Coronavirus could permanently shutter 16% of museums in US, survey finds
About 16% of American museums could permanently close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey by the American Alliance of Museums.
The survey included 750 museum directors in the U.S., and one-third said they “were not confident” that their museums would be able to last 16 months without financial assistance. Sixteen percent said that their museums were “at significant risk” of permanently closing.
Eighty-seven percent of museum directors said they only had a year or less of financial backing left, and 56% said they had less than six months for museum operations.
Sixty-four percent of directors said there would most likely be cuts to programming, education, and other services due to reduced budgets.
“Museum revenue disappeared overnight when the pandemic closed all cultural institutions, and sadly, many will never recover,” Laura Lott, president & CEO of AAM, said in a press release. “Even with a partial reopening in the coming months, costs will outweigh revenue and there is no financial safety net for many museums. The distress museums are facing will not happen in isolation. The permanent closure of 12,000 museums will be devastating for communities, economies, education systems, and our cultural history.”
The survey was conducted from June 8-30 and involved museum directors from 760 museums. The confidence level was 95%.
The federal Paycheck Protection Program, which provided financial assistance during the pandemic, has helped museums in recent months, Lott told the Los Angeles Times.
“Congress is considering another reiteration of it in the latter half of this year, but as it stands right now, that funding runs out for many museums this summer,” Lott said. “I fully expect we’ll see another round of layoffs and furloughs and potential closures as a result of struggles many of us thought would be better by now.”
More than 3.9 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and more than 142,000 people have died from the virus as of July 22, according to Johns Hopkins University.