioScience providing guidance on implementing a specimen management plan requirement for research proposals that involve collecting or generating specimens. This requirement, which was first proposed in the National Academies report on biological collections […]