On October 19, 2020, the NSC Alliance reiterated its request to key House and Senate leaders that any economic measures crafted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic address the financial harm being felt by natural history museums, botanical gardens, and other scientific societies and research organizations, which are an integral part of the nation’s bioeconomy.
As Congress considers the responses to the economic costs of COVID-19, we again request that you include in any economic recovery measure non-profit natural history museums, botanical gardens, and other scientific societies and research organizations which are an integral part of the nation’s bioeconomy and serve as resources with respect to understanding animal/human pathogen interactions, reads the letter. We know from communication with our colleagues that many of our institutions and their staffs were helped by the previous relief measure. These scientific research and education organizations continue to suffer economic losses as a result of the need to cancel scientific meetings, workshops, and to reduce, postpone or cancel public programs, including educational programs associated with schools and other civic organizations. Recent surveys by the American Association of Museums, and the Biodiversity Collections Network clearly document the issues facing this community.
Read the letter to House Leadership.
Read the letter to Senate Leadership.
Read the letter to House Science Committee.