A new initiative by New York City’s American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) grants free access to its exhibitions and educational programming for low-income residents across the state.
This month, AMNH launched Discoverer, a free-admission membership programme for New York State residents receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits, formerly known as food stamps. Snap beneficiaries may bring up to four guests with them on visits to the museum and, after enrolling in the programme, are able to reserve advance tickets online. Membership lasts for one year and can be renewed annually.
Nearly 1.8 million people across the city rely on Snap, and the museum’s initiative aims to open its doors to those who face financial obstacles. The programme was developed in partnership with New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and its Human Resources Administration.
“Welcoming a more complete and representative reflection of our neighbours as members is a major aspiration for the museum, a key civic and educational institution,” Sean M. Decatur, AMNH’s president, said in a statement. “The new Discoverer membership embodies our belief that the museum, and science, belong to everyone and everyone belongs at the museum.”
AMNH’s new programme is part of Museums for All, a nationwide initiative launched in 2014 devoted to free museum admission for Snap beneficiaries. More than 1,500 museums across the US participate in Museums for All. In New York City, these include the Museum of Modern Art, Morgan Library and Museum, Frick Collection and Jewish Museum.
It is important to note that the Trump administration recently passed severe cuts to the Snap programme, which will severely hamper eligibility for the programme in the future.
In a statement, New York City’s commissioner of cultural affairs, Laurie A. Cumbo, called AMNH “a crown jewel of New York City’s cultural landscape, a place where generations gather to explore, learn and be inspired by the wonders of the natural world.”
AMNH’s new initiative comes amid rising admission prices at museums driven by inflation, increased operating costs and the ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, in response to the 2023 hike in fees at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, the artist and Whitney trustee Julie Mehretu donated $2m to launch a free-admission programme for visitors under 25 years old. Other efforts to increase museum accessibility have focused on initiatives such as designated free days for visitors, often funded by corporate sponsors.