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 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 Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA) and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History (SPNHC) have submitted joint comments on a proposed rule to modify the duration of certain permits and letters of confirmation under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). “We support the changes in permit terms proposed by the National Marine Fisheries […]
The NSC Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding for programs that curate natural history collections within the Department of the Interior and Smithsonian Institution. “Scientific collections, and the collections professionals and scientists who make, care for, and study these resources, are a vital component […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, requesting Congress to provide the National Science Foundation with at least $11.9 billion in FY 2025. The testimony highlights the importance and role of natural history collections in improving public health, agricultural productivity, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and American […]
The Natural Science Collections Alliance has provided testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees regarding fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “The IMLS is the primary federal agency that supports public education programs at museums and an important source of funding for preserving scientific collections. Investments […]
Several members of the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA) Board of Directors, led by Barbara Thiers, Director Emerita at the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden, have authored a Viewpoint article for BioScience calling for “continued enhancement, not dissolution” of the Duke Herbarium. The article reads, in part: “We urge […]
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)—an alliance of more than 140 professional organizations, scientific societies, universities, and businesses that advocate for the National Science Foundation (NSF)—has called on House and Senate appropriators to provide at least $11.9 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Then House and Senate letters […]
On February 16, 2024, the Natural Science Collections (NSC) Alliance sent a letter to Duke University leadership in response to reports about the closure of their herbarium due to a change in funding priorities. The letter strongly urged Duke leadership to reconsider the decision to dismantle the herbarium. “Duke’s proposed divestment of its herbarium is […]
NSC Alliance has joined more than 1000 organizations in a letter urging Congress to reject any full-year continuing resolution that would result in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending, the funding source for most scientific research programs. “Such cuts would be disastrous for the capacity of the federal government to serve the public, assist those in […]