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.
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, requesting Congress to reject the proposed cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the President’s budget request and instead allocate at least $9.9 billion for the agency in FY 2027. The testimony highlights the importance and role of natural […]
The NSC Alliance has submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee regarding fiscal year (FY) 2027 funding for programs that curate natural history collections within the Department of the Interior and Smithsonian Institution. “Scientific collections are essential infrastructure supporting the nation’s bioeconomy, public health, and environmental resilience,” argued NSC Alliance. “Research specimens connect us to […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has provided testimony to the House Appropriations Committee urging sustained funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in fiscal year (FY) 2027, with at least $55.5 million for its Office of Museum Services. “IMLS is the primary federal agency supporting the nation’s museums, strengthening their capacity to […]
The Natural Science Collections (NSC) Alliance has endorsed the America’s Living Library Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) that recognizes biological data and physical specimens as strategic national resources. The bill establishes the America’s Living Library Project, an […]
Staff, students, and representatives of NSC Alliance member organizations—as well as individuals interested in the Alliance’s mission—are invited to participate in a virtual meeting this February. Attendees will hear directly from the NSC Alliance Board about recent initiatives, gain insight into the Alliance’s impact, and engage in a strategic discussion to help shape future priority […]
In response to a request for information on accelerating the American scientific enterprise from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the NSC Alliance provided comments emphasizing the need to recognize natural history collections as essential national research infrastructure and provide sustained, inflation-adjusted federal investment to support their care, digitization, and data […]
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 2025. We engaged in a number of efforts to advocate for natural history collections and elevate their profile on the national and international stage. A few highlights are presented below: Read the full […]
A coalition of more than 50 scientific societies, including NSC Alliance, have sent a letter to Congress, expressing concerns over provisions in the August 7, 2025 Executive Order titled “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking.” The letter urges Congress to provide necessary oversight at federal science agencies to prevent potentially significant damage to US leadership in […]
Date: December 8, 2025Time: 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern Time / 12:00-1:00 PM Mountain Time / 11:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific Time Please join us for an information session about repatriation and how it relates to natural history collections held at museums, herbaria, and other institutions. We will be joined by a wide array of speakers who will […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its reorganization plan, outlined in the 24 July 2025 Secretary Memorandum (SM 1078-015). The plan calls for closing the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center—home to the U. S. National Fungus Collection and the USDA Nematode Collection. The […]