Update on Activating 21st Century Program

We had not planned to have an update regarding the Activating 21st Century Local History program, and then there were significant developments.  

Last Wednesday night, we received a termination letter from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) stating that the program “no longer serves the interests of the United States.” That language was unnecessarily cold, but also inaccurate. We believe that preserving and accessing history in our local communities is very much in the interests of our nation. 

On Friday, we learned that we are not the only ones who feel that way. Generous donors stepped forward to underwrite the program through October, allowing VHS to complete the first year of this work. Multiple donors, including Marilyn Blackwell, and Lola van Wagenen & George Burrill, have contributed to sustaining the 2025 phase of the program.  

We are delighted that we can see through the first year of this two-year project, which will allow us to complete the pilot cohort and set up systems for sustaining some of this work in future years. The outpouring of support from our community means that we will not be wasting the federal funding that already went into establishing the Activating 21st Century Local History program. We are fortunate that Hannah Kirkpatrick has not begun another job and is therefore able to remain in her role throughout this first year. 

This is a reprieve, for which we are grateful. However, we will not be able to see the program through the two years that we had planned, and this means we will not be able to accomplish all the goals we had set. In addition, the month in which we were uncertain about the future of this work was unsettling and could have upended our progress. This is happening in libraries and museums across the country, as well as in many other sectors, including medical research and human services. It is wasteful to expend federal funds to initiate a strong program and then truncate it before seeing the results. 

We are so heartened that Vermonters have made a commitment to support our work in this sector. We will return that commitment by continuing thoughtful, evidence-based work in support of local historical societies and museums. Thank you for your calls, donations, and emails, all of which have contributed to our ability to keep Hannah on staff and see the pilot cohort through. 

Warmly, 

Steve Perkins, Executive Director 

Jan Albers, President