Smithsonian 

Fiscal Year 2024 

Submitted to the Committees on Appropriations 

Congress of the United States 
Smithsonian Institution 

Fiscal Year 2024 

Budget Justification to Congress 

March 2023 
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (SI) 

Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request to Congress 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

Overview ....................................................................................................1 

FY 2024 Budget Request Summary ...........................................................6 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 

Summary of FY 2024 Changes and Unit Detail..........................................9 

Fixed Costs 

Salary and Related Costs ...................................................................13 

Utilities, Rent, Communications, and Other.........................................15 

Summary of Program Changes ................................................................18 

No-Year Funding ......................................................................................36 

Object-Class Breakout..............................................................................36 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance/Program Category ............37 

MUSEUMS AND RESEARCH CENTERS 

Enhanced Research ...........................................................................38 

National Air and Space Museum.........................................................43 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory .............................................51 

Major Scientific Instrumentation ..........................................................58 

National Museum of Natural History....................................................63 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.................................71 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.....................................77 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.............................................81 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Freer Gallery of Art.....................................86 

Asian Pacific American Center............................................................91 

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage .............................................94 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum .....................................99 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden........................................103 

National Museum of African Art.........................................................108 

Anacostia Community Museum.........................................................112 

Archives of American Art...................................................................116 

National Museum of African American History and Culture ..............120 

National Museum of American History, Behring Center ...................126 

National Museum of the American Indian .........................................133 

National Museum of the American Latino .........................................137 

National Portrait Gallery ....................................................................142 

National Postal Museum ...................................................................149 

Smithsonian American Art Museum ..................................................153 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum............................159 

MISSION ENABLING 

Outreach ...........................................................................................164 

• The SI Traveling Exhibition Service and Affiliations; Educational 

Outcomes and Academic Programs; the Office of Educational 

Technology; the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships; 

and the SI Scholarly Press 

Communications ...............................................................................172 
Institution-wide Programs..................................................................175 

• Collections Care and Preservation Fund......................................... 176 

• Information Resources Management Pool ...................................... 178 

• Research Equipment Pool............................................................... 178 

• Research Program Initiatives .......................................................... 179 

• Digital Support Pool......................................................................... 180 

• Education Initiatives Pool ................................................................ 181 

Smithsonian Exhibits.........................................................................182 

Museum Support Center ...................................................................185 

Museum Conservation Institute.........................................................187 

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives ..................................................192 

Office of the Chief Information Officer ...............................................198 

Administration ...................................................................................201 

• The offices of the Secretary; Deputy Secretary; Under Secretary for 

Museums and Culture; Under Secretary for Science and Research; 

Under Secretary for Education; and Under Secretary for Administration 

Office of the Inspector General .........................................................206 

Facilities Maintenance.......................................................................208 

Facilities Operations, Security, and Support .....................................211 

FACILITIES CAPITAL 

Overview ................................................................................................217 

Summary Tables ....................................................................................220 

Revitalization Projects ............................................................................223 

Smithsonian Institution Building (Castle)...........................................223 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute ..............................225 

National Air and Space Museum.......................................................243 

National Museum of Natural History..................................................246 

National Museum of American History ..............................................252 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden........................................257 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute...........................................259 

Suitland Collections Center...............................................................266 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory............................................270 

National Museum of African American History and Culture ..............276 

National Museum of the American Indian .........................................279 

Quadrangle .......................................................................................281 

Donald W. Reynolds Center..............................................................284 

Freer Gallery of Art............................................................................286 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center...................................288 

Multiple Location Revitalization Projects...........................................289 

Construction Supervision and Management......................................289 

Facilities Planning and Design (including New Museums) .....................291 

Construction (Pod 6) ..............................................................................292 

APPENDIX 

Organization Chart .................................................................................295 

Visitation Chart .......................................................................................296 

Trust Funds Summary ............................................................................297 

Appropriation Language and Citations ...................................................299 

Adjustments to FY 2023 Funding ...........................................................310 
TAB 1 

INTRODUCTION 
OUR SHARED FUTURE: THE SMITHSONIAN’S ROLE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW 

It is no secret that the nation faces great challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, 

social and racial inequities, and climate change have all tested our resolve over the past 

few years and made real the need for a collective effort to achieve a better shared future. 

The Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex,

has an important role to play on behalf of the American people. It is our responsibility to 

repay the trust we have as keepers of some of the nation’s most revered artifacts, as 

scholars who examine our past and present, and as scientists who address basic questions 

to help us understand our world and universe. 

To that end, Smithsonian 2027: Our Shared Future, the five-year Strategic Plan we 

launched in the winter of 2022, outlines our aspirations, priorities, and planned impact as 

we continue our transformation to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly 

changing world. It identifies five areas the Smithsonian must target to help secure a better 

shared future for our Institution, our nation, and our planet: 

• Ensuring every home and classroom can access the Smithsonian’s digital content; 

• Working together to build a nimbler and more effective Smithsonian; 

• Taking advantage of our status as a trusted source of information to explore and 

grapple with what it means to be American; 

• Harnessing the Smithsonian’s expertise to elevate science in the global discourse; 

and 

• Engaging with educational systems across the country to build and enrich a national 

culture of learning. 

The President’s FY 2024 Budget includes $1.241 billion for the Smithsonian to enable

the Institution to carry out these plans and fulfill its mission to increase and diffuse 

knowledge. We are grateful for the robust support we receive from the American people, 

Congress, and the Administration. As we look to implement the Institution-wide initiatives 

that support our new strategic focus areas, receiving robust federal support will be more vital 

than ever. The following are the ways we have begun this implementation and highlight how 

we will actively support, evaluate, and measure the progress of our plans for the 

Smithsonian. 

A More Digital Smithsonian 

The pandemic accelerated the Smithsonian’s transformation into a virtual museum

complex that complements our physical spaces. Nothing replaces the authentic objects we 

display, but by using the digital tools at our disposal, we will ensure that our treasures still 

reach millions across the country and around the globe who cannot visit us in person. 

For many years, we have worked to digitize our objects, specimens, archival 

materials, and library books to make them more accessible to the public. Our museums 

and libraries have created digital images for more than five million objects, specimens, and 

books, and electronic records for more than 33 million artifacts and items in the national 

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collections. Our Digitization Program Office has created 3D digital images for collection 

objects people can access, explore, and even print, such as the space shuttle Discovery 

or a triceratops fossil. And in February of 2020, we launched Smithsonian Open Access, 

an initiative that makes more than 4.5 million digital 2D and 3D objects in our collections 

freely available for anyone to download, share, and reuse for any purpose. To date, 

people have downloaded this material millions of times, using it to explore, discover, and 

create their own learning resources. 

The Smithsonian is building digital capacity to be in every household, classroom, and 

community. Our new Office of Digital Transformation is prioritizing innovative and ongoing 

digital initiatives to reach audiences across the nation and around the world. These 

initiatives will allow people to experience our world-renowned scholarship, research, and 

collections in new and exciting ways and will be organized around themes such as 

democracy, race, innovation, sustainability, and identity. By seeking out new and innovative 

partnerships to leverage state-of-the-art resources, we can use more groundbreaking 

technology and inspire new audiences worldwide. 

A Nimbler and More Effective Smithsonian 

For the next five years, the Smithsonian will increase the nimbleness of the 

organization’s administrative functions, both those that are managed centrally and those

embedded within individual museums, research centers, and units. By building stronger 

connections within the Institution, we will improve efficiency and generate more effective and 

integrated solutions. Equally critical is the goal of fostering an environment for staff that 

promotes safety, professional development, and individual accountability. We must achieve 

these objectives to ensure the Smithsonian remains an employer of choice for all staff. 

One of the most exciting ways we are implementing the ideas and processes 

necessary to be more agile and responsive is through our new National Museum of the 

American Latino (NMAL) and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

(SAWHM). Not only will they integrate a digital mindset from their inception, they will apply 

efficient processes in design and construction, develop a comprehensive funding model to 

carry the Museums through the next decade, and adopt an audience-centric approach to 

program development that values diversity and inclusion to better serve the public. 

A Trusted Source for America 

One of the Institution’s great strengths is the trust we have earned for 176 years. The 

Smithsonian has a unique and vital role to play in finding common ground and giving hope 

to the American people. Accordingly, we have launched several initiatives to help the public 

grapple with the nation’s biggest challenges. For example, Our Shared Future: Reckoning 

with Our Racial Past, the first coordinated Smithsonian effort to explicitly address racism 

and racial equity, is exploring how Americans confront race, the legacy racial discrimination 

has left on communities, and how the way we deal with issues of race will shape our 

nation’s future. It has begun to explore and expand the conversation about the historic roots 

of contemporary movements in social justice. It is also providing a collaborative space for 

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dialogue about race and helps advance the work of others by offering live and digital 

resources and experiences to local communities throughout the country. 

Another area where we can apply our status as a trusted source is in the stewardship 

of our collections. By working closely with the communities of our collections’ origins to 

evaluate these objects, we will develop stewardship practices to preserve and sustain them 

for future generations. We recently initiated the Institution-wide Shared Stewardship and 

Ethical Returns Policy to return collections or share stewardship of objects if we find them to 

have been unethically obtained. More just, ethical, and inclusive management practices like 

these will foster goodwill with different constituencies and help make our collections and 

archives more accessible while also adding context to the stories they tell. 

We will also use our upcoming rural initiative to reach out to communities often 

overlooked in the national conversation. By exploring current, relevant issues in rural 

America, we can provide resources to help them build resilience. We will expand our 

programming and services to collaborate with rural stakeholders in meeting their needs and 

learning from rural and Tribal communities in the United States. Through this initiative, the 

Smithsonian will provide space for dialogue, prioritize diversity, identify and root out bias in 

our collections and programs, and work to form partnerships around the country. 

Elevating Our Science 

The Smithsonian is an institution historically driven by science. Our researchers have 

worked on endeavors from developing the precursor to the National Weather Service to 

creating the first image of a black hole at the center of our galaxy. To strengthen the 

capacity of our scientific activities, we are developing a strategic plan for science at the 

Smithsonian that captures our core priorities to explore life on a sustainable planet, solve 

the mysteries of the universe, and center the Smithsonian in critical conversations about 

science. Under the umbrella of Smithsonian Science, this set of initiatives strives to expand 

our reach, relevance, and impact with strategic investments in and strengthened 

coordination of research, collections, long-term data sets, field stations, partnerships, digital 

infrastructure, and communications platforms. Through this work, we will catalyze change, 

action, and inclusion under three sub-initiatives: Life on a Sustainable Planet, Solving the 

Mysteries of the Universe, and Communicating Science for Impact. 

Life on a Sustainable Planet will implement science strategies on Oceans, 

Environmental Justice, One Health, and Working Ecosystems. Solving the Mysteries of the 

Universe will focus on tipping and turning points in the evolution of the universe, galaxies, 

solar systems, and planets, helping us grasp our place in the universe. Communicating 

Science for Impact will inspire citizens of all ages to engage in scientific discovery, take 

advantage of science, technology, ingenuity, and culture, and contribute to a new era where 

people and nature can thrive in harmony. 

This focused and collaborative approach will allow us to research where communities 

and science come together, use what we find to create sustainable and effective solutions, 

and communicate what we learn to the public through our museums, research centers, and 

educational programs. We will showcase ways we lead, collaborate, and share, expanding 

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our understanding of life on Earth and our place in the universe. And we will emphasize the 

importance of partnerships, transdisciplinary research, and interdisciplinary collaboration, 

demonstrating the global impact of Smithsonian Science, most notably with respect to the 

United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

Reaching Everyone through Smithsonian Education 

The final strategic focus area is the Smithsonian’s educational goal to create a 

national culture of learning. We have many education, learning, and discovery spaces in 

our museums and research centers. Our Science Education Center, Affiliate museums, 

and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service work diligently to bring our 

virtual educational offerings in history, culture, and science, technology, engineering, art, 

and mathematics (STEAM) to every state nationwide and countries around the world. 

To broaden our reach and maximize our impact, we have set a goal to access 

every pre-K–12 classroom in America. We are beginning to implement an Institution-wide 

effort to reach 56 state and Tribal education agencies, 50 million students, and 3.2 million 

teachers with our educational resources and programming. The effect we can have with 

underserved students is particularly profound given significant achievement and 

opportunity gaps for low-income and racial/ethnic minority students, students with 

disabilities, and English learners. Smithsonian staff are working with other educators 

around the country to help students thrive, making a substantial difference in national 

educational outcomes. 

We will achieve this by enabling our educational specialists to work with key 

stakeholders in developing and implementing a comprehensive Smithsonian education 

strategy that will allow our education programming, tools, and resources to have greater 

reach, greater relevance, and a more profound impact, and provide a unified message to 

teachers, students, partners, and donors. The Office of the Under Secretary for Education 

will facilitate capacity building and resource distribution to strategically leverage the work 

already occurring in the units and ramp up signature offerings. By working with partners, 

collaborators, colleagues, and advocates for education, we will help build a national 

culture of learning to ensure that our audiences have the tools they need to understand 

and navigate the world around them, even in underserved communities where resources 

are scarce. 

Part of our educational strategy will also include using technology to reach more 

learners and develop needs-based content strategies, implementing a unified approach to 

educational research and broadening the distribution of resources and services through 

strategic partnerships to grow the digital skills and capacity of the Smithsonian education 

community and increase the impact of our offerings. The Smithsonian Office of 

Educational Technology will lead this initiative, building on existing digital platforms such 

as our Smithsonian Learning Lab that has had great success in providing lesson plans, 

materials, and activities in history, design, and STEAM. It will also expand Web-based and 

broadcast technologies, seek out partnerships to increase our capacity and reach, and 

develop new resources aligned with educator needs. 

4 
Looking Ahead 

With our new areas of strategic focus, the Smithsonian will be better equipped to 

address relevant topics through scientific research, collecting, and public programming 

on topics such as climate change, cultural heritage protection, zoonotic diseases, life 

after the COVID-19 pandemic (as well as the science related to it), and understanding 

the impact of race on our nation. By rigorously studying important societal issues, we 

will continue proving our relevance to the diverse and expansive audiences we serve. 

Thanks to the wisdom and boldness of Congress, we have been entrusted with 

bringing to life two new museums. The recent opening of the Molina Family Latino Gallery 

in the National Museum of American History provides an important preview of what visitors 

can expect from the Latino Museum, and we are ready to proceed with both new 

museums pending legislative action on the sites we identified. The NMAL and SAWHM will 

help the Smithsonian further reimagine what new museums look like in a post-pandemic 

world, expand the meaning of the American story, and better serve our fellow citizens. 

As the leader of this influential scientific, cultural, and educational institution, I 

believe it is essential for us to exercise our power to bring people together to share big 

ideas and varying perspectives about important topics that touch all aspects of society such 

as race relations, a deadly virus, or the meaning of democracy. The Smithsonian, as a gift 

to the United States, has an obligation to work for the common good by giving back value 

to our country and increasing the public’s ability to understand our universe, our history, 

and our shared future. 

With the continued support of the Administration, Congress, and the American 

people, I have no doubt we will achieve our goals. The Smithsonian will continue to 

welcome everyone to learn, marvel, and dream, using our creativity, imagination, and 

intellectual capital for the good of society. We will also continue the ongoing project and 

grand tradition of transforming this hallowed Institution into a cauldron of ideas, innovation, 

and understanding that reaches more people and has greater impact than ever before. 

Lonnie G. Bunch III 

Secretary 

Smithsonian Institution 

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

FY 2024 BUDGET REQUEST SUMMARY 

Account 

FY 2022 

Enacted 

FY 2023 

Enacted 

FY 2024 

Request 

Salaries and Expenses 

Facilities Capital 

Total 

$852,215,000 

$210,000,000 

$1,062,215,000 

$892,855,000 

$251,645,000 

$1,144,500,000 

$976,000,000 

$265,000,000 

$1,241,000,000 

For FY 2024, the Smithsonian’s total request to fund essential operating 

expenses, priority program increases, and revitalization of the Institution’s physical

infrastructure is $1,241.0 million. The total amount includes $976 million for Salaries 

and Expenses (S&E) and $265.0 million for the Facilities Capital account. A detailed 

summary and table of the increases are presented on the following pages. 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 

FIXED COSTS INCREASES (+$36,100,000) 

This budget request provides funds for the 4.6 percent pay raise effective in 

January of 2023, and a 5.2 percent pay raise effective in January of 2024. The request 

also provides funding for inflation-related increases in utilities, software licenses, and 

other operating costs. Details are provided in the S&E section. 

PROGRAM CHANGES (+$47,045,000) 

This budget request for FY 2024 aligns the programmatic increases among the 

broad categories of the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan, thereby linking the funds directly to 

the achievement of the Institution’s overall mission and strategic goals. Details of the 

programmatic increases are provided in the S&E section of this budget submission. 

FACILITIES CAPITAL PROGRAM 

The request for the Facilities Capital Program ($265,000,000) will address the 

deterioration of some of the Smithsonian’s oldest and most visited buildings and 

maintain the current condition of other facilities through systematic renewal and 

repairs. This amount will enable the Facilities Capital Program to address the priority 

revitalization projects scheduled for FY 2024. 

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

FY 2024 BUDGET SUMMARY 

BY APPROPRIATION ACCOUNT 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES FTEs Amount 

FY 2023 Enacted 4,047 $892,855,000 

FIXED COSTS INCREASES 36,100,000 

Salaries and Related Costs 0 27,396,000 

Utilities, Rent, Communications, and Other 0 8,704,000 

PROGRAM INCREASES 

Research 10 5,900,000 

Scientific Research 10 5,900,000 

Digital Transformation 7 2,400,000 

Digital Transformation 7 2,400,000 

Education 6 2,440,000 

Education Support 6 2,440,000 

Exhibitions 2 300,000 

Exhibit Support 2 300,000 

Collections Stewardship 9 3,275,000 

Collections Support 4 1,775,000 

Animal Welfare 5 1,500,000 

Facilities Services 20 17,200,000 

Facilities Maintenance 10 8,600,000 

Facilities Operations 8 4,400,000 

Security 2 4,200,000 

Management Operations 19 5,530,000 

Information Technology Security 0 1,000,000 

Operations Support 19 4,530,000 

New Museums 36 10,000,000 

National Museum of the American Latino 13 4,000,000 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 16 4,000,000 

Central Operations Support for New Museums 7 2,000,000 

Program Increases 109 47,045,000 

Total Increases 109 83,145,000 

Total FY 2024 Salaries and Expenses 4,156 $976,000,000 

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

FY 2024 BUDGET SUMMARY 

BY APPROPRIATION ACCOUNT 

FACILITIES CAPITAL FTEs Amount 

Revitalization 

Smithsonian Institution Building (Castle) 65,000,000 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 25,300,000 

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) 10,000,000 

National Museum of Natural History 8,300,000 

National Museum of American History 7,800,000 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 10,000,000 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 11,900,000 

Suitland Collections Center 6,500,000 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 4,050,000 

National Museum of African American History & Culture 1,250,000 

National Museum of the American Indian 3,000,000 

Quadrangle 3,000,000 

Donald W. Reynolds Center 3,000,000 

Freer Gallery of Art 5,300,000 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 400,000 

Multiple Location Revitalization Projects 8,900,000 

Construction Supervision and Management (CS&M) 48 8,500,000 

New Museums (CS&M) 5 1,000,000 

Total Revitalization 53 183,200,000 

Facilities Planning and Design 

Facilities Planning and Design (FP&D) 42,800,000 

New Museums (FP&D) 2,000,000 

Total Facilities Planning and Design 0 44,800,000 

Construction — Museum Support Center, Pod 6 37,000,000 

Total FY 2024 Facilities Capital Projects 53 $265,000,000 

FY 2024 REQUEST, ALL ACCOUNTS 4,209 $1,241,000,000 

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TAB 2 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 
 

 

 

 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES (S&E) 

FY 2024 Request 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES FTEs Amount 

FY 2023 Enacted 4,047 $892,855,000 

FIXED COSTS INCREASES 36,100,000 

Salaries and Related Costs 0 27,396,000 

Utilities, Rent, Communications, and Other 0 8,704,000 

PROGRAM INCREASES 

Research 10 5,900,000 

Scientific Research 10 5,900,000 

Digital Transformation 7 2,400,000 

Digital Transformation 7 2,400,000 

Education 6 2,440,000 

Education Support 6 2,440,000 

Exhibitions 2 300,000 

Exhibit Support 2 300,000 

Collections Stewardship 9 3,275,000 

Collections Support 4 1,775,000 

Animal Welfare 5 1,500,000 

Facilities Services 20 17,200,000 

Facilities Maintenance 10 8,600,000 

Facilities Operations 8 4,400,000 

Security 2 4,200,000 

Management Operations 19 5,530,000 

Information Technology Security 0 1,000,000 

Operations Support 19 4,530,000 

New Museums 36 10,000,000 

National Museum of the American Latino 13 4,000,000 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 16 4,000,000 

Central Operations Support for New Museums 7 2,000,000 

Program Increases 109 47,045,000 

Total Increases 109 83,145,000 

Total FY 2024 Salaries and Expenses 4,156 $976,000,000 

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Unit Detail of the FY 2022 Enacted, FY 2023 Revised and FY 2024 Request ($s in Thousands) 

FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 ANALYSIS OF CHANGE 

Enacted Revised Request (FY 2024 Increases) 

Pay & 

Benefits 

Rent & 

Utilities 

Fixed 

Other Program Change 

Page # FTE = Full-Time Equivalent FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000 $000 $000 $000 FTEs $000 

MUSEUMS AND RESEARCH CENTERS 

43 National Air and Space Museum 131 21,552 131 22,380 131 23,405 1,025 0 0 0 0 

51 Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 88 25,733 88 26,412 90 27,844 861 197 0 2 374 

Education Support 1 187 

Research Initiatives - G-CLEF Instrument 1 187 

Fixed Costs - Rent 197 

58 Major Scientific Instrumentation 0 4,118 0 4,118 0 4,731 0 0 0 0 613 

Research Initiatives - G-CLEF Instrument 0 613 

38 Universe Center 0 184 0 184 0 184 0 0 0 0 0 

63 National Museum of Natural History 277 53,435 277 55,239 279 58,925 2,286 0 0 2 1,400 

Collections Stewardship 2 1,400 

71 National Zoological Park 203 33,655 204 35,388 209 38,279 1,391 0 0 5 1,500 

Animal Welfare 5 1,500 

77 Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 34 4,759 34 4,934 36 5,430 236 0 0 2 260 

Operations Support 1 110 

Research Initiatives 1 150 

81 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 191 15,643 191 16,176 192 17,850 724 0 0 1 950 

Research Initiatives 1 950 

38 Biodiversity Center 0 1,543 0 1,563 7 3,563 0 0 0 7 2,000 

Research Initiatives 7 2,000 

86 Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Freer Gallery of Art 40 6,689 40 6,918 40 7,209 291 0 0 0 0 

91 Asian Pacific American Center 0 0 7 2,560 7 2,615 55 0 0 0 0 

10 94 Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 20 3,637 20 3,938 21 4,532 116 0 311 1 167 

Fixed Costs - Festival Security 311 

Digital Transformation 1 167 

99 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 37 5,417 37 5,702 38 6,227 216 175 0 1 134 

Education Support 1 134 

Fixed Costs - Rent 175 

103 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 33 5,339 33 5,559 33 5,842 226 57 0 0 0 

Fixed Costs - Rent 57 

108 National Museum of African Art 32 5,257 32 5,439 32 5,659 220 0 0 0 0 

38 World Culture Center 0 792 0 1,292 0 1,292 0 0 0 0 0 

112 Anacostia Community Museum 17 2,873 17 2,949 20 3,434 89 0 0 3 396 

Digital Transformation 2 239 

Education Support 1 157 

116 Archives of American Art 14 2,023 14 2,097 14 2,180 83 0 0 0 0 

120 National Museum of African American History & Culture 155 34,853 155 35,767 155 36,886 1,119 0 0 0 0 

126 National Museum of American History, Behring Center 160 27,331 159 28,180 161 29,709 1,309 0 0 2 220 

Operations Support 2 220 

133 National Museum of the American Indian 185 35,680 185 36,762 185 38,126 1,364 0 0 0 0 

137 National Museum of the American Latino 17 8,324 28 10,392 41 14,635 243 0 0 13 4,000 

New Museum Support 13 4,000 

142 National Portrait Gallery 57 7,176 57 7,473 57 7,830 357 0 0 0 0 

149 National Postal Museum 8 2,105 8 2,280 8 2,343 63 0 0 0 0 

153 Smithsonian American Art Museum 85 11,263 86 11,913 86 12,701 571 217 0 0 0 

Fixed Costs - Rent 217 

159 Smithsonian American Women's History Museum 13 7,500 22 9,568 38 13,778 210 0 0 16 4,000 

New Museum Support 16 4,000 

38 American Experience Center 0 600 0 600 0 600 0 0 0 0 0 

Total for Museums and Research Centers 1,797 327,481 1,825 345,783 1,880 375,809 13,055 646 311 55 16,014 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

Unit Detail of the FY 2022 Enacted, FY 2023 Revised and FY 2024 Request ($s in Thousands) 

FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 ANALYSIS OF CHANGE 

Enacted Revised Request (FY 2024 Increases) 

Pay & 

Benefits 

Rent & 

Utilities 

Fixed 

Other Program Change 

Page # FTE = Full-Time Equivalent FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000 $000 $000 $000 FTEs $000 

MISSION ENABLING 

Program Support and Outreach 

164 Outreach 51 9,924 51 10,225 56 11,369 382 0 0 5 762 

Education Support 3 462 

Exhibit Support 2 300 

172 Communications 18 2,982 18 3,075 18 3,195 120 0 0 0 0 

175 Institution-wide Programs 0 15,734 0 19,209 0 24,084 0 0 0 0 4,875 

Digital Transformation 1,375 

Education Support 1,500 

Research Initiatives 2,000 

182 Smithsonian Exhibits 25 3,498 25 3,627 25 3,806 179 0 0 0 0 

185 Museum Support Center 13 1,991 13 2,044 13 2,116 72 0 0 0 0 

187 Museum Conservation Institute 22 3,562 22 3,770 22 3,951 181 0 0 0 0 

192 Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 114 15,956 114 16,835 116 18,088 714 0 300 2 239 

Fixed Costs - Library Subscription Inflation 300 

Digital Transformation 2 239 

11 Subtotal, Program Support and Outreach 243 53,647 243 58,785 250 66,609 1,648 0 300 7 5,876 

198 Office of the Chief Information Officer 107 59,388 110 65,035 110 69,466 1,156 0 2,275 0 1,000 

Fixed Costs - Communications 2,275

 IT Security 1,000 

201 Administration 205 39,950 199 41,236 224 49,281 1,990 0 0 25 6,055 

Collections Stewardship 2 375 

Digital Transformation 2 380 

New Museum Support 7 2,000 

Diversity Support 3 800 

Operations Support 11 2,500 

206 Office of the Inspector General 23 4,295 23 4,426 25 5,507 181 0 0 2 900 

Operations Support 2 900 

Facilities Services 

208 Facilities Maintenance 455 116,917 455 119,258 465 130,954 3,096 0 0 10 8,600 

Facilities Maintenance 10 8,600 

211 Facilities Operations, Security, and Support 1,193 250,537 1,192 258,332 1,202 278,374 6,270 5,172 0 10 8,600 

Facilities Operations 8 4,400 

Utilities 5,172 

Security 2 4,200 

Subtotal, Facilities Services 1,648 367,454 1,647 377,590 1,667 409,328 9,366 5,172 0 20 17,200 

Total for Mission Enabling 2,226 524,734 2,222 547,072 2,276 600,191 14,341 5,172 2,575 54 31,031 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES TOTAL 4,023 852,215 4,047 892,855 4,156 976,000 27,396 5,818 2,886 109 47,045 
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12
 

 

 

 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 

FY 2022 Enacted $852,215,000 

FY 2023 Enacted $892,855,000 

FY 2024 Request $976,000,000 

For FY 2024, the Smithsonian requests $976.0 million in the Salaries and 

Expenses (S&E) account. Within the total increase requested, approximately 43 percent is 

attributable to fixed costs (e.g., pay, utilities, rent, etc.) and the remainder is for other 

requirements throughout the Institution. 

FIXED COSTS 

SALARY AND PAY-RELATED COSTS (+$27,396,000) — The Institution 

requests an increase of $27.4 million to cover higher salary and pay-related costs. This 

request funds the annualization of the 4.6 percent pay raise effective in January of 2023 

and an estimated 5.2 percent increase for a civilian pay raise in January of 2024. 

Salary and Related Costs: Request 

▪ Annualization of 2023 pay raise (1/4 year at 4.6%) 6,455,000 

▪ Proposed 2024 pay raise (3/4 year at 5.2%) 20,909,000 

▪ Workers’ Compensation 32,000 

Total $27,396,000 

• Annualization of the requested January 2023 Pay Raise of 4.6 percent 

(+$6,455,000) — This request funds the annualization of the enacted 4.6 percent pay 

raise effective in the first quarter of FY 2024. 

• Funding of the proposed January 2024 Pay Raise of 5.2 percent (+$20,909,000) —

This request funds a proposed 5.2 percent pay raise in January of 2024 for the last 

three quarters of FY 2024. 

• Workers’ Compensation (+$32,000) — This supports the provisions of Section 

8147(b) of Title 5, United States Code. The Workers’ Compensation bill for 

FY 2024 is $2,451,000, based on a Department of Labor invoice for costs incurred 

from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. This represents an increase of $32,000 

from the FY 2023 Workers’ Compensation costs ($2,419,000). 

13 
FY 2024 Increased Pay Costs (Dollars in Thousands) 

Line Item 

FY 2024 

Pay Raise and 

FY 2023 Pay 

Annualization 

National Air and Space Museum 1,025 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 861 

National Museum of Natural History 2,286 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 1,391 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 236 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 724 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Freer Gallery of Art 291 

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 116 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 216 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 226 

National Museum of African Art 220 

Anacostia Community Museum 89 

Archives of American Art 83 

Asian Pacific American Center 55 

National Museum of African American History & Culture 1,119 

National Museum of American History, Behring Center 1,309 

National Postal Museum 63 

National Museum of the American Indian 1,364 

National Museum of the American Latino 243 

National Portrait Gallery 357 

Smithsonian American Art Museum 571 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 210 

Outreach 382 

Communications 120 

Museum Support Center 72 

Museum Conservation Institute 181 

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 714 

Smithsonian Exhibits 179 

Office of the Chief Information Officer 1,156 

Administration 1,958 

Inspector General 181 

Facilities Maintenance 3,096 

Facilities Operations, Security, and Support 6,270 

Workers’ Compensation (Administration) 32 

Total Pay-Related Costs 27,396 

14 
 

UTILITIES, POSTAGE, RENT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND OTHER FIXED 

COSTS (+$8,704,000) — For FY 2024, the Institution requests an increase of 

$8,704,000 for utilities and other fixed-cost accounts, as detailed in the chart below. The 

requested increase reflects consumption and rate changes in the Utilities accounts and 

increases for Communications and Other Support to provide for fixed software licensing 

and maintenance costs, inflationary increases for library subscriptions, and to meet 

Government and professional compliance requirements. 

The following table displays the estimates for FYs 2023 and 2024. The details that 

follow address the specific changes affecting the FY 2024 accounts. 

Federal Utilities, Postage, Rent, Communications, and 

Other Fixed Costs 

FYs 2023–2024 

(Dollars in Thousands) 

FY 2023 

Enacted 

FY 2024 

Estimate Change 

Utilities: 

Electricity 

Chilled Water 

Steam 

Natural Gas 

DC Gov’t Water/Sewer

Other Water and Fuel Oil 

Subtotal, Utilities 

20,921 

2,589 

7,844 

3,332 

11,679 

1,258 

47,623 

24,160 

3,883 

8,894 

4,757 

9,364 

1,737 

52,795 

3,239 

1,294 

1,050 

1,425 

-2,315 

479 

5,172 

Postage 1,461 1,461 0 

Motor Fuel 370 370 0 

Rental Space: 

Central 

Unit 

Subtotal, Rent 

42,687 

5,793 

48,480 

42,687 

6,439 

49,126 

0 

646 

646 

Communications 26,408 28,683 2,275 

Other Support 578 1,189 611 

Total 124,920 133,624 8,704 

15 
UTILITIES (+$5,172,000) — Justified here, but included in the Facilities Operations, 

Security, and Support line item, are requested changes to cover the costs of energy and 

water. The request includes the following: 

• Electricity (+$3,239,000) — Electricity is used to operate the Smithsonian’s large 

infrastructure. The major use of electricity is for air-conditioning that provides essential 

climate control to protect the priceless national collections as well as ensure the comfort 

of visitors and staff. The changes in FY 2024 reflect recent and anticipated increases by 

the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and other vendors. 

• Chilled Water (+$1,294,000) — Chilled water costs represent actual chilled water 

usage supplied by the General Services Administration’s (GSA) central plant to the 

Smithsonian’s South Mall facilities. This change is due to a rate increase billed by the 

GSA. 

• Steam (+$1,050,000) — The Smithsonian uses steam for heating and humidification, 

and to produce hot water for facilities on the National Mall and in New York City. This 

change is due to the anticipated rate increase for New York City facilities. 

• Natural Gas (+$1,425,000) — The Smithsonian uses natural gas and propane for 

heating and generating steam. This change is due to the actual higher prices 

experienced in FY 2022, along with significant anticipated rate increases in Washington, 

DC; New York City; and at other Smithsonian facilities. 

• DC Water and Sewer (-$2,315,000) — These funds cover the costs of both water and 

sewer services provided by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority 

(DCWSA). The net decrease includes rate and billing adjustments transmitted by the 

DCWSA to the Smithsonian in April of 2022. 

• Other Water and Fuel Oil (+$479,000) — These funds provide water service for 

facilities outside of Washington, DC, and fuel oil used in dual-fuel boilers and 

generators for emergency power. The change is for anticipated rate increases in 

FY 2024. 

POSTAGE AND MOTOR FUEL (No change) — Funds provide for all official domestic 

and international mail services and for motor fuel that powers the Smithsonian’s motor 

vehicle fleet and scientific research vessels. No change is requested in FY 2024. 

RENTAL SPACE (+$646,000) — Justified here, but included in the following 

museums’ line items, are unit-funded rent increases needed to support Smithsonian 

programs. For FY 2024, the Smithsonian requests an increase of $646,000 for unitfunded, programmatic lease requirements. Specifically, additional funding will support the 

annual escalation of contractual lease costs and rent-related services for leased space 

occupied by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (+$197,000); the Cooper Hewitt, 

Smithsonian Design Museum (+$175,000); the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 

(+$57,000); and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (+$217,000). These funds 

provide for long-term collections, warehouse storage, and laboratory space. 

16 
COMMUNICATIONS (+$2,275,000) — The communications base supports the 

operations of the Institution’s voice and data telecommunications infrastructure upgrade 

and maintenance. Also included are increases for higher license maintenance costs to 

support our facilities management systems and funds for license costs to support various 

centrally provided software for all staff. 

This request also includes increases needed to replace network equipment that is 

reaching the end of its useful lifespan and can no longer be supported. The Smithsonian 

has approximately 8,000 Voice-over-IP phones, 713 network switches and 242 routers 

with more than half needing replacement. Security updates are no longer available when 

this equipment reaches its end-of-support parameters, which puts the Smithsonian 

network at risk. Software maintenance increases for various enterprise licenses are also 

included in this budget request. 

The requested increases will enable high-tech solutions which have been 

implemented to support telework for staff and distance education for the public as well as 

employees. The increases will keep business-critical systems current and enable vendors 

to continue supporting them, as well as enhance operations to improve and streamline 

business workflows. This increase will also keep our network equipment eligible for 

security updates necessary to mitigate vulnerabilities. 

OTHER SUPPORT (+$611,000) — An additional $611,000 is requested to cover 

fixed costs. The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (SLA) requires additional funding to 

adequately address increases in library subscriptions (+$300,000). This increase will 

enable the SLA to cover the costs of purchasing journals and electronic databases that 

are essential to support the Institution’s many research programs and scientists. 

In addition, the Institution requests an increase (+$311,000) to support the 

Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s compliance with National Park Service (NPS) regulations 

in its management of the National Mall. Because of the continued issues of security on 

and around the Mall, the NPS has called for stronger security measures for the Festival, 

including greater numbers of officers, specialized armed officers, and enhanced security 

camera surveillance. The Institution must cover these necessary costs to maintain public 

safety and security and to comply with federal NPS requirements. 

17 
SUMMARY OF FY 2024 S&E PROGRAM CHANGES 

FY 2023 

Base 

($000s) 

FY 2024 

Program 

Changes 

($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Research +5,900 +10 

• Scientific Research 78,700 +5,900 +10 

Digital Transformation +2,400 +7 

• Digital Transformation 24,614 +2,400 +7 

Education +2,440 +6 

• Education Support 20,643 +2,440 +6 

Exhibitions +300 +2 

• Exhibit Support 66,559 +300 +2 

Collections Stewardship +3,275 +9 

• Collections Support (Excludes National Zoo) 79,006 +1,775 +4 

• Animal Welfare 10,603 +1,500 +5 

Facilities Services +17,200 +20 

• Facilities Maintenance 119,258 +8,600 +10 

• Facilities Operations 176,699 +4,400 +8 

• Security 95,170 +4,200 +2 

Management Operations +5,530 +19 

• Operations Support 94,042 +4,530 +19 

• Information Technology (IT) Security 54,689 +1,000 0 

New Museums +10,000 +36 

• National Museum of the American Latino 10,392 +4,000 +13 

• Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 9,568 +4,000 +16 

• Central Operations Support for New Museums 1,000 +2,000 +7 

Total S&E Program Increases +$47,045 +109 

Note: For a complete list of program categories, see page 37 

RESEARCH 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Scientific Research +5,900 +10 

• Giant Magellan Telescope +800 +1 

• Research Program Initiatives Pool +2,000 +0 

• Marine Science Research +1,100 +2 

• Biodiversity Research +2,000 +7 

18 
Scientific Research (+$5,900,000, +10 FTEs) 

Harnessing the Smithsonian’s expertise to elevate science in the global discourse 

is a key focus area in the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan. The Institution includes a leading 

science and research complex, with thousands of experts and rich partnerships with 

academia and the private sector. The Smithsonian remains fully committed to expanding 

our understanding of life on Earth and our place in the universe through its two major 

science initiatives: Life on a Sustainable Planet and Solving the Mysteries of the 

Universe. We will explore the tipping and turning points in the evolution of galaxies, solar 

systems, and planets, and study challenges to ecosystems and biodiversity facing our 

world. The FY 2024 Budget supports the programs described below to advance science, 

technology, and innovation within the Institution and achieve a high return of benefits from 

the investment in research. 

• G-CLEF Instrument (+$800,000, +1 FTE) —The Smithsonian Astrophysical 

Observatory (SAO) is assembling a spectrograph instrument known as the Giant 

Magellan Telescope (GMT) Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) that will 

help characterize Earth-like planets around other stars. G-CLEF will enter a multiyear integration period beginning in December of 2023. This period requires 

increased coordination as well as tooling and fixturing to enable these parts to be 

carefully assembled into the G-CLEF instrument. The request includes $800,000 

in FY 2024 to fabricate the required tooling and major handling fixtures for the GCLEF instrument and support a manufacturing engineer position to coordinate 

and oversee its assembly. 

It will take years to build and fully test the G-CLEF instrument and given its 

significance to the success of any future Extremely Large Telescope we must 

begin investment now. Finally, the G-CLEF instrument is intended for the Giant 

Magellan Telescope, but it can be used at other facilities. The request also 

includes $187,000 and 1 FTE for a science position at the SAO to help oversee 

development of the G-CLEF instrument and play a key role in commissioning the 

spectrograph. 

• Research Program Initiatives Pool (+$2,000,000) — The funding requested will 

continue to support the innovative research pool that is managed by the Under 

Secretary for Science and Research. The pool fosters a research environment 

conducive to scientific innovation and provides the essential financial support 

needed to execute world-class science. Priority is given to high-risk, high-reward 

activities that lead to new ways of collecting and analyzing data and build technical 

capabilities within the Smithsonian’s established areas of research. Priority is also 

given to research on nature- and community-based solutions to help promote living 

sustainably with nature. This program will help the Institution recruit and retain the 

finest scientific talent, support postdoctoral researchers, and build a diverse science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. 

19 
The funding criteria will be flexible enough to respond to unique research 

opportunities that could change our understanding of how Earth’s ecosystems 

operate, as well as new discoveries beyond Earth. The funds will be distributed 

through both competitive and more targeted efforts. Program administrators expect 

to allocate the funding in several tracks; for example, through internally competitive 

seed and innovation grants, and start-up funds for new researchers. 

The funding would also be used to analyze large datasets produced by Smithsonian 

research in numerous areas, including biodiversity and ecosystems science, 

astronomy and planetary science, and genomics. There is a definite need for 

expanded capabilities to analyze the enormous amounts of data generated by our 

scientists. This request will provide the resources needed to address the 

Smithsonian’s strategic goals for digitization; STEM education through citizen science; 

and especially large, visionary, interdisciplinary research projects using large data 

sets. These funds would help build and support the data platform that can connect 

collections, research, and global data, making the platform more interoperable and 

useful for scientists answering complex research questions about important issues of 

our time. The goal is to develop a collaborative knowledge platform that connects 

collections and research data and links it to global data resources using the largest 

natural history collection in the world. Support for this pool would represent a major 

leap forward in our ability to put all the pieces together and identify solutions to many 

of the challenging problems we face today. 

Other examples of cutting-edge research to be funded include: One Health 

(interactions between human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health); biodiversity 

genomics (answering questions about ecology and evolution); movement of animals 

across landscapes; studying endangered and invasive species; and how climate 

change affects all these areas. In addition, in the areas of astronomy and planetary 

science, the research would include how to find evidence of life on other planets, what 

conditions lead to habitability, and what physical-chemical processes lead to the great 

diversity among planets in our solar system and beyond. The Institution will also use 

these funds to help communicate these results to the public as only the Smithsonian 

can, through public programs, exhibits, and educational materials. 

• Marine Science Research (+$1,100,000, +2 FTEs) — The Institution requests 

funding (+$950,000, +1 FTE) to support the Center for Ocean Science at the 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama that leads the marine 

social, ecological, biological, and physical monitoring program on climate in the 

Eastern Tropical Pacific and the Caribbean Ocean. The request will support a 

marine monitoring coordinator for all STRI research, allowing scientists to work with 

partners to support marine protected areas as well as sustainable local fisheries. In 

addition, these resources will replace critical monitoring infrastructure, including 

the replacement of a 22-year-old small boat with a new vessel that will enhance 

research opportunities in the Gulf of Panama and beyond. 

20 
In addition, the request includes funding for the Smithsonian Environmental Research 

Center (SERC) to support new and innovative research collaborations on major 

coastal environmental issues related to climate, biodiversity, and resilience by 

enhancing and expanding its Scientific Visitor Program (+$150,000, +1 FTE). As 

SERC’s profile has grown for its expertise on major coastal environmental issues, 

demand for on-site workshops for visiting scholars has increased to include 

synthesizing data and informing restoration efforts. Present staffing is inadequate to 

support existing activities, let alone meet new and increasing demands for 

collaborative problem solving. This additional funding will support a coordinator for the 

program, enabling more visiting scholars to participate. 

• Biodiversity Research (+$2,000,000, +7 FTEs) — The Smithsonian is well known 

for research products, which help sustain biological diversity, assess the effects of 

climate change, and develop equitable, nature-based resilience strategies for 

understanding and managing invasive species and infectious diseases. The 

Institution’s assets include one of the world’s largest groups of scientists working on 

the biology of plants and animals, a network of Earth observation platforms and field 

stations, and huge collections of specimens and libraries of biodiversity resources. 

Additional information on this request is provided in the Enhanced Interdisciplinary 

Research section of this budget submission. 

o Global Earth Observatories, ForestGEO and MarineGEO (+$1,000,000, +5 

FTEs) — The mission of our Global Earth Observatory (GEO) networks is to 

accelerate understanding of the diversity and functioning of forest and marine 

ecosystems to predict their futures and sustain their vital roles in supporting life on 

Earth. The world’s forest and marine ecosystems support all aspects of life on Earth: 

everything from providing food, medicines, and building materials to storing carbon 

and regulating climate. They have never been under more pressure from the dual 

threats of climate and land-use changes. Research-based global solutions are 

required to mitigate these risks and increase ecosystem resilience: our networks 

provide the deep science to allow ground-truth based solutions. The Smithsonian 

GEOs have developed globally distributed in-situ monitoring and experimental 

observatories on land (ForestGEO) and in the sea (MarineGEO) which, coupled with 

new global scientific capacity and satellite data, will transform our understanding of 

these ecosystems and provide policy makers with options for their future sustainable 

management. 

For FY 2024, the Institution requests funding (+$400,000 and +2 FTEs) for the 

Forest GEOs. The ForestGEO network provides long-term scientific data about 

biodiversity and the ecological, hydrological, soil, and meteorological processes 

associated with climate change at local, regional, and global scales, as well as 

invaluable data on carbon storage. 

The requested resources will: (i) expand ForestGEO to better represent all major 

forest types worldwide, transforming the network into a permanent global 

observation system for the world’s forests; (ii) broaden the scientific disciplines 

21 
addressing forest response to climate change through strategic appointments in 

genomics, microbial ecology, and ecosystem modeling; (iii) ensure the long-term 

value of ForestGEO science by strengthening the coordination and management 

of network sites and future data collection; and (iv) increase the role of 

ForestGEO in science development through Fellowships and training to build the 

human resources needed to solve the global forest crisis. Together, these steps 

will provide a robust opportunity to revolutionize our understanding of one of 

Earth’s most biologically complex and important systems.

In addition, the Institution requests funds (+$600,000 and +3 FTEs) for the Marine 

Global Earth Observatories, or MarineGEO. The MarineGEO network is dedicated to 

understanding changes in the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems, 

as well as monitoring, forecasting, and enhancing resilience to climate change. The 

MarineGEO sites document and monitor blue carbon, which is critical to identifying 

nature-based solutions, and support local fishery knowledge. These funds will build 

on existing Smithsonian federal and trust investments and collaboration with the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science and 

Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), 

and leverage in-kind support from academic partners to expand the network beyond 

the initial sites. 

o Life on a Sustainable Planet (+$1,000,000, +2 FTEs) — The funding requested 

will support research partnerships and public communications related to our Life on 

a Sustainable Planet initiative, including work related to environmental resilience, 

ecosystem monitoring, climate, and related fields. The funds will also enable 

scientists to coordinate with other national and international efforts. In addition, the 

new funding will provide research and monitoring infrastructure and support 

personnel across Smithsonian facilities and programs, allowing the Institution to 

meet evolving needs and priorities. This will bolster existing monitoring networks 

(particularly in grasslands) and support establishing new field sites. More 

information on this can be found in the Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research 

section of this budget submission. 

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Digital Transformation +2,400 +7 

• Digital Initiatives Pool +1,375 0 

• Digital Unit Support +1,025 +7 

22 
Digital Transformation (+$2,400,000, +7 FTEs) 

A key pillar of the Secretary’s strategic framework has been the continued 

development of the “Virtual Smithsonian,” which seeks to leverage the latest digital 

capabilities and platforms to ensure that every household, classroom, and community 

across the nation has access to the Smithsonian’s digital content. Our “Virtual

Smithsonian” will serve as a valuable, trusted tool to enrich the lives of all Americans no 

matter their age, location, digital savvy, disability, education, or English proficiency. 

To accomplish this goal, the Smithsonian is embarking on a digital transformation 

led by the Institution’s Office of Digital Transformation (ODT) to make our most valuable 

assets available to the public wherever, whenever, and however they are most needed. 

This ambitious vision for a Smithsonian that is equitably accessible to the nation requires 

us to deliver digital experiences which not only meet the needs of the American people, 

but also prioritize data-informed efforts to better understand the audiences we are trying to 

reach. 

The Smithsonian is uniquely positioned as a trusted source for the nation 

because of our 155 million objects that have been assembled during our 176 years of 

history. These iconic collections, especially when digitized for broader access, will offer 

our staff and the public a powerful resource for research to “increase and diffuse 

knowledge,” and share with the world. 

• Digital Support Pool (+$1,375,000) — The Institution requests a $1,375,000 

increase to continue supporting the Digital Support Pool. Three goals from the 

Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan guide these ambitious efforts: (1) ensure every home 

and classroom has access to the Smithsonian’s digital content; (2) be a trusted 

source that explores and grapples with America’s past, present and future; and (3) 

harness Smithsonian expertise to elevate science in the global discourse. These 

goals are more important than ever, because the recent COVID-19 crisis and 

national reckoning on race and identity both demonstrated that our citizens and the 

educational sector have come to depend heavily on the Smithsonian as a trusted 

source for online content. 

Our focus on digital content is vital to fulfill our responsibilities on all these fronts. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and other digital practitioners across the 

Smithsonian were able to respond quickly, delivering informative and accessible 

content and programming for audiences of all ages. The crisis accelerated some 

digital initiatives already planned or under way and highlighted new opportunities. 

Offerings that were only accessible in person, which limited their reach to local 

audiences, became virtual and available to national and international audiences. 

One of the Institution’s strengths that we want to continue to leverage is our ability to 

engage people in meaningful dialogue right where they live. As a leader in scientific, 

cultural, and educational fields, it is essential for the Smithsonian to serve as a 

catalyst for bringing people together to share big ideas and varying perspectives, 

23 
 

especially about important topics that touch all aspects of society, such as race 

relations, a deadly virus, the health of our democracy, or sustainability in the face of 

global climate change. The Smithsonian has the special ability and obligation to 

increase the public’s understanding of our universe, our history, and our shared 

future, and to work for the common good. 

These requested pool funds will support Institution-wide digital platforms and 

programs for sharing our collections and digital content, such as Reckoning with Our 

Racial Past, Life on a Sustainable Planet, and Smithsonian: Where I Live, as well as 

the Open Access initiative, the digitization program, the central digital transformation 

function, and volunteer programs such as the Transcription Center which attract 

thousands of volunteers nationwide every year. In addition, the funding will expand 

our data science efforts and the information management infrastructure to support 

the logistics and technology for Smithsonian researchers to do their work. This 

includes continued support of the Data Science Lab that uses artificial intelligence 

(AI) and machine learning (ML) to extract information from our digitized collections, 

perform research, and assist curators and researchers in looking at our objects and 

specimens in ways that are otherwise not possible, given the massive scale of the 

national collections. 

• Digital Unit Support (+$1,025,000, +7 FTEs) — The Institution requests an increase 

of $1,025,000 and 7 FTEs to continue developing the “Virtual Smithsonian” and 

leveraging digital capabilities to reach expanded audiences. This funding will support 

Institution priorities which address high-profile public concerns. The ODT has 

determined that it is essential for units to have the support staff and this increase 

includes additional staff embedded in key units to support our top priorities and digital 

efforts. This will enhance the capabilities of units so they can produce more digital 

content and better transform their workflows to reach expanded and underserved 

audiences. 

In addition, this funding would enable the ODT to hire new staff members for its 

central data and customer experience teams that will help develop and implement a 

Smithsonian-wide, data-informed digital strategy to put people at the center of our 

digital offerings. By adding this capacity, the Smithsonian will be able to deliver a

connected, seamless experience across our entire Institution that is focused on 

diverse audiences, informed by data, and driven by our new Strategic Plan. 

The additional resources and staff will also support website modernization and 

digital transformation efforts. It is essential to have the support staff who can better 

leverage data and technology to serve the public with our digital resources. Our 

physical museums and research centers attract tens of thousands of visitors every 

year, yet a strengthened virtual strategy provides an opportunity to reach even more 

parts of the country and expand our offerings for far larger audiences. 

Specifically, the additional funds will enable the Institution to advance its goal of 

ensuring that every household and classroom can access the Smithsonian’s digital 

24 
content. By building a foundation of digital capabilities centered on the customer 

experience, the Smithsonian will develop Web enhancements to meet the needs of 

the public and provide the greatest educational impact in line with the Institution’s 

mission “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

The systems supported by this request are the infrastructure that enables the 

Smithsonian’s collections and other content to be made available to our online 

audiences. The funding is therefore crucial to achieve the Institution’s transformation

goals and strategic priorities. Additional justifications for this request are provided in 

the respective unit budget submissions. 

EDUCATION 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Education Support +2,440 +6 

• Education Initiatives Pool +1,500 0 

• Education Unit Support +940 +6 

Education Support (+$2,440,000, +6 FTEs) 

The Smithsonian is the nation’s — and one of the world’s — most dynamic 

resources to support and enhance lifelong learning. Our 21 museums, three cultural 

centers, 21 libraries and archives, six research centers, six education centers, and the 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute encompass every part of the human 

experience — art, history, culture, and science — and make connections between 

artistic expression and scientific discovery, future and historic research, individuals, and 

communities at both global and local levels. 

The Smithsonian has evolved into one of the foremost education organizations in 

the country, supporting both informal and formal education ecosystems. Our educators 

enlighten, inspire, and engage people of all ages with rich and diverse programming. 

Simply put, our approach to education engagement, programming, and outreach strives 

to empower and equip teachers, accelerate student learning, broaden access to 

engaging content, and provide vast opportunities for exploration. 

In addition to providing in-person engagement within our museums and research 

centers, the Office of the Under Secretary for Education is developing a national 

strategy to work with state education agencies, districts, schools, and other partners to 

support learning experiences in communities across the nation. Therefore, additional 

investments in education staff and programming are needed to ensure America’s 

premier museum complex reaches communities nationwide. 

25 
• Education Initiatives Pool — The Institution is requesting funding of $1,500,000 

for a new Education Initiatives Pool, which would be administrated by the Office 

of the Under Secretary for Education, to support unit-specific programming, 

outreach, and projects. Annually, educators across the Institution reach 

approximately four million people through programing and outreach and our 300+ 

educators disseminate more than 10 million publications to communities. 

Smithsonian educators are skilled at curating inter-disciplinary learning 

experiences to support teacher professional learning, design relevant 

instructional resources, create student-centered interactives, provide in-person, 

hands-on engagement, and facilitate structured out-of-school-time experiences. 

In FY 2024, the Education Initiatives Pool will support unit-specific education 

projects and programming and accelerate collaborations with more than 200 

affiliate museums and cultural institutions across the nation. In addition, the 

funding will support our traveling exhibits, which last year reached 156 

communities and 41 states. Pool funds are also used to help improve student 

outcomes and enhance student learning outside of the classroom. To do this, the 

Smithsonian has embarked on new partnerships with trusted out-of-school 

organizations to reach millions of young people across the country. The 

requested pooled funds will support outreach, programming and engagement 

with these entities. 

• Education Unit Support — The Institution also requests funds (+$940,000 and 

+6 FTEs) to support six units that will play an essential role in delivering 

programs and serving schools and educators nationwide. The additional 

positions will increase unit-specific engagement to support overall strategic 

priorities. For example, units will increase digital education resources and expand 

virtual platforms; help ensure a world-class academic experience; strengthen 

engagement with community partners, particularly in rural and Tribal 

communities; help school districts engage in relevant and meaningful instruction 

and educational activities; and support partnerships with teachers and parents to 

provide the hands-on learning and exploration that promotes science, 

technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) skills in learners of all 

ages. Additional justifications for this request are provided in the respective unit 

budget submissions. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Category 

FY 2024 

Programs 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Exhibit Support +$300 +2 

• Exhibit Support +300 +2 

26 
Exhibit Support: (+$300,000, +2 FTEs) 

The requested increase will support the Institution’s traveling exhibitions managed 

by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations 

(SITES | Affiliations). The two new national outreach managers would serve as an integral 

part of the Smithsonian's outreach to the nation. Our current national outreach managers 

serve as the primary liaisons for more than 200 Smithsonian Affiliate organizations across 

the United States, Panama, and the local communities that fall under their areas of 

responsibility. In the conduct of their duties, they often reach broad and underserved 

audiences and connect Affiliates to the resources, content, and expertise of the 

Smithsonian, and develop programs, exhibitions, and other educational offerings for 

Affiliate communities. The national outreach managers have a broad understanding of 

their audiences’ needs and the best way to deliver programs both digitally and in-person. 

These two new positions will support Smithsonian efforts to build and enrich a national 

culture of learning while also expanding access to the Institution’s digital content. 

COLLECTIONS 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Collections Stewardship +$3,275 +9 

• Collections Support +1,775 +4 

• Animal Welfare +1,500 +5 

Collections Stewardship (+$3,275,000, +9 FTEs) 

Collections stewardship is a key component and core priority of the 

Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan. Assembled throughout the Institution’s 176-year history, 

the national collections are fundamental to carrying out the Smithsonian’s mission and 

serving as the intellectual capital for scholarship, exhibition, and education. The proper 

management, documentation, preservation, and accessibility of the collections are 

essential to the nation’s research and education infrastructure, enabling researchers to 

address such significant challenges as the spread of invasive species and the loss of 

biological diversity and its impact on global ecosystems and human welfare, as well as 

to better understand our nation’s complex and rich cultural history. 

• Collections Support (+$1,775,000, +4 FTEs) — The requested funds will support 

the establishment of a new Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Program at the 

Smithsonian. Specifically, funding is requested for the National Museum of Natural

History (NMNH) (+$1,400,000 and +2 FTEs) and the Institution’s National 

Collections Program (NCP) office (+$375,000 and +2 FTEs). 

In accordance with the Secretary’s policy and guidance, the program authorizes 

collecting units to return collections, in appropriate circumstances, based on ethical 

considerations. How a collection was originally acquired and the context of its 

27 
acquisition are important considerations. Circumstances demonstrating unethical 

acquisition may include items that were stolen, taken under duress, or removed 

without consent of the owner. 

This program will address one of the Institution’s top priorities by considering ethical

issues embedded in NMNH collections and helping foster better relationships with 

communities and countries around the world. There is a growing understanding at 

the Smithsonian and in the museum community that our possession of collections 

carries with it certain ethical obligations to the places and people where the 

collections originated. Among these obligations is to evaluate, using contemporary 

moral norms, what should be in our collections and what should not. Additional 

information is provided in the NMNH budget section. 

Funds are also requested for the NCP office to support Institution-wide efforts related 

to the implementation and oversight of the Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns 

Program as well as engagement on other collections issues. The NCP office provides 

central leadership, policy oversight, strategic planning, and support for Institution-wide 

collections initiatives. Additional funds are needed to sustain its leadership, 

coordination, and support of current and future collections initiatives, including 

innovative collections space planning, collections preservation environments, 

collections emergency management, and sustainable collections care. Further 

information is provided in the Administration section of this budget submission. 

• Animal Welfare (+$1,500,000, +5 FTEs) — Additional resources are requested for 

the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) to provide for the 

health, well-being, and safety of our animal collection, staff, and Zoo visitors. The 

accepted standards and industry best practices for medical care, husbandry, animal 

welfare, and safety for Zoo animals are continually increasing. The needs of animal 

care collections, including staff support and safety, continue to rise as our 

understanding of the unique challenges of caring for critically endangered species 

improve. For example, federal and state regulations require intensive animal 

quarantining and screening procedures to prevent disease transmission from wildlife 

to livestock, people, and other animals in the NZCBI living collection. As another 

example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in 2023 a final rule 

to establish new regulations and standards governing the handling, care, treatment, 

and transportation of birds covered by the Animal Welfare Act. Although NZCBI has 

successfully met the accepted levels of animal care standards thus far, it required 

redirecting resources to do so, which is not a sustainable approach in the long term. 

Additionally, new veterinary medical procedures, diagnostic, and testing require 

upgraded medical equipment and more specialized professional expertise. 

Moreover, breeding and research protocols designed to save endangered species 

from extinction require a new, more time-intensive, sophisticated management 

approach to ensure the safety of both animals and staff. The increased costs of 

food, including hay, a main food source for many animals, and life-saving medicines 

have significantly impacted the NZCBI operating budget. In the last five years, the 

28 
costs of some consumer market food products increased by an average of 60 

percent, life-saving medicine and other veterinary supplies and services increased 

by 70 percent, and hay field management labor and operational costs increased by 

approximately 88 percent. Managing these constant increases, which are partly due 

to the inflationary effects of supply chain disruptions, has forced tough and strategic 

decisions related to healthcare and nutrition management, thus increasing the risk of 

providing time-sensitive animal care. 

Finally, the NZCBI continues to modernize and update its historic 1920s-era 

infrastructure and animal enclosures. Maintaining animal habitats and providing 

specialized items for animals’ health and well-being as well as staff and public safety 

are required by oversight and regulatory entities such as the Association of Zoos 

and Aquariums (AZA) and the USDA. These standards are essential to appropriately 

care for our living collection while safeguarding the public and staff. Without the 

additional resources and specialized exhibits support, the quality of animal care and 

the visitor experience will be diminished, and the NZCBI’s professional accreditation

may be put at risk. 

FACILITIES SERVICES 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Facilities Services +17,200 +20 

• Facilities Maintenance +8,600 +10 

• Facilities Operations +4,400 +8 

• Security +4,200 +2 

Facilities Services (+$17,200,000, +20 FTEs) 

• Facilities Maintenance (+$8,600,000, +10 FTEs) — The Smithsonian requests an 

additional $8,600,000, including 10 additional FTEs, to improve facilities management 

practices, slow the growth of deferred maintenance backlog, reverse the decline of 

facilities conditions, and provide acceptable space for Smithsonian exhibits, research, 

collections, and staff. 

The Institution’s facilities conditions have declined, resulting in adverse impacts to

Smithsonian operations, collections, and visitor experiences. Coupled with growing 

inflationary factors, the deteriorating facilities conditions have caused Smithsonian’s 

deferred maintenance backlog to increase to $1.76 billion. 

The increased funding will support hiring additional building maintenance personnel 

as well as facilities asset management professionals to improve the overall facilities 

management program. This will allow the Institution to ensure the preventive 

maintenance of facilities systems is optimally scheduled and performed. It will also 

enable the improved identification, prioritization, programming, and execution of 

29 
 

 

 

 

 

facilities repair project to address the most significant deferred maintenance 

requirements in the most cost-effective manner. As a result, facilities conditions will 

gradually improve to better support the mission and reputation of the Institution. 

Specifically, the increased funding and improved facilities maintenance program will 

help ensure that proper environmental conditions are maintained for the national 

collections and the visitor experience. These essential funds will enable the 

Institution to complete additional repairs on life-safety systems; elevators and 

escalators; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems; plumbing 

infrastructure; roofing systems; and exterior hardscapes. It will also allow the 

Institution to address the need for hazardous material abatement in the 

Smithsonian’s many aging facilities. Several of the Institution’s national museums 

have experienced water leaks, sewage system failures, humidity spikes, and other 

adverse impacts resulting from failing infrastructure. With the funds requested, the 

Smithsonian will significantly reduce the incidence of such failures and resulting 

damages and preserve not only the collections but the Institution’s world-class 

reputation as the American public expects. 

• Facilities Operations (+$4,400,000, +8 FTEs) — Operating under a “new normal” 

in the post-pandemic era, as well recent inflationary pressures, requires additional 

resources to keep the Smithsonian’s staff, volunteers, and visitors safe. This request 

provides funding to cover inflationary cost increases for contracts, supplies, and 

materials, as well as additional cleaning demands, and to fill vacant positions which 

could not be filled because of increased operating costs. In addition, it will provide 

resources to fund a training program administrator and contract support to address gaps 

in the Smithsonian safety and health training programs and emergency capabilities. 

Finally, the requested funds will be used to develop emergency plans and training 

exercises to enhance the Institution’s security response to active shooters, extreme 

weather events, and natural/manmade and technological hazards. 

Despite efforts to improve efficiencies and outcomes, more resources are required to 

achieve acceptable standards of service and cleanliness. In addition, the 

revitalization of spaces, including the National Air and Space Museum, with modern 

and higher gloss finishes and exhibits, which get more traffic and require greater time 

and effort for cleaning, has intensified cleaning demands at the same time there is an 

increased need to keep public areas better sanitized in accordance with postpandemic protocols. The requested funds will also absorb the costs of NZCBI 

cleaning, snow removal, and trash removal and recycle operations which were once 

covered by the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) before its relationship with the 

NZCBI was dissolved during the pandemic. 

The Smithsonian’s goal is to achieve Association of Physical Plant Administrators 

(APPA) cleanliness Level 2, Ordinary Tidiness. Currently, the Smithsonian does not 

have sufficient resources to maintain the lower APPA Level 3 Casual Tidiness 

standard, which is resulting in a lack of cleanliness and sanitation in our museums. 

The funds requested will allow the Smithsonian to maintain the APPA Level 3 

standard and get closer to our goal of achieving APPA Level 2. 

30 
This request also includes funding to continue procurement of electric vehicles 

(including plug-in hybrid technology) and associated charging infrastructure as the 

Institution transitions its motor vehicle fleet to clean and zero-emission vehicles. The 

Smithsonian uses base fleet resources to operate new electric vehicles brought into 

the fleet and accelerate installation of the necessary charging infrastructure. 

• Security (+$4,200,000, +2 FTEs) — The Smithsonian has the solemn obligation and 

responsibility to provide adequate security for our staff, visitors, and museums on the 

National Mall. Security officers and staff represent our front line of defense, and it is 

imperative that we provide adequate resources to keep our museums safe and open 

to the public. 

Unfortunately, recent years have seen a demonstrated increase in violent crime and 

mass shootings in public spaces. We remain hyper vigilant and have taken many 

steps to mitigate the risks, including purchasing and installing new advanced 

electronic screening systems at some of our museum entrances to prevent the 

introduction of firearms to our facilities; outfitting our security officers with body 

armor; and upgrading our Smithsonian-wide electronic security system. While 

federal funding has enabled us to make significant progress in recent years, the 

Smithsonian remains a soft target in the current climate of internal and external 

physical threats. As a result, it is vital that we receive additional resources to 

enhance security, accountability, and emergency preparedness to better protect our 

staff, visitors, and collections. 

There are still a significant number of visitors who enter our facilities without going 

through enhanced security screening. Additional funds will allow us to install 

equipment for the remaining facilities not yet screening visitors. Furthermore, we 

have identified a need to increase the access control, emergency response, and 

accountability of our staff to mitigate the increased climate of physical threats, 

particularly insider threats. Increased funding will allow us to install and implement 

additional electronic security systems at our staff access points and ensure we are 

providing a safe and secure workplace. 

In response to the increased security risks, there is an essential need to enhance 

police and security response training, as well as provide annual staff security 

awareness training against the threat of an active shooter. To evaluate the 

effectiveness of our existing security resources, the Smithsonian conducted a 

benchmarking study of armed security officer pay with peer agencies in the 

Washington, DC area. For the Smithsonian, we determined that pay needs to be 

increased from a GS-5 level to a GS-6 for armed security officers to be competitive 

with similar agencies. Without the additional funding, Office of Protection Services’

officers will continue to leave the Smithsonian for better paying jobs elsewhere. This 

will lead to higher vacancy rates and ultimately an inability to fully open Smithsonian 

museums and research centers to the public due to safety concerns. 

31 
Accordingly, this request provides for additional equipment, wage increases for 

security officers, and enhanced security training of staff. Ensuring the safety of every 

person who walks through the Smithsonian’s doors will always be a top institutional 

priority. 

Additional information on these Facilities Services’ requests is provided in the 

Facilities Maintenance and Facilities Operations, Security, and Support sections of this 

budget submission. 

MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

Management Operations +5,530 +19 

• Information Technology (IT) Security +1,000 0 

• Human Resources Support +2,500 +11 

• Unit Management Support +2,030 +8 

Management Operations (+$5,530,000, +19 FTEs) 

During the next five years, the Smithsonian will focus on increasing the 

nimbleness of the organization’s administrative functions, both those that are managed 

centrally and those embedded within the individual museums, cultural and research 

centers, and units. By building stronger connections within the Smithsonian, we will 

increase the efficiency of our processes and generate more effective and integrated 

solutions. Equally critical is the goal of fostering an environment for staff that promotes 

attributes such as safety, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI), 

professional development, and individual accountability. In addition, we must ensure our 

information technology (IT) systems are safe and secure. 

• IT Security (+$1,000,000) — The Institution requests IT security funding 

(+$1,000,000) to enhance security monitoring and response, as well as to implement 

initiatives on zero-trust architecture. The funding also supports implementing 

initiatives on system security and authorization, supply chain risk management, threat 

intelligence, data-loss prevention, and enhancements to the Institution’s security 

assessment, risk management, and compliance processes. 

The requested increase will enable the Institution to rapidly detect and respond to 

increasingly sophisticated threats by expanding our ability to monitor and investigate 

potentially suspicious activities and identify and address risks to the Smithsonian’s 

supply chain. This funding will also help prevent the inappropriate disclosure or 

distribution of personal and other sensitive information and integrate security 

components for better visibility into our systems’ enterprise risk. Additionally, the 

requested funds will enable the Institution to enhance security training and improve 

compliance with payment card industry data security standards. 

32 
These resources are vital for the Smithsonian to effectively detect malicious activity; 

monitor and protect sensitive data; defend the Institution against sophisticated 

threats; investigate suspicious activity; manage risk both internally and from the 

cyber-supply chain; and adapt the Smithsonian’s electronic defenses to the evolving 

business needs of an increasingly remote and widespread work environment and 

the growing problem of cybercrime. 

• Human Resources Support (+$2,500,000, +11 FTEs) — Given the importance of 

attracting and maintaining an effective talent pipeline, while also focusing on staff 

retention and employee engagement, having sufficient resources available to 

support the Smithsonian’s Office of Human Resources (OHR) is vital. This request 

will continue ongoing efforts designed to improve hiring timeliness, provide quality 

and timely advice to managers and staff, increase staff training, and improve overall 

customer service to Smithsonian units. 

It is imperative for our success that the Smithsonian attract and hire the best talent 

while honoring DEAI in every work role within the Institution. 

The requested funding will support hiring additional staff in OHR to ensure that the 

Smithsonian meets or exceeds its hiring targets, develops and implements business 

process improvement strategies to enhance our time-to-hire, establishes a more robust 

performance management system, and provides additional resources to develop and 

deliver a wide range of training courses for the entire Smithsonian workforce. 

• Unit Management Support (+$2,030,000, +8 FTEs) — This request supports eight new 

positions to provide the important operational and management support that will ensure 

efficient operations in several units, including for the Office of the Inspector General. Our 

Strategic Plan approach emphasizes improving both central and unit-based operations, 

since they are all part of an integrated system. 

Within this area of focus, funding is requested to support the new Office of the Head 

Diversity Officer (+$800,000 and +3 FTEs). To ensure the Smithsonian is fully activating 

and responding to concerns about DEAI, the Secretary created a diversity office at the 

highest level of the organization to lead these efforts, build community, and engage 

throughout the Institution. The requested resources will provide the funding to staff the 

new office, enable it to develop Institution-wide training and guidelines, and build the 

community between the Smithsonian and people with disabilities through targeted 

outreach strategies. The Institution aspires to embody DEAI ideals in both our workforce 

and external programs and scholarship and continues to expand its reach, both within 

the Smithsonian and with external stakeholders, including the disability community, the 

museum field, and disability advocacy and justice organizations. Current staff members’ 

responsibilities and performance elements continue to increase in scope as the 

Smithsonian’s implementation of DEAI initiatives grows. 

Additional funds are requested for management support staff at the National Museum of 

American History (NMAH) (+$220,000 and +2 FTEs) and the Smithsonian Environmental 

33 
Research Center (SERC) (+$110,000 and +1 FTE). Investing in these positions will 

improve the procurement, communications, budgeting, human resources, and 

performance evaluation functions to provide efficient, nimble, cost-effective, and 

innovative operations. We want to devote resources to these important management 

positions because they are essential to museum and center operations. The lack of 

management support positions at NMAH and SERC has required other professional staff 

to focus on administrative tasks instead of the jobs they were hired to do. 

This request also includes additional funding (+$900,000 and +2 FTEs) for the Office of 

the Inspector General (OIG) to support contract audits in two high-risk areas (IT security 

and construction expenditures) and two essential positions (a deputy assistant inspector 

general for audits and an auditor). The OIG has been paying for the audits of these two 

high-risk areas with salary-lapsed funds caused by OIG’s chronic staffing shortfalls

However, starting in FY 2023, the OIG will be fully staffed and will need additional 

requested funds to pay for these annual high-risk audits. 

NEW MUSEUMS 

Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTE 

Change 

New Museums +10,000 +36 

• National Museum of the American Latino +4,000 +13 

• Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum +4,000 +16 

• Central Operations Support for New Museums +2,000 +7 

New Museums (+$10,000,000, +36 FTEs) 

• National Museum of the American Latino (+$4,000,000, +13 FTEs) —

Public Law 116-260, signed by the President on December 27, 2020, established 

the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) within the Smithsonian 

Institution. 

The mission of NMAL is to give voice to the richness and challenges of the Latino 

American experience so all people can better understand how it reflects the depth, 

complexity, and promise of the American experience, and serve as a national forum 

for collaborating on and celebrating Latino American history and culture through 

educational and social institutions. 

Specifically, the Museum will be the keystone for people in the United States and 

visitors worldwide to learn more about Latino contributions to life, art, history, and 

culture in the United States, as well as a gateway for visitors to view Latino exhibitions, 

collections, and programming at other Smithsonian Institution facilities and museums 

nationwide. 

34 
Funding in the request will enable NMAL to continue recruiting and selecting initial 

personnel; forming planning and coordination teams to develop exhibitions, public 

programs, education, research, collections acquisition, technology, and capital fund 

raising; and developing administrative operations. 

• Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum (+$4,000,000, +16 FTEs) —

Public Law 116-260, signed by the President on December 27, 2020, also established 

the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum (SAWHM) within the Smithsonian 

Institution. 

Currently, there is no national museum in the United States devoted to documenting 

women’s contributions throughout the nation’s history. On December 19, 2014, 

Congress created a commission to study the potential for an American museum of 

women’s history. The bipartisan commission unanimously concluded that the United 

States needs and deserves a national museum dedicated to showcasing the historical 

experiences and impact of women in the United States. A comprehensive women’s 

history museum will document the full spectrum of the experiences of women in the 

nation, represent a diverse range of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds, more 

accurately depict the history of our country, and add value to the Smithsonian Institution 

for the American people. 

Funding in the request will enable SAWHM to continue recruiting and selecting initial 

program personnel; forming planning and coordination teams to develop exhibitions, 

public programs, education, research, collections acquisition, technology, and capital 

fund raising; and developing administrative operations. 

• Central Operations Support for the Two New Museums (+$2,000,000, +7 FTEs) 

In FY 2024, it is essential that the Institution receive funding for operational support 

of the NMAL and SAWHM. The funding will support central functions and services, 

including hiring the initial Museum administrative personnel, budgeting, finance and 

accounting, contracting services, and other general operational support. This funding 

is vital to ensure an efficient and effective operation in building the two 

congressionally mandated museums. 

35 
NO-YEAR FUNDING — The following table reflects the FY 2023 and FY 2024 Salaries and 

Expenses requests for funding with no-year availability. 

No-Year Funding Request 

(Dollars in Thousands) 

Salaries and Expenses FY 2023 

Enacted 

FY 2024 

Request* 

Change from 

FY 2023* 

No-Year Funds 

National Museum of the American Latino 10,392 14,635 +4,243 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum 9,568 13,778 +4,210 

National Museum of Natural History 

Exhibition Reinstallation 954 954 0 

Repatriation Program 1,507 1,563 +56 

Major Scientific Instrumentation 4,118 4,731 +613 

Collections Acquisition 435 435 0 

Total, No-Year Funds $26,974 $36,096 +$9,122 

* Levels include necessary pay adjustments 

OBJECT-CLASS FUNDING — The following table provides an object-class breakout of 

the estimated obligations for direct resources in the Salaries and Expenses account. 

Salaries and Expenses 

($s in millions) 

FY 2023 

Enacted 

FY 2024 

Request 

Change from 

FY 2023 

Salaries and Benefits 529 578 +49 

Travel and Transportation 4 5 +1 

Rent, Utilities, Communications, 

and Other 

109 115 +6 

Printing and Other Services 202 216 +14 

Supplies and Materials 18 24 +6 

Equipment 25 28 +3 

Land and Structures 4 4 0 

Total, Object-Class Funds $891 $970 +$79 

36 
FEDERAL RESOURCE SUMMARY BY PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE 

AND PROGRAM CATEGORY 

The Smithsonian has developed its FY 2024 budget request by reviewing and 

prioritizing all resources and by identifying increases and decreases in relation to the 

Institution’s performance plan and overall Strategic Plan. 

The Institution’s program performance goals and objectives are aligned with the 

program categories used in the Federal Budget and the Institution’s financial accounting 

system. This enables the Smithsonian to clearly demonstrate the relationship between 

dollars budgeted and results achieved. 

The table below summarizes the Institution’s FY 2023 enacted budget and 

FY 2024 request, and shows the proposed changes by performance objective, and 

program category. 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 386 78,700 396 86,889 10 8,189

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 135 25,310 135 26,739 0 1,429

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 109 24,614 116 28,273 7 3,659

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 130 20,643 143 25,332 13 4,689

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to the public 171 42,221 176 45,108 5 2,887

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 357 66,559 359 69,376 2 2,817

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 455 89,609 471 98,075 16 8,466

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy environment 598 176,699 606 189,942 8 13,243

Deliver an aggressive and professional maintenance program 455 119,258 465 130,954 10 11,696

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, staff, 

visitors and volunteers 665 98,107 667 105,603 2 7,496

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 476 94,042 509 106,212 33 12,170

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and infrastructure 110 54,689 113 59,697 3 5,008

Ensuring Financial Strength

Secure financial resources required for Institution's mission 0 2,404 0 3,800 0 1,396

Total 4,047 892,855 4,156 976,000 109 83,145

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

37 
ENHANCED RESEARCH 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL TRUST DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS & 

CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 0 3,119 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 0 3,639 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 7 5,639 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

Performance Objective/ 

 Program Category FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 0 1,747 7 3,747 7 2,000

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 0 1,292 0 1,292 0 0

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate 

information to the public 0 600 0 600 0 0

Total 0 3,639 7 5,639 7 2,000

FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian’s enhanced research initiatives provide an overarching framework 

for the Institution’s scientific programs and operations. Funding these efforts will enable the 

Smithsonian to integrate the work of many disciplines within and across our museums and 

cultural and research centers, as well as broaden external collaborations. The programs 

are grounded in research and emphasize complementary education and outreach; 

together, they will influence how the Smithsonian directs its resources and focuses its 

energies. The Institution has developed and implemented initiatives to advance crossdisciplinary, integrated scholarly efforts which use a competitive internal process to 

distribute externally raised funds for advancing research, revitalizing education, and 

harnessing the power of emerging technology. The funding may also help to leverage 

additional resources, both internal and external, thereby amplifying the scope and breadth 

of cross-cutting research initiatives. Funds are distributed through existing Smithsonian 

units with subject-matter expertise to make the most cost-effective use of expenditures in 

the areas being supported. 

Although there are no specific units primarily associated with these initiatives, all 

Smithsonian museums, cultural and research centers, and offices will look for 

opportunities to integrate the Institution’s research goals and objectives into their 

38 
 

 

activities and programs. The table below summarizes the FY 2024 programs in the four 

centers. 

Programs 

FY 2023 

Enacted 

$000s 

FY 2024 

Request 

$000s 

Change 

$000s 

Universe Center 184 184 0 

Biodiversity Center 1,563 3,563 +2,000 

World Cultures Center 1,292 1,292 0 

American Experience Center 600 600 0 

Total 3,639 5,639 +2,000 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $2,000,000, which provides 

a programmatic increase for biodiversity research. The requested increase will help 

make research on important societal issues more focused, relevant, and rigorous for 

“the increase and diffusion of knowledge,” which is our core mission. The budget also 

supports the Smithsonian’s efforts to modernize and manage our research 

infrastructure and applies to scientific collections and biological field stations, as well as 

interagency partnerships, such as those with the National Ecological Observatory 

Network (NEON) and its relationship with our Forest and Marine Global Earth 

Observatories. Specifically, these resources will enhance the science for conserving 

biodiversity and ecosystems in ways that support culture, livelihoods, and social equity. 

While other research institutions work in fields which may resemble those of the 

Smithsonian, the Institution’s scientific initiatives complement the operations of our federal 

agency and university partners. The federal appropriation we receive enables us to 

approach research from a uniquely long-term perspective. We establish observatories that 

collect data for many decades, enabling studies to keep acquiring collections and data for 

use by scientists and citizens nationwide and throughout the world. The Smithsonian is also 

well-positioned to communicate these research results to the public. 

The Institution’s scientific research enhances but does not duplicate that of our 

partner federal agencies such as the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Commerce, 

and Defense, all of which have staff in residence at our facilities; or our contracted partners 

such as the United States Navy, United States Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration, 

Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), 

for whom we share our expertise to boost the quality and impact of federally funded science 

for natural resource management. Our exceptional scientific staff collaborates regularly with 

research universities in the United States and abroad, as faculty benefit from participating in 

the Smithsonian’s long-term research studies and the Institution recognizes the expertise 

these scientists bring to those programs in return. This mutually beneficial arrangement 

adds value to the research conducted by both public- and private-sector participants and 

results in a more efficient, symbiotic coordination of our resources. 

39 
Category 

FY 2024 

Program 

Increase ($000s) 

FY 2024 

FTEs 

Increase 

Biodiversity Research 

• Global Earth Observatories +1,000 +5 

• Life on a Sustainable Planet +1,000 +2 

Total Increases +$2,000 +7 

Biodiversity Research (+$2,000,000, +7 FTEs) 

The Smithsonian has a special role nationally and globally in not only conducting 

biodiversity and ecosystem research, but also training the next generation of scientists and 

providing infrastructure and information which enable research by others. Everything the 

Institution does in biology — from acquiring collections and conducting research to 

advancing education and outreach — is potentially useful to the bioeconomy, which 

represents the infrastructure, innovation, products, technology, and data derived from 

biologically related processes. The biological sciences also drive economic growth, 

promote public health, and increase social benefits for the American people. 

For example, much of the Smithsonian’s research as part of the U.S. Global Change 

Research Program (USGCRP) is directly relevant to biosecurity; such as keeping diseases 

and pests away from animals, people, and property; and biosurveillance monitoring that 

detects and prevents the spread of pests and diseases and contributes to long-term publichealth security goals. 

The Smithsonian is well known for research products which help sustain 

biological diversity, assess the effects of climate and develop equitable, nature-based 

resilience strategies, and understand and manage invasive species and infectious 

diseases. The Institution’s assets include one of the world’s largest groups of scientists 

working on the biology of plants and animals, a network of Earth observation platforms 

and field stations, and huge collections of specimens and libraries of resources. 

• Global Earth Observatories, ForestGEO and MarineGEO (+$1,000,000, +5 

FTEs) 

The mission of our Global Earth Observatory (GEO) networks is to accelerate 

understanding of the diversity and functioning of forest and marine ecosystems to 

predict their futures and sustain their vital roles in supporting life on Earth. The 

world’s forest and marine ecosystems support all aspects of life on Earth: 

everything from providing food, medicines, and building materials to storing 

carbon and regulating climate. They have never been under more pressure from 

the dual threats of climate and land-use changes. Research-based global 

solutions are required to mitigate these risks and increase ecosystem resilience: 

our networks provide the deep science to allow ground-truth based-solutions. 

The Smithsonian GEOs have developed globally distributed in-situ monitoring 

and experimental observatories on land (ForestGEO) and in the sea 

40 
(MarineGEO) which, coupled with new global scientific capacity and satellite 

data, are transforming our understanding of these ecosystems and providing 

policy makers with options for their future sustainable management. 

The Smithsonian provides the essential foundation for these networks, based on: 1) 

long-term global leadership and workforce development in biodiversity science; 2) 

multi-disciplinary science that draws on the resources of the Tropical Research 

Institute (STRI), Environmental Research Center (SERC), National Zoo and 

Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI), and the National Museum of Natural History 

(NMNH); 3) inter-agency collaborations, including those with the National Science 

Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy, NEON, Long-Term 

Ecological Research, and BOEM; 4) scientific and educational partnerships with 

diverse U.S. universities; 5) leadership in open science and information and 

knowledge dissemination; 6) programs for strengthening scientific capacity nationally 

and internationally; and 7) enhancing international partnerships built through 

science-based diplomacy. 

For FY 2024, the Institution requests funding (+$400,000 and +2 FTEs) for the 

Forest GEOs. The ForestGEO network provides long-term scientific data about 

biodiversity and the ecological, hydrological, soil, and meteorological processes 

associated with climate change at local, regional, and global scales, as well as 

invaluable data on carbon storage. 

The requested resources will: (i) expand ForestGEO to better represent all major 

forest types worldwide, transforming the network into a permanent global 

observation system for the world’s forests; (ii) broaden the scientific disciplines 

addressing forest response to climate change through strategic appointments in 

genomics, microbial ecology, and ecosystem modeling; (iii) ensure the long-term 

value of ForestGEO science by strengthening the coordination and management 

of ForestGEO sites and future data collection; and (iv) increase the role of 

ForestGEO in science development through Fellowships and training to build the 

human resources needed to solve the global forest crisis. Together, these steps 

will provide a robust opportunity to revolutionize our understanding of one of 

Earth’s most biologically complex and important systems.

In addition, the Institution requests funds (+$600,000 and +3 FTEs) for the Marine 

Global Earth Observatories, or MarineGEO. The MarineGEO network is dedicated to 

understanding changes in the structure and function of coastal marine ecosystems, 

as well as monitoring, forecasting, and enhancing resilience to global change. The 

MarineGEO sites document and monitor blue carbon, which is vital to understanding 

nature-based solutions, and support local fishery knowledge. These funds will build 

on existing Smithsonian federal and trust investments and collaboration with NOAA 

and the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on 

Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), and leverage in-kind support from a range 

of academic partners to expand the network beyond the initial sites. 

41 
• Life on a Sustainable Planet (+$1,000,000, +2 FTEs) 

The funding requested will support research partnerships and public 

communications related to our Life on a Sustainable Planet initiative, including 

work related to environmental resilience, ecosystem monitoring, climate, and 

related fields. The funds will also enable Smithsonian scientists to coordinate with 

other national and international efforts. In addition, the new funding will provide 

research and monitoring infrastructure and support personnel across Smithsonian 

facilities and programs, allowing the Institution to meet evolving needs and 

priorities. The potential practical uses include bolstering current monitoring 

networks (particularly in grasslands) and establishing new field sites. 

42 
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 131 21,552 92 7,082 36 16,822 3 765 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 131 22,380 69 9,963 37 12,287 2 633 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 131 23,405 69 10,065 38 11,998 2 689 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 19 3,862 19 4,042 0 180

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 211 1 221 0 10

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 4 604 4 632 0 28

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 8 1,273 8 1,332 0 59

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 22 3,609 22 3,777 0 168

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 54 8,510 54 8,904 0 394

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 2 394 2 412 0 18

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 17 3,103 17 3,233 0 130

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 4 814 4 852 0 38

Total 131 22,380 131 23,405 0 1,025

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

43 
 

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) collects,

preserves, studies, and exhibits artifacts and works of art related to the history, 

culture, and science of aviation and spaceflight and the study of the universe. Its 

cutting-edge research and outreach activities serve multiple audiences within and 

beyond its walls. The Museum commemorates the past, looks at current and future 

developments in aerospace, and educates and inspires the next generation of 

innovators and explorers to study and apply science, technology, engineering, art, 

and math (STEAM) to create the future. 

NASM is administered as one Museum with multiple locations: the National 

Mall Building (NMB) in Washington, DC; the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (UHC) in 

Chantilly, Virginia; and the Paul E. Garber Facility in Suitland, Maryland (a nonpublic facility). This past year is most notable for the level of effort expended to 

prepare the Museum for the safe and successful reopening of its flagship facility on 

the National Mall. Despite lingering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, 

increasing costs, and altered schedules, NASM opened eight new galleries in FY 

2023 to considerable public and media acclaim. 

The Museum provides millions of on-site guests from around the world with 

access to its peerless collection of aerospace artifacts and stories. In calendar year 

2022, NASM had 424,000 visitors at the NMB and 1,176,000 at the UHC. In 

addition, the Museum continued to engage the public online through enhanced 

digital resources reaching more than 10 million virtual guests via its website, 

broadcast/webcast educational programming, and social media. 

While reopening newly transformed galleries, the Museum successfully 

released its new brand and unveiled its improved website. This effort now allows 

NASM to provide exceptionally large amounts of digital analytics and educational 

programming through a user-friendly and fully modernized platform. The Museum 

also completed its first full year of publishing the “Air and Space Quarterly,”

releasing four publications on time and rapidly growing its readership. 

In FY 2023, NASM continued to collect and preserve the nation’s key 

aviation and space artifacts and archival material, as well as those from other 

countries, and to perform original research and reference support in aviation, 

space history, and planetary science. Core activities support a broad array of 

exhibitions, programs, publications, and education and outreach projects. As new 

audience trends emerge after the pandemic, the Museum is balancing on-site 

and online programming to provide educational resources and engaging, 

entertaining, and inspiring content for learners of all ages. 

NASM accomplishes its public service mandate and reaches diverse 

audiences by drawing upon a mix of in-house and contracted resources as well 

as a large roster of volunteers and docents. Museum exhibits immerse visitors in 

the stories of people of all backgrounds who have broken barriers, defied what

was thought possible, and changed the world to inspire a new generation to 

44 
accomplish the amazing. As Apollo 11 command module pilot and the first 

director of NASM Michael Collins once said, “To go places and do things that 

have never been done before — that’s what living is all about.” Today, digital 

offerings allow anyone, anywhere to take a path that engages them with the 

Museum’s collections and stories, provides resources to students, teachers, and 

researchers, and integrates those elements with the in-person experience to 

amplify its impact.

In FY 2023, NASM is focused on revitalizing the NMB and transforming all 

the exhibits there. Preparation for artifact movement as part of the revitalization 

and transformation effort resulted in a detailed plan to relocate and 

conserve/preserve more than 4,000 artifacts. This has involved steadily moving 

artifacts to the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar and Emil Buehler 

Conservation Lab at the UHC for treatment. Artifacts are being temporarily stored 

in the Dulles Collections Center Storage Module or on the public floor of the 

UHC. Museum teams and contractors are finalizing designs and components for 

the east end of the building even as NASM senior leadership moves forward with 

plans for the Bezos Learning Center (BLC) and revisits master plans for the 

UHC, all while continuing world-class science and history research programs. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

Public Engagement — Learning at NASM sparks curiosity and empowers 

audiences to imagine the possibilities of our collective future. Museum staff 

continue their efforts to reach diverse groups in meaningful ways through 

exhibitions, educational programming, research reference support, publications, 

and digital outreach. In FY 2024, NASM will use its transformation to continue 

strengthening the Museum’s role as a learning facilitator and convener by 

developing experiences to place the audience at the center of its activities and 

programs. The Museum will continue to embrace hybrid programming through both 

online and onsite learning to engage national and local audiences. The team will 

deploy several tools to track progress. Among those tools are a three-year, digital 

engagement roadmap, key performance indicators, participation targets calculated 

with a percentage increase from the previous cycle, and quality assessments 

conducted by external evaluators. This combined strategy will position NASM as a 

key stakeholder in building a nation of innovators and explorers via experiences 

inspired by real-world issues, and rooted in national learning standards, to help 

foster critical-thinking skills. Developing these skills in diverse learners will prepare 

them to be high-quality contributors in a complex 21st century global society and 

continue advancing America’s status as home to the world’s greatest innovators. 

As both a national and community Museum, in FY 2024 NASM will continue 

adding programs and products to its arc of engagement for learners from preK to 

adult levels. Museum staff will support educators’ abilities to enhance classroom 

learning via high-quality professional development focused on teaching with 

collections and aligned to national learning standards. These efforts include a 

professional learning community (PLC) of middle-school educators, the Teacher 

Innovation Institute, on-demand, YouTube-based teacher resources, and 

45 
 

workshops and in-service activities for schools and community-based 

organizations. NASM will launch a series of design challenges for youth to leverage 

resources across the Smithsonian and are rooted in, and have the potential to 

solve, real-world problems. The Museum will also launch the BLC Student 

Architecture and Design Challenge by bringing the team of winning entrants onto 

the Learning Center’s architecture and development team. 

In addition, the Museum will build upon the success of virtual and on-site 

student-focused programs and resources to inspire the next generation of 

innovators and explorers. One component of this work will be continuing to add to 

the Museum’s Web-based learning resources hub that launched in fall of 2022. The 

presentation of these resources is unique in that users only need select from five 

drop-down menus to get a series of resources served up to them, eliminating the 

many hours classroom educators spend surfing the Web for high-quality resources. 

The NASM team will also focus on expanding audience awareness of the 

Museum’s suite of online early childhood experiences, Flight of Fancy, which 

includes readings of air-and-space-inspired original stories, associated craft time 

segments and accompanying music videos. 

In FY 2024, NASM staff and volunteers will continue supporting daily 

experiences for students and families — such as hands-on science activities, 

demonstrations, virtual planetarium shows, STEAM labs, engineering and design 

student workshops and resources for learners with autism and sensory perception 

disorders. The Museum will also facilitate large, multi-faceted, day-long events 

which can reach tens of thousands of diverse visitors in one day such as 

Innovations in Flight and Air and Scare. In addition, NASM will recruit its astronomy 

educators to help develop and implement programming for the total solar eclipse in 

April of 2024. 

The Museum continues to advance Institutional priorities by making 

collections, archival documents, and images available via publicly accessible 

websites. NASM collections and archival databases contain extensive 

information on the history and provenance of each artifact and are an effective 

way to offer in-depth information to the public through electronic or digitized 

means. These electronic resources may also encourage more researchers to 

request access to the Museum’s many archives and collections, and to make inperson visits to follow-up on initial online research efforts. The NASM Archives 

set up workflows for attaching digital assets to the Smithsonian Online Virtual 

Archives (SOVA). Since then, more than 78,844 digital assets were attached to 

SOVA in FY 2022, resulting in a total of 1,251,661 digital assets 

currently available to the public. 

Exhibitions — In FY 2023, the Museum continued to ensure stewardship 

of and access to its priceless collection of aerospace artifacts and archival 

materials and produce expert scholarship and research while guiding the 

fabrication of new exhibitions at the NMB. These exhibits offer a fresh 

interpretation of many stories the artifacts represent. During FY 2023, NASM is 

finishing the design and starting fabrication of 10 new galleries in the east end of 

46 
 

the building, including: a rotating exhibit in the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations 

Gallery, with the first installment being about climate change; the Barron Hilton 

Pioneers of Flight Gallery which will feature the famous Spirit of St. 

Louis airplane that Charles Lindbergh piloted in the first solo flight across the 

Atlantic Ocean; the TEXTRON How Things Fly Gallery, with more than 50 

mechanical interactives aimed at teaching middle-school students STEAM 

concepts; the Raytheon Technologies Living in the Space Age Gallery with lifesize spacecraft; the Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air Gallery, which will display 

prime examples of military aviation; and the At Home in Space Gallery, 

Discovering Our Universe Gallery, Flight and the Arts Center, and the Modern 

Military Aviation Gallery. Additionally, the Museum is finalizing the Boeing 

Milestones of Flight Hall, which will feature a large screen showing the collection 

on display in the Museum. 

Collections — In support of NASM’s transformation, the Museum has 

completed the de-installation of 3,454 objects from the NMB. Roughly 1,200 of 

these objects will be returning for exhibition, with the balance of 2,200 going on 

display at the UHC, on loan to other museums, or into storage at the Dulles 

Collections Storage Module. Approximately 3,000 objects will be installed in the 

transformed Museum galleries, including many artifacts never on display before. 

Most of the artifacts slated for display will require some type of preservation 

or conservation and the collections staff has estimated the treatment time for each 

artifact. Treatment of all the artifacts is estimated to take approximately 15,000 

workdays, including conservation and preservation. This work has progressed on 

schedule, with more than 1,000 artifacts already moved, treated, or in treatment. 

FY 2022 brought some major acquisitions, such as Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard PM4-2 Propulsion Module and the Intelsat 1 “Early Bird” flight test 

satellite. 

NASM continues supporting outreach through an active loan program. The 

Museum collaborates with private collectors, corporate entities, and Smithsonian 

and non-Smithsonian museums to secure loans of artifacts to share with the public 

in new exhibits, inspiring stories of America’s role in pioneering aeronautics and 

space exploration. NASM has engaged with 132 lenders to borrow more than 400 

artifacts for the National Mall exhibits. The Museum has an active outgoing loan 

program that currently supports more than 1,000 objects on loan to 160 borrowers. 

In FY 2022, Museum staff relocated 106 medium-sized and 3,956 small 

artifacts from inadequate storage facilities at the Paul E. Garber Facility in 

Suitland, Maryland to the UHC in Fairfax County, Virginia. The relocation of 

artifacts from inadequate to museum-quality storage will continue for the 

foreseeable future. 

Facilities — The Smithsonian is using the Dulles Collections Center Storage 

Module 1, next to the UHC, as a swing space for storing artifacts from the NMB as 

the main Museum undergoes renovations. After completion of the NMB revitalization, 

47 
this storage module will support the continued move of artifacts from the Garber 

facility but is only the first of five such buildings required to store all the NASM 

artifacts remaining at the Garber facility. Accordingly, in FY 2023, NASM has begun 

designing a second storage module project. 

In the meantime, NASM has continued making progress on the NMB 

revitalization effort in FY 2023, beginning with the public opening of phase 1 westend Museum exhibition spaces and the continued phase 2 renovation activities in 

the east half of the NMB. In addition, design work is ongoing for the BLC to be 

located on the east terrace. 

Scientific Research —NASM’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies 

(CEPS) conducts original research related to planetary exploration, with an 

emphasis on the evolution of solid surfaces throughout the solar system. The 

Center also curates galleries and offers public programs in the planetary sciences. 

NASM scientists currently work as science team members for the Mars 

Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Express, Curiosity Mars rover, InSight Mars lander, 

Venus EnVision, OSIRIS-APEX (to visit the asteroid Apophis), and Lunar 

Reconnaissance Orbiter missions. NASM scientists analyze the data from these 

and other missions to solar system bodies and convey this exciting information to 

the public. Original research and publications in scientific literature concentrate on 

the National Research Council and National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

priorities to determine the origin of solar system bodies and habitable planets, with 

an emphasis on the past climate of Mars and icy moons with subsurface water in 

the outer solar system. 

Historical Research — The Museum continues to lead in the field of 

recording aerospace history by producing books, scholarly articles, and other 

publications, and by making presentations at professional conferences on the 

history of aerospace technology, aviation, aerodynamics, spaceflight, space 

sciences, and aviation and space art. Based on their research and expertise, 

NASM’s archives and curatorial staff will continue to evaluate potential acquisitions 

for the national collections and respond to public inquiries. The Museum will also 

continue to upgrade exhibitions dealing with aviation and spaceflight, thereby 

ensuring that current materials remain available to the public. 

Curators across NASM continue to produce an average of more than 50 

publications each year, many award-winning. For example, the book Operation 

Moonglow, by curator Teasel Muir-Harmony, won the American Institute of 

Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award. 

Other significant publications by NASM scholars in FY 2022 included Flying 

Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia, by 

Michael Hankins, and The Wind and Beyond: A Documentary Journey into the 

History of Aerodynamics in America, Volume III, co-edited by Jeremy Kinney. 

NASM historical research also appeared in important journals, including curator 

Michael Neufeld’s articles in Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly and the 

Journal of Educational Media, Memory, and Society. 

48 
Digital, Social Media, and Media — The Museum continues to expand its 

use of digital and social media outreach to share educational, collections, and 

research information with the public and encourage their engagement with online 

assets, as well as to visit NASM and participate in its programs and events. Across 

all platforms, the number of Museum followers increased by more than 13 percent 

in FY 2022, with continued strong engagement per post. Website visits topped six 

million. In FY2023, the Museum continued developing its analytic data to deliver 

targeted content to students, teachers, and other key audiences to ensure they 

have access to NASM’s educational resources and provide timely information on 

visitation and programs. 

The Museum also engages consistently with local, national, and 

international media to ensure potential visitors are aware of the collections, 

educational offerings, research findings, and NASM events. During FY 2023, those 

efforts generated more than 20,000 print and online stories, with a potential 

audience impression numbering in the tens of billions. 

Management — In FY 2022, the Smithsonian named a new permanent 

director of NASM who is supported by a seven-member senior leadership team. 

The team advances tactical objectives to achieve the goals of the Museum’s FY 

2020-2025 strategic plan: Expanding Our Universe. NASM is implementing this 

plan by moving to a hybrid work environment, with telework-eligible employees 

splitting time between their duty stations and telework sites. Management 

decisions are rooted in cost-effective and responsive administration to make the 

most out of the opportunities from revitalizing and transforming the NMB. 

The Museum also continues to pursue the goals of the Diversity, Equity, 

Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) strategic implementation plan to ensure that 

the NASM reflects the population of the United States and the world. To assist 

with these efforts, the Museum has chartered an Employee Resource Group to 

give a voice to employees and enlist them as partners in DEAI efforts. The 

Museum has also reviewed and improved its recruitment and hiring practices to 

ensure that hiring panels are diverse and interviews include DEAI-related 

questions. NASM continues to widen candidate searches to better reach underserved populations, provide curriculum and programming to support a more 

inclusive environment, and work with a DEAI content lead for the exhibition 

program. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,025,000 for 

necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded in this line 

item. 

49 
 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support research, 

education, exhibitions, and fund raising, including salaries and benefits. 

Donor/sponsor-designated funds support costs related to specific programs and 

projects. A $250 million campaign to support the transformation of the NMB and 

the reimagination of the 23 exhibits and presentation spaces is under way, with 

$240 million already secured. The Museum received the largest gift since the 

Smithsonian’s founding when Jeff Bezos donated $200 million, approximately $70 

million of which will fund part of the transformation efforts (included in the $240 

million shown above). The remainder of the Bezos gift, $130 million, will fund 

education programs and the building of the BLC. Private support is also used to 

fund educational initiatives and public programs, as well as to apply for 

Government grants and contracts which support research and other scientific 

activities. However, the extended closures of the NMB and the UHC due to the 

COVID-19 pandemic continue to have a significant effect on NASM’s reduced 

private-sector revenue stream and will impair programming and operations at the 

Museum for years to come. 

50 
 

SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED GOV’T GRANTS INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 88 25,733 92 23,957 7 5,851 237 79,003 1 237 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 88 26,412 92 24,475 7 6,096 237 79,003 1 249 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 90 27,844 92 24,475 7 5,851 237 79,003 1 249 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 81 20,865 82 21,854 1 989

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 0 0 1 187 1 187

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 1 220 1 230 0 10

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 0 3,172 0 3,369 0 197

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, 

staff, visitors and volunteers 1 230 1 230 0 0

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 5 1,680 5 1,729 0 49

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 0 245 0 245 0 0

Total 88 26,412 90 27,844 2 1,432

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

51 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Founded in 1890, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is the 

largest and most diverse astrophysical research institution in the world. SAO has 

helped develop some of the world’s most powerful and sophisticated astronomical

instruments, with high resolution at wavelengths across the electromagnetic 

spectrum. Alone or in long-standing partnerships with the National Science 

Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and 

the Department of Energy, it has pioneered the development of orbiting 

observatories and large, ground-based telescopes; the application of computers to 

study astrophysical problems; and the integration of laboratory measurements and 

theoretical astrophysics. Observational data are gathered at SAO’s premier 

facilities: the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii; the 6.5-meter-diameter Multiple 

Mirror Telescope (MMT); the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile; and the 

Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) in Arizona; 

as well as the specialized telescopes at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. 

SAO also conducts research with a broad range of powerful instruments aboard 

rockets, balloons, and spacecraft (most notably, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, 

the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and the Parker Solar Probe), and at locations as 

diverse as the high plateaus of northern Chile and the Amundsen South Pole 

Station. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, SAO collaborates with the 

Harvard College Observatory to form the Center for Astrophysics  Harvard and 

Smithsonian. 

SAO’s mission is to: (1) advance the public’s knowledge and understanding of 

the universe through research and education in astronomy and astrophysics; and (2) 

be of service to the national and international astronomical communities, and to 

society in general, in areas associated with our primary mission. SAO directly 

supports the Smithsonian Strategic Plan goal to “Harness the Smithsonian’s 

expertise to elevate science in the global discourse.” 

SAO’s research is unique and world-renowned because of the strength and 

diversity of its observers, theorists, instrument developers, engineers, and laboratory 

scientists, and because SAO emphasizes multiple strategies which draw from the 

strengths of both small projects and large research centers, including NASA flagship 

missions. Indeed, SAO’s extraordinary research success is partly the result of the 

rich cross-fertilization among its outstanding scientists and engineers in a climate 

that nurtures collaborative excellence, the sharing of ideas, and the building of 

cutting-edge telescope instrumentation. 

For decades, SAO astronomers and their colleagues have made 

revolutionary discoveries which have changed our fundamental understanding of the 

universe and our place in it. We have discovered and examined planets in orbits 

around other stars, watched as new stars are born, and found bizarre remnants of 

dead stars that emit vast quantities of x-rays. We have determined that the universe 

is 13.7 billion years old, and that it is populated with billions of galaxies, most of 

which have supermassive black holes at their centers. We have found convincing 

52 
 

evidence that most matter in the universe is an unexpected mixture of some kind of 

mysterious “dark matter,” with normal matter making up less than four percent of the 

total; and that the expansion of the universe is apparently accelerating, driven by a 

mysterious and invisible “dark energy.” At the same time, SAO astronomers conduct 

the vital basic research that seeks to understand the sun and explain its x-rayemitting corona, the nature of our solar system, the abundant elements in our Milky 

Way Galaxy, the gas and dust between the stars, the formation and evolution of 

galaxies, and the large-scale structure of the universe. Today, SAO continues to use 

advanced technologies to make new discoveries which will tell a coherent story of 

the cosmos from the Big Bang to the origins of life on Earth. 

SAO has an extraordinary 

record in developing and 

successfully implementing large, 

complex, and innovative 

observational and theoretical 

research projects. Additionally, 

SAO carries out investigative 

research performed by individual 

researchers and small groups. This 

broad range of activities creates 

the distinctive, fertile research 

environment that drives SAO’s 

success and makes it a recognized 

global leader in astrophysics. 

No event better illustrates the 

strength of SAO’s science than the 

extraordinary images of 

supermassive black holes caught 

by the Event Horizon Telescope 

(EHT) in 2019 and 2022. The EHT 

team was led by SAO astronomer Dr. Sheperd Doeleman and many of the key subelements were led by junior scientists at SAO. Hundreds of researchers from the 

United States, Europe, and Asia contributed to this project under SAO’s leadership. 

SAO now leads the Next Generation EHT project, which will greatly expand the 

telescope’s capabilities and eventually allow scientists to watch black holes evolve 

in real time. 

In 2023, SAO will launch and operate the NASA Tropospheric Emissions 

Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite, which will conduct hourly monitoring of 

pollution over the United States. In addition, SAO is developing an education program 

that will allow students to download and analyze TEMPO data for high-school 

research projects. 

In 2022, SAO astronomer Mercedes Lopez-Morales and her team was one of 

four “tiger teams” that used data from the new James Webb Space Telescope to 

detect carbon dioxide in a planet outside our solar system, for the first time. 

53 
 

Building on its recent record of success, SAO is now embarking on a major 

new mission to deliver instrumentation for the Giant Magellan Telescope. With 

unmatched image quality, seven of the world’s largest mirrors will work in concert to

collect unprecedented images of the farthest reaches of the universe. The Giant 

Magellan Telescope will unveil the stars and galaxies in the infant universe just after 

the Big Bang, help us understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy through 

gravitational lensing, and reveal the presence of oxygen in extrasolar planet 

atmospheres for the first time, allowing us to distinguish between planets that may 

harbor life and planets without life. 

SAO is building the following three instruments for the Giant Magellan 

Telescope on behalf of the U.S. astronomical community: 

• GMT — Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF): A high-precision 

spectrograph to detect O2 on extrasolar planets, and the only spectrograph of 

its type for decades; 

• Acquisition, Guiding and Wavefront Sensing System (AGWS): An 

innovative sensor system to keep the telescope mirrors aligned so that light 

from distant stars and planets will be sharp; and 

• GMT — Multi-object Astronomical and Cosmological Spectrograph 

(GMACS): A transformative wide-area spectrograph to detect light from the 

first galaxies in the universe. 

These instruments will be available for the entire U.S. astronomical 

community to drive new discoveries on behalf of the American public. SAO aims to 

have G-CLEF ready and tested before its commissioning on the Giant Magellan 

Telescope. 

54 
MEANS AND STRATEGY 

SAO scientists make optimal use of various astronomical facilities, including 

the ground-based optical and radio telescopes owned and operated by SAO in 

Arizona and Hawaii, and space-based telescopes, most notably the Chandra X-ray 

Observatory, which is operated by SAO on behalf of NASA. SAO scientists also 

have research access to the two 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes in northern Chile 

through a partnership with the Harvard College Observatory. SAO scientists and 

engineers are leading the science operations team and using the VERITAS 

telescope to carry out a vital scientific research program in very high-energy 

astrophysics. These facilities enable SAO scientists to make substantial progress in 

answering basic questions about the origin and nature of the universe, including 

efforts to learn more about dark energy and dark matter, as well as questions about 

the formation and evolution of the Earth and similar planets. In addition, SAO 

scientists will continue their work on future space missions, collaborating with NASA 

and its research centers on missions to study the sun, the x-ray universe, and the 

outer solar system. 

SAO collaborates with Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, Institute of Astronomy and

Astrophysics, to establish radio observatories in Greenland. A 12-meter-diameter 

telescope was delivered to Thule in 2016 and came online in 2018. Plans are being 

developed to move the telescope to Summit Station, the NSF’s site high on the ice 

plateau. These additional capabilities will play a crucial role in enabling new, more 

detailed, next-generation Event Horizon Telescope observations of our neighboring 

galaxy M87, which can produce a “black-hole cinema” to help us better understand 

how black holes grow and feed from their surrounding stars and gas. 

The Astro2020 Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics ranked the 

U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program, including the Giant Magellan 

Telescope, as its top priority for U.S. ground-based astronomy. SAO is a 

founding partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope. As one of 14 partners, 

including Harvard, the University of Texas at Austin, Carnegie Observatories, the 

University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Chicago, Texas 

A&M, and the Australian National University, SAO is helping to build the GMT 

instruments with additional funding from partner institutions, which is normal for 

large telescope projects. SAO’s role reflects its status as one of the nation’s 

leading engineering programs and is why SAO has been chosen to build more 

Giant Magellan Telescope instruments than any other U.S. organization. 

In addition to helping develop telescope instrumentation, SAO scientists take 

a leadership role in astrophysics by participating in or hosting national and 

international conferences (e.g., the American Astronomical Society, the 

International Astronomical Union, and the Astronomical Data Analysis Software and 

Systems conference series), by participating as keynote and/or invited speakers at 

such meetings, and by serving on a diverse range of astronomical and 

astrophysical review panels. SAO scientists also continue to publish in leading 

peer-reviewed journals, such as the Astrophysical Journal, the Astronomical 

55 
Journal, and Astronomy & Astrophysics. In addition, SAO developed and operates 

the NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS), which is recognized as a world leader 

in the dissemination of scientific literature about the cosmos. 

SAO scientists lead and contribute to nationwide education and outreach 

programs, including the micro-observatory program that allows students worldwide 

to control robotic telescopes and design and conduct astronomy experiments. SAO 

will expand its nationwide education reach with the launch of the TEMPO satellite 

by developing a telescopes-in-schools program, targeting rural and underprivileged 

schools across the country, and with an astronomer-in-residence program at the 

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM). 

Supporting SAO’s information technology (IT) infrastructure to ensure it is robust, 

reliable, and secure remains a priority. Additionally, SAO is committed to 

maintaining a cooperative environment via communications and activities which 

underscore SAO’s special mission and each staff member’s contribution to its 

success; evaluating managers and supervisors on their compliance with applicable 

equal opportunity laws, rules, and regulations, and on the effectiveness of their 

efforts to achieve a diverse workforce; and facilitating the use of small, minority, and 

women-owned businesses in its procurement operations and business relationships 

to the maximum extent practicable. These proven management approaches will 

continue to support and enhance SAO’s scientific and educational missions. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes a total increase of $1,432,000 that 

provides $861,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff 

funded under this line item, and an increase of $197,000 to cover increased rental 

costs for current federally leased space, which is also referenced in the Fixed Costs 

section of this budget submission. The request also includes a programmatic increase 

of 2 FTEs and $374,000 as described below. 

Education Support (+$187,000, +1 FTE) 

An important new initiative in FY 2024 is to implement an ambitious new 

education and outreach program at SAO. This budget request seeks an increase 

of 1 FTE to hire an SAO education program manager to drive this effort. This 

position will develop and manage a nationwide telescopes-in-schools program 

called Smithsonian Telescopes and Astronomy in Regional Schools (STARS) and 

an astronomer-in-residence (AIR) program at the NASM. STARS will provide 

portable, computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, teacher training, and 

student projects to high-school students in rural and regional schools in the United 

States to enhance student engagement in science and technology in underserved 

areas. AIR will bring SAO astronomers (based in Boston) to Washington, DC to 

share their science with school children and the public through an ongoing 

residency program at the NASM. 

56 
Scientific Research (+$187,000, +1 FTE) 

The budget request also includes an increase of $187,000 and 1 FTE for a 

manufacturing engineer position at the SAO to help oversee the development and 

assembly of the G-CLEF instrument and play a key role in commissioning the 

instrument. Specifically, the position will conduct surveys with GMT pathfinder 

instruments and the MMT and Magellan telescopes and collaborate with scientists 

to fully exploit the use of the G-CLEF instrument. 

The G-CLEF will enter a multi-year integration period beginning in 

December 2023. This period requires increased coordination as well as tooling 

and fixturing to enable these parts to be carefully assembled into the G-CLEF 

instrument. 

These multi-year preparations are essential to the overall SAO science 

program and the instruments that SAO is developing. To fully maximize the 

discoveries with next-generation telescopes, these scientific preparations require 

several years of lead time prior to the telescope becoming operational. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds come primarily from 

overhead charged on grants and contracts. SAO uses these funds to support 

administrative functions approved in the Indirect Cost Proposal submitted to the 

Department of the Interior, as required by 2 Code of Federal Regulations 200, 

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards. Donor/sponsor-designated funds come primarily from restricted 

gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations, which are earmarked for 

specific purposes; restricted endowment funds; and non-Governmental grants and 

contracts. Government grants and contracts come from Government agencies for 

research in areas of SAO’s expertise. SAO often conducts this research in 

cooperation with governmental, academic, and research institutions in the United 

States and abroad. 

57 
MAJOR SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTATION 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS & 

CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 0 4,118 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 0 4,118 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 0 4,731 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 0 4,118 0 4,731 0 613

Total 0 4,118 0 4,731 0 613

Salaries and Expenses ($'s in thousands)

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

Federal Resources by Performance Objective and Program Category

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s (SAO) work directly supports the 

Smithsonian Strategic Plan’s goal to “Harness the Smithsonian’s expertise to elevate 

science in the global discourse.” SAO contributes to advancing knowledge and is at the 

forefront of humanity’s quest to understand the universe. 

SAO’s strength in observational astrophysics relies on its major ground-based 

facilities: the Submillimeter Telescope Array (SMA), the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), 

the Magellan Telescope, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s 

(NASA) space-based facilities, including the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the new James 

Webb Space Telescope, the Parker Solar Probe, and the upcoming Tropospheric 

Emissions Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite. Access to both ground- and spacebased observatories enables SAO scientists to conduct research that would be 

impossible with either type of observatory alone. 

SAO’s future strength in ground-based observational astrophysics depends on 

developing specialized instruments and facilities which do not yet exist. A team of 

talented scientists and engineers must devise these tools with support from multiyear MSI 

funding. Continued federal support makes this leadership possible. 

58 
The Smithsonian uses its no-year funding from the Major Scientific Instrumentation 

(MSI) line item to develop large-scale instrumentation projects with advanced 

technologies which enable SAO scientists to remain at the leading edge of astronomy and 

astrophysics research. The Smithsonian’s criteria for proposing and selecting MSI 

projects are: 1) the instrumentation will enable compelling scientific advances that would 

not otherwise occur (either at SAO or anywhere else in the world) for some time to come; 

2) the instrumentation is novel, technically advanced, and would not be developed without 

SAO’s contribution; and 3) the science enabled by the innovative instruments would 

significantly advance the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan. The fundamental role for federal 

appropriations is to support the basic scientific infrastructure that enables SAO to conduct 

research, compete for external grants and funding, publish articles in peer-reviewed 

journals, and inform and educate the public about the latest scientific discoveries in an 

exciting and compelling manner. The magnitude of the costs involved, and the long 

timeline required to fabricate major new instruments and reconfigure existing ones, 

require that MSI funds for these projects be kept available until they are spent. 

Innovative instrumentation has enabled Smithsonian astronomers to make 

fundamental discoveries about the universe. Today, SAO scientists use advanced 

technologies to tell a coherent story of the cosmos from the Big Bang to the origins of life 

on Earth. MSI funds are used to meet this objective. 

Three SAO projects are included in the FY 2024 MSI line item: the Greenland 

Telescope; the SMA on Mauna Kea, Hawaii; and the work being done at the MMT in 

Arizona, as well as the advanced telescope instrumentation for the GMT and the 

Magellan Clay Telescope located at the Las Campanas Observatory in northern Chile. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

SAO’s mission is to engage in astrophysical research and discovery. Observational 

astrophysics is the basic science responsible for understanding the universe and its 

components beyond Earth. SAO has contributed to many key discoveries in astrophysics, 

including: 1) the remarkable discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating; 

2) the discovery of enormous filamentary patterns traced by galaxies in the universe; 3) 

the most compelling demonstration of the existence of supermassive black holes at the 

centers of most galaxies; 4) the discovery of very high-energy gamma rays; 5) the most 

convincing observational evidence for the existence of dark matter; 6) the discovery of 

planets orbiting other stars and carbon dioxide in the atmospheres of those planets; and 

7) the spectacular image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky 

Way and our neighboring galaxy M87, released by the SAO-led EHT team. SAO 

scientists contributed to these discoveries by using key facilities that enable observations 

in several different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum (i.e., the broad range of light 

emitted by shining objects in the universe). 

59 
SAO’s pre-eminence in the field is underscored by the prominent role its scientists 

take in the consideration and establishment of national policy for astrophysics. SAO 

scientists participated in the National Academies of Science Decadal Survey of 

Astronomy and Astrophysics as members of science definition teams and topical panels. 

In addition, SAO offers key advice and reviews to NASA for the recently deployed James 

Webb Space Telescope. 

Advanced Telescope Instrumentation for the Optical Telescopes ($2,613,100) 

SAO’s expertise in building large and powerful instruments is a crucial capability in 

the era of extremely large telescopes. Continued MSI funding will enable SAO to conduct 

this research and maintain the United States’ lead in this important scientific field.

SAO leads the design, development, and manufacture of the GMT- Consortium 

Large Earth Finder (or G-CLEF). G-CLEF will search for planets that are “Earth Twins” 

orbiting other stars, and for evidence of life on those planets. G-CLEF is the only 

instrument in development that can detect signs of biological activity (life) in exoplanet 

atmospheres. 

In FY 2024, MSI funds will be used to continue designing G-CLEF and develop 

prototypes of the high-risk subsystems needed to use the instrument to its full potential. 

MSI funds will also help prepare G-CLEF for testing on the 6.5-meter Magellan Clay 

Telescope in Chile. SAO’s ability to use the Clay Telescope for this purpose is funded and

facilitated by its partnership with the Harvard College Observatory. 

The MMT, a joint project of SAO and the University of Arizona, dedicated in 1979, 

was originally made up of six identical 1.8-meter telescopes in a single altitude-azimuth 

(naval-gun-type) mount. In the 1990s, SAO and the University of Arizona replaced the six 

smaller mirrors of the original MMT with a single mirror 6.5 meters in diameter. This large 

mirror more than doubled the light-gathering capacity of the telescope, and a set of large 

corrector lenses, built with MSI funding, has since increased its field of view 400 times. 

The MMT is a superb platform on which to develop innovative technologies for the new 

generation of extremely large telescopes such as the GMT. Accordingly, SAO scientists 

are developing novel instrumentation to validate and optimize the underlying concepts 

before similar GMT-scale instruments are constructed. 

Greenland Telescope ($500,000) 

The Greenland Telescope, located in Thule, Greenland at the U.S. Air Force 

Base, was originally a National Science Foundation (NSF) prototype for the Atacama 

Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The Greenland Telescope was transferred to SAO from 

NSF Astronomy and retrofitted for cold-weather operation by SAO’s partner institution, 

the Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taiwan. 

60 
These investments by the NSF and our Taiwanese collaborators are greatly enhanced 

by the SAO contribution, making the project an excellent opportunity to capitalize on a 

highly leveraged use of federal funds with high-value science returns on the investment. 

The Greenland Telescope serves as the northernmost node of the EHT network, 

operated jointly with SAO’s SMA (in Hawaii), the international ALMA telescope array (in 

Chile), and other telescopes, to make unprecedented observations of the event horizon 

of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the giant galaxy M87 (M87*). The 

telescope will continue to be a key resource for new observations of M87* and 

potentially other black holes. 

SAO worked with the NSF Division of Polar Programs to identify a high, dry, 

northern site on the Greenland ice sheet as the ideal place for high-frequency radio 

astronomical observations that require excellent atmospheric transmission and 

exceptional atmospheric stability. As part of its contribution to this project, the NSF is 

redeveloping the Greenland Summit Station to better conduct this research. 

Submillimeter Telescope Array ($1,617,900) 

The SMA is a pathfinder telescope that operates between radio and infrared 

wavelengths to better explore the cool universe. In recent years, scientific studies have 

continued to focus on the study of the distant universe, planet-forming disks, and star 

formation. The SMA is also a key element of the EHT, as discussed above. 

SAO scientists and engineers are dramatically improving the sensitivity of the 

SMA and enabling remarkable wideband capabilities to obtain comprehensive 

molecular inventories of star-forming regions to shed light on the origin of complex 

organic molecules. Continued improvement to the SMA’s sensitivity, imaging, and 

studies of transient phenomena depend on upgrading the telescope instrumentation that 

receives and processes the incoming signals using innovative technologies. The 

upgrades highly leverage the infrastructure investment in the antennas and at the site. 

With continued MSI funding, SAO is building and testing new wideband receiver 

sets at its labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Once all eight SMA antennas have been 

equipped with the new receiver sets, the sensitivity of the SMA will be increased by 

more than a factor of 20 since the SMA was commissioned nearly two decades ago. Its 

instantaneous frequency coverage will be wider than that of any other radio telescope. 

61 
EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes a total increase of $613,000. This 

programmatic increase is an investment to fully develop G-CLEF, a high-precision 

spectrograph to detect oxygen molecules on habitable planets outside our solar system. 

G-CLEF will be the only instrument of its type for decades. With this funding, G-CLEF will 

be completed and installed on the 6.5-meter Magellan Clay Telescope. The G-CLEF 

instrument on Magellan will allow SAO to detect molecular oxygen on an extrasolar planet 

for the first time. G-CLEF is a flexible and adaptable instrument, allowing it to be installed 

on many telescopes worldwide, including Magellan and the GMT. Funding G-CLEF will 

enable SAO to make tremendous advances in humankind’s understanding of our 

universe and the uniqueness of our planet Earth. 

62 
 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T 

GRANTS INTERAGENCY 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 277 53,435 16 3,669 44 14,607 6 2,522 11 1,135 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 277 55,239 18 3,950 46 15,200 7 2,650 11 1,175 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 279 58,925 19 4,150 47 15,300 7 2,700 11 1,190 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 88 18,795 88 19,573 0 778

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 4 547 4 569 0 22

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 11 1,915 11 1,994 0 79

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate 

information to the public 42 7,694 42 8,013 0 319

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 26 3,917 26 4,079 0 162

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 77 16,893 79 18,992 2 2,099

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 4 906 4 943 0 37

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, 

collections, staff, visitors and volunteers 1 195 1 203 0 8

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 12 1,946 12 2,026 0 80

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 12 2,431 12 2,533 0 102

Total 277 55,239 279 58,925 2 3,686

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

63 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The mission of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is to understand 

the natural world and our place in it. We seek to inspire curiosity, discovery, and 

learning about nature and culture through outstanding research, collections, 

exhibitions, and education. 

Building upon our unique and vast collections and associated data, field 

research stations, specialized laboratories, and an internationally recognized team of 

science researchers, the Museum staff and the knowledge they generate serve a wide 

range of constituencies from various federal agencies to the public. 

NMNH scientific research focuses broadly on discovering, documenting, and 

understanding biodiversity; studying the formation and evolution of the Earth and other 

planets; exploring human diversity and cultural change; and investigating evolutionary 

patterns and processes throughout the history of life on Earth. This research is closely 

linked to important societal issues such as global climate change, biodiversity loss, 

cultural conflict, environmental justice, invasive species, and man-made and natural 

hazards. 

In terms of reputation, NMNH science has worldwide impact and is often cited 

by the greater scientific community. Our researchers discover new species and 

document and analyze how species arise, evolve, persist, diversify, and interact with 

each other and with the environment, as well as how they migrate and go extinct. Our 

Earth and planetary scientists contribute to understanding of our world’s history as well 

as the effects of geologic and meteoritic phenomena on Earth’s atmosphere and 

biosphere. They study the dynamic planet we inhabit in all its aspects, from its surface 

to its core. NMNH anthropologists use collections and field-based studies to help 

understand the continually evolving story of our species and our interactions with other 

life and with the planet. Our staff also translate science to society through their diverse 

and dedicated outreach efforts and invest heavily in training and mentoring the next 

generation of new scientists. 

Our physical collection, consisting of more than 148 million specimens and 

objects, and our collections expertise are at the core of the Museum’s mission as well 

as fundamental to science. The scope and breadth of the NMNH collections provide a 

vast research infrastructure that supports the scientific mission. The Museum’s

scientists work with their professional colleagues in the United States and around the 

world to further build and draw on these collections, make new discoveries, and test 

new theories. NMNH collections also represent a valuable historical archive in their 

own right, since they document billions of years of planetary, geological, organismal, 

and cultural changes. As part of a larger Smithsonian initiative, the Museum focuses on 

the ethical uses of collections, particularly those related to humans, in light of changes 

involving current societal considerations and concerns about equity and respect for 

diverse cultures and traditions. 

NMNH collections provide vital information and are a dynamic resource used by 

researchers, educators, and policy makers worldwide. They serve as essential 

reference materials for U.S. Government agencies. These resources are used by staff 

64 
members for the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and Agriculture, who are 

housed in NMNH facilities. For example, tens of thousands of insects urgently requiring 

identification are sent to the Museum from U.S. ports of entry each year. Scientists at 

the Department of Agriculture and the NMNH consult the collections and rapidly 

provide identifications to border control agencies so that American agricultural and 

economic interests are kept secure from damage by potentially invasive species. 

NMNH collections also serve repository functions for agencies such as the National 

Cancer Institute, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA). The FBI also uses the Museum’s human skeletal 

collections to assist in its criminal investigations. 

NMNH’s first-class research and collections are at the heart of its exhibitions 

and educational outreach. As one of the most visited museums in the world prior to the 

COVID-19 pandemic, the NMNH provides diverse public audiences with presentations 

on every aspect of life on Earth. Through its many affiliations and partnerships, the 

Museum takes its science exhibitions and public programs to other institutions and 

non-traditional exhibition venues, such as libraries, parks, schools, and universities 

across the country. With a growing body of digital data, network of interactive websites 

(which host more than 12 million unique visitors annually), distance-learning 

experiences, and social media, the NMNH is transforming itself into a true digital 

classroom that is accessible to everyone — free of charge. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

During the next four years, the Museum will continue implementing its strategic 

plan — Our World, Our Future. At the heart of this plan is a recognition that the NMNH 

plays a central role in tackling some of the biggest issues of our time by using its 

research, outreach, and collective efforts to inspire and train the next generation of 

natural history scientists. Through this effort, the Museum will align itself with broader 

Smithsonian objectives and embrace NMNH’s potential as a convener of national and 

international conversations, reaching Americans in their own communities through a 

more visible digital presence, and seizing opportunities to partner with other 

Smithsonian units to strengthen our collective impact on the public. 

The Museum’s strategic plan is centered around the following four “Big Idea” 

initiatives which are supported with a combination of federal and private funding: 

• Our Unique Planet will combine NMNH Earth science assets and a NASA 

mission to understand the origin of the Earth’s oceans, continents, and the 

geologic conditions that allowed for the evolution of life on our planet. 

• The Ocean Science Center will consolidate the Museum’s vast marine portfolio 

and create an array of new tools, techniques, and collections to measure marine 

biodiversity more accurately and rapidly. 

• Our World will be an immersive Museum experience that uses big data and 

stunning visualizations to drive home the reality, impact, and urgency of the 

65 
current climate and biodiversity crises we face while focusing on success stories 

to help visitors understand the opportunities for positive outcomes. 

• The Inclusive Science Initiative will focus on youth from underserved 

communities and under-represented groups and train them to be the next 

generation of scientists and science-savvy citizens. 

On this last point, NMNH has a long history of training future scientists. In FY 

2024, the Museum will continue combining federal and private funding to invest in the 

next generation of young scientists and researchers, with an emphasis on opportunities 

for individuals from diverse backgrounds. Through NMNH academic programs, the 

Museum will continue creating a staircase of academic opportunity to mentor the next 

generation of scientists and professionals. These programs take students and young 

professionals from the early stages of scientific exploration in high school to the 

postdoctoral peak of stepping into the role of professional researchers, by offering 

various Fellowship and internship programs for undergraduates, graduates, and 

postgraduates. 

NMNH is committed to the stewardship of its scientific collections. These 

resources play an important federal role in public health and safety, homeland security, 

trade and economic development, medical research, and environmental monitoring. 

They also provide the foundation for the Museum’s diverse research, exhibits, and 

public outreach programs. The NMNH will continue its strong commitment to cuttingedge research and state-of-the-art stewardship of the collections, in partnership with 

the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior. Significantly, 

federal funding is the keystone for maintaining and preserving these priceless 

collections and their valuable information for future generations, while also supporting 

their use for ongoing research. 

The Museum’s collections are the bedrock of its scientific enterprise. That is why 

the scientific research staff is organized into seven departments: anthropology; botany; 

entomology; mineral sciences; invertebrate zoology; paleobiology; and vertebrate 

zoology. NMNH programs address current topics, such as biological diversity, global 

climate change, molecular systematics to better understand the relationships between 

living things, ecosystem modeling, and the documentation and preservation of human 

cultural heritages. In 2022, the Museum’s scientific staff authored more than 720 

scholarly publications. On an annual basis, they typically contribute to the discovery 

and description of hundreds of species new to science. 

In FY 2024, the NMNH will continue to maintain and upgrade permanent 

exhibitions; replace outdated exhibits with multidisciplinary, interactive exhibitions on 

the Mall; improve public access to the Museum’s resources through DIY (Do-ItYourself) exhibits; and expand our digital reach across the country. 

The Museum’s most significant and substantial multiyear project (FY 2023 into 

FY 2026) is The People and Nature Experience. Encompassing nearly 10,000 square 

feet on the building’s second floor, the Experience combines exhibits and interactives 

with an awe-inspiring, multimedia immersive zone to thrill people with the wonders of 

our natural world, imbue them with hope that by working together we can help our 

66 
fragile earth revive, and connect them with the means to get involved in doing such 

work. Made possible through substantial philanthropic support, the Experience and its 

associated on-site and online programming focus on the youth of America, and their 

parents, teachers, and advocates. 

Three special exhibitions that opened in FY 2023 will continue into or through 

FY 2024. Barro Colorado Island: 100 Years of Discoveries and Wonder was developed 

by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) to celebrate the centennial of 

the Barro Colorado Island Research Station in Panama, the most intensively studied 

tropical forest in the world. For the past century, this island has drawn scientists from 

around the globe who study everything from microbes to towering trees. Barro 

Colorado is the oldest active research station in the American tropics and has been 

described as one of the Smithsonian’s “jewels in the crown.”

In March of 2023, the Museum opened Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky. 

Developed in conjunction with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and 

with contributions from NASA, Lights Out explores how the sight of the night sky — and 

its disappearance due to light pollution — affects all life on Earth, from natural 

ecosystems to human cultures. Featuring stunning images of the night skies from 

around the world and revealing images of our over-lit Earth as seen from space, Lights 

Out shows visitors what steps they can take in their homes and communities to lessen 

light pollution and re-connect with the dazzling night show in the skies above. 

In June of 2023, the Museum will launch the long-awaited exhibition Cellphone: 

Unseen Connections, a youth-oriented investigation into the often-surprising 

connections between the natural world and the fastest-growing and most widespread 

technology in human history. Made possible with a combination of federal funding and 

corporate support, Cellphone combines displays of natural specimens and 

technological and cultural artifacts with innovative media interactives to tell a rich story 

about the environmental and societal impacts of that ubiquitous device in our pockets. 

Varied on-site and digital educational programming will extend the exhibit’s impact into 

schools and communities nationwide. 

The Museum’s groundbreaking DIY program offers bilingual print-on-demand 

poster versions of popular exhibits, which are free to schools, community centers, 

libraries, and clinics around the world and will expand to five exhibits in FY 2024. Our 

pilot project, the DIY version of Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World, has been 

displayed in more than 55 countries and 47 U.S. states and territories. Dig It! The 

Secrets of Soil and Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code came next, followed by Exploring 

Human Origins in FY 2023, and finally Cellphone: Unseen Connections that will be 

available in FY 2024. 

The COVID-19 pandemic that closed the Museum to the public required making 

significant adjustments to the special exhibits calendar, but NMNH has since welcomed 

visitors back with a full offering of exhibitions and collections on display. 

In FY 2024, the Museum will continue to inspire public appreciation of, and 

engagement with, science and the natural world through efforts in our education, 

outreach, and visitor experience programs. Ever mindful of public access, the NMNH 

67 
will continue improving the accessibility of exhibits and programs and reach 

underserved audiences and visitors from under-represented communities. 

In FY 2024, NMNH will study the effectiveness of its programs and activities and 

how they impact audiences, both at the Museum and nationwide. These studies will 

include evaluative as well as research-based inquiries which can inform learning about 

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. The Museum is 

also using a system known as ISEE (informal STEM education evaluation), developed 

by NMNH with its partner, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, 

Ohio, to measure informal-education outcomes and institutional impact within and 

across organizations. The system was developed with support from the National 

Science Foundation. 

In addition, Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center — the 

Museum’s interactive STEM learning facility — continues bringing NMNH research and 

collections to visitors and learners. Q?rius programs inspire, nurture, grow, and 

diversify the next generation of STEM professionals by helping citizens become aware 

of their connection to current issues affecting the natural and cultural world. In FY 

2024, the Museum will launch a Web-based application for visitors’ phones to give 

audiences more control over their own learning experiences as they explore the 

education collections within Q?rius. 

In FY 2024, in-person, on-site, interactive learning experiences at the Museum 

will continue with programs such as “The Expert Is In” series and special events such 

as Teen Earth Optimism, National Fossil Day, and the World and Me. These programs 

provide opportunities for the public and NMNH science experts to come together and 

discuss natural history and science topics. 

During the pandemic, NMNH educators acquired new insights into teacher and 

student needs and adjusted the Museum’s digital education strategy by developing 

nine transmedia bundles, which are collections of digital experiences and content 

resources, each thematically aligned to core science concepts and skills. Each bundled 

collection is anchored with a digital school program, which is a standards-aligned 

school program delivered by NMNH educators directly to individual classrooms or 

groups of classes by grade level within schools. They also include live Smithsonian 

Science webinars to connect students with a Smithsonian scientist who will talk with 

them about natural history science research. The content aligns with the Smithsonian’s 

“Life on a Sustainable Planet” initiative and Next Generation Science Standards. In 

school year 2021–2022, more than 1,000 of these school programs were delivered to 

32,000 students nationwide. 

Additional Museum outreach activities will include traveling exhibitions, the 

Ocean Portal and Human Origins websites, and the Encyclopedia of Life, as well as 

digitized collections and longstanding programs of lectures and films. 

These NMNH programs and resources will continue to inspire audiences by 

making them aware of current issues related to the natural and cultural world, helping 

them understand their role as citizens in addressing those issues, and providing 

experiences to inspire stewardship, conservation, and protection of natural and cultural 

68 
diversity. In addition, Museum staff are reaching new youth audiences and increasing 

youth participation in a continuum of opportunities to inspire, nurture, grow, and 

diversify the next generation of STEM professionals. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $3,686,000 that provides 

$2,286,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, as well as a programmatic increase of 2 FTEs and $1,400,000 for 

collections stewardship. 

Collections Stewardship (+$1,400,000, +2 FTEs) 

The NMNH requests $1,400,000 and 2 FTEs to launch a Shared Stewardship 

and Ethical Returns program for implementing one of the Secretary’s top priorities in 

the recently released Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy of 2022. This 

program will be the cornerstone in the Museum’s future collections stewardship actions 

and directly support the Secretary’s Ethical Returns Policy by addressing ethical issues 

embedded in the NMNH’s collections. The program will resolve these ethical issues by: 

1) ensuring the ethical return of cultural material, as well as biological or geological 

material, when appropriate; 2) reproducing objects in the Museum’s collections; 3) 

enabling the digital return of archival or other records; and 4) sharing stewardship in 

accordance with the Secretary’s policy. The program will operate on a global scale, 

working with cultural heritage and other materials. The Shared Stewardship and Ethical 

Returns program will help the Smithsonian address the legacies of colonialism and 

power imbalances inherent in museum collections obtained during the 19th and early 

20th centuries. This program will strengthen the position of the Smithsonian as a global 

leader and effective collaborator by acknowledging the rights of communities that have 

been traditionally overlooked, leading to better cultural understanding and increased 

relevance for all the Institution’s museums.

Investment in this program will bolster the NMNH’s role as a trusted source of 

ethical guidance for the museum community, which is a top Smithsonian priority. The 

program’s mission directly relates to diversity and inclusivity by restoring cultural 

heritage and other materials obtained during an era of colonialism and pronounced 

power imbalances. However, without significant investments in funding and staff to 

implement this program, it will not be possible to meet policy requirements. The 

Museum’s current resources are fully dedicated to Native American and indigenous 

repatriation within the United States, so the NMNH is at present unable to adequately 

support a global shared stewardship and ethical returns program without additional 

funding. Simply put, unless these vital resources can be made available, the Museum 

will not be able to contribute to the Smithsonian Institution’s important strategic 

initiative of being a trusted source of ethical collections management and stewardship. 

69 
NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and 

benefits of administrative personnel, advancement and business activities, and other 

program-related costs. The Museum raises funds from private sources to support 

research, exhibitions, public programs, and administrative functions. Donor/sponsordesignated funds are vital to support exhibition hall renovations and offer educational 

activities and programs. In addition, significant endowment gifts support internships 

and Fellowships which introduce more students to the natural sciences, underwrite 

field research, and help the Museum maintain and expand its educational programs. 

70 
NATIONAL ZOO AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 203 33,655 41 6,891 39 11,496 6 1,286 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 204 35,388 41 12,323 42 10,703 7 1,200 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 209 38,279 43 12,627 43 10,883 7 1,300 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 45 4,963 45 5,213 0 250

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 1 137 1 197 0 60

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 88 17,951 88 18,351 0 400

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 61 10,603 66 12,443 5 1,840

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 2 333 2 433 0 100

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 5 977 5 1,137 0 160

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 2 424 2 505 0 81

Total 204 35,388 209 38,279 5 2,891

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

In FY 2024, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 

(NZCBI) will continue to implement its strategic plan (2020–2025) with the focus for 

FY 2024, as follows: 

71 
• Enhance Animal Care, Safety, and Sustainability 

The life, safety, and health of the animals in our care is core to the NZCBI’s

mission of “saving species” and “sharing knowledge.” Federal funding is vital to 

fully meet the costs for animal care, including increases to comply with new 

federal requirements and evolving Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) 

accreditation standards, the gold standard in zoological care. In short, federal 

funds are essential to provide for the basic, minimal needs of the animals in our 

living collection — resources that cannot be secured through philanthropy, grants, 

or partnerships. Costs for animal care, drugs and medicines, animal food, as well 

maintaining habitats or replacing and repairing equipment generally increase 

faster than the annual rate of inflation, even with the past year of higher inflation. 

The health, well-being, and safety of both the animals and staff of the NZCBI 

are its highest priority. As the science of zoology and aquatic studies grows, so too do 

accepted standards or best practices for medical care, husbandry, animal welfare and 

safety for zoo animals. Therefore, zoological facilities must continually improve in all 

areas to keep up with rising standards and expectations from regulatory agencies as 

well as the visiting public. The AZA standards are updated annually and have recently 

focused on increasing the requirements for animal welfare by mandating investment in 

monitoring programs, evaluations, and data collection, and then developing action 

plans to improve in areas of concern. 

Additionally, new veterinary medical procedures, diagnostics, and testing 

require more medical equipment and expertise, and breeding and research protocols 

to save endangered species from extinction require cutting-edge, sophisticated 

management approaches to ensure the safety of both animals and staff. When every 

birth of an endangered animal may impact the survival of a species, new and laborintensive approaches are increasingly needed to provide life-saving veterinary care, 

medication, and hand-rearing that literally mean the difference between life and death. 

As our understanding of animals’ social and behavioral needs increases, so too 

do the size and complexity of their spaces and monitoring equipment to observe their 

behavior overnight without the distracting presence of humans. Maintaining 

appropriate animal habitats requires extensive investments in their environments to 

allow for more species-appropriate behaviors and social interactions. With the opening 

of the new Bird House at the Zoo, the NZCBI team needed to monitor the acclimation 

of the birds to the newly renovated interior spaces, assess their behavior, and respond 

to welfare challenges. Similarly, when introducing two pairs of siamangs (a type of 

arboreal gibbon) to adjacent enclosures, using technology to monitor for indications of 

territoriality improves the animals’ well-being and keeps the staff safe. 

Finally, the welfare protocols and processes which enhance the safety of both 

the animals and the people who care for them are rapidly evolving and involve 

specialized equipment and additional staff to ensure best practices (e.g., two-person 

rules for staff working with large, dangerous carnivores; and lock-out/tag-out systems 

72 
 

 

to ensure humans and dangerous animals never unintentionally share space). In 

addition, the NZCBI works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to 

ensure our facilities exceed the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. As the USDA 

implements new requirements related to bird management, the NZCBI will need to 

make investments to ensure the Bird House is a leader in bird welfare and husbandry. 

• Fortify and Focus Science, Animal Care, and Collections Management to 

Advance Species Conservation and Sustainability 

The NZCBI is world-renowned for its efforts to research, care for, breed, and 

reintroduce some of the world’s most critically endangered species. More than 370 

species are exhibited at the Zoo’s Rock Creek Park campus, including giant pandas, 

Panamanian golden frogs, Sumatran tigers, and Asian elephants. One of the NZCBI’s 

key contributions to ensuring the survival of endangered species is the work at its 

3,200-acre site in Front Royal, Virginia. There, NZCBI staff study and breed more than 

20 species, including some — like black-footed ferrets — that were once extinct in the 

wild. Both locations house and care for some of the world’s most endangered animals, 

such as kiwis, clouded leopards, red pandas, and cheetahs, among others. 

The Great Plains Science Program is a critical area for research at the NZCBI, 

where staff scientists are helping preserve the northern Great Plains of North America 

by conducting studies on topics such as restoring bison and reintroducing the swift fox 

to the environment. NZCBI scientists are developing new and advanced analytical 

tools to model how ecosystems and species interact with their environment and how 

these systems respond to global climate and other changes. 

Additionally, NZCBI scientists and animal care experts collaborate with 

colleagues in more than 30 countries, working to identify solutions to threats facing 

endangered animal populations. That is why the NZCBI staff is known throughout the 

conservation and zoo community for continually setting high standards for medical 

care, nutrition, husbandry, reproduction, and safety for zoo animals, and for helping to 

ensure those standards are adopted by zoos worldwide. Recent accomplishments 

range from enhancing the sustainability of the North American elephant population 

and improving safety for keepers of dangerous carnivores to better understanding 

cheetah reproduction and reintroducing the scimitar-horned oryx to the wild in Chad. 

In 2023, the NZCBI reopened the Bird House after more than six years of 

renovations to the 1928 structure. Focused on the stories of migratory birds which are 

native to the United States’ eastern seaboard, the Bird House exhibit explains the loss 

of more than three billion birds in the last few decades, immerses visitors in stories of 

the birds’ migration from the East Coast of the United States to the coffee farms of 

Central America, and provides concrete actions all people can take to help the bird 

population recover. The positive messages in the Bird House exhibit drive migratory 

bird conservation efforts through thoughtful and inspiring educational outreach. 

73 
• Strengthen Core Foundations of People, Places, and Fiscal Resources for 

Mission Success 

During FY 2023, the NZCBI continued to recover from the impacts of lost 

revenue due to COVID-19-related closures. Global inflation also significantly 

impacted the costs of food, medicines and medical care, and hay production for 

the living collection, further straining the NZCBI’s resources. In addition, the 

NZCBI is continuing to rebuild critical functions it acquired after the dissolution of 

an associated friends’ support organization. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The health, well-being, and safety of both the animals and staff of the NZCBI 

are its highest priority. The NZCBI is world-renowned for its efforts to research, breed, 

and reintroduce some of the world’s most critically endangered species, including the 

scimitar-horned oryx, Przewalski’s horse, the golden-lion tamarin, black-footed ferret, 

red-crowned cranes, and many others. Accepted standards or best industry practices 

for animal care, husbandry, veterinary medicine, and nutrition for Zoo animals are 

continually increasing. In addition, the safety standards for the animals, the staff who 

care for them, and the visiting public are also increasing. Examples of AZA standards 

which have been recently updated include new requirements for safety monitoring 

equipment, animal emergency procedures, and animal well-being programs. 

Besides having to meet existing increased standards and best practices, the 

NZCBI is struggling to fund new best practices to prevent transmission of zoonotic 

diseases, such as COVID-19 and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, as well as cover 

the higher costs of caring for the animals (e.g., medicine, vaccines, testing, and 

personal protective equipment) and safe operations (e.g., crowd management and 

permanent changes to cleaning protocols). 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $2,891,000 that provides 

$1,391,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, as well as a programmatic increase of $1,500,000 and 5 FTEs for 

animal care and management. 

Collections Support (+$1,500,000, +5 FTEs) 

The NZCBI requests a funding increase (+$1,500,000 and +5 FTEs) to provide 

specialized support for its living collections, which are critical for inspiring and 

educating the public and saving endangered species from extinction. Unlike the 

museums within the Smithsonian Institution, the NZCBI cares for living animals, some 

of which are among the rarest species on Earth. Animals in our care require 

specialized support to meet certain mandatory standards for species as varied as 

Asian elephants, giant pandas, black-footed ferrets, endangered corals, and extinct-in74 
the-wild frogs. Required support ranges from providing adequate shelter, food, and 

clean, accessible water to providing specialty care for animal breeding or for aged or 

infirm animals. Despite increased federal funding in FY 2022 and FY 2023, the NZCBI 

still has many unfilled vacancies in essential care positions, including animal keepers, 

curators, and scientists, as well as shortages in other operational positions such as 

finance, facility and pest management, and aquatic life support, all of which can 

directly or indirectly impact the welfare of animals in the NZCBI’s care. 

Most Smithsonian collections are housed indoors. However, the NZCBI’s 163-

acre park in Washington, DC and its 3,200-acre campus in Front Royal, Virginia 

include many outdoor habitats and complex, specialized facilities designed to care for 

wildlife. Every animal in the collection requires a specific habitat, designed to meet its 

physical and psychological needs. This includes everything from shade structures to 

protect the eyesight of seals and sea lions to climbing structures sturdy enough to 

withstand the activities of a gorilla troop. In addition, the NZCBI maintains miles of 

animal containment that must be constantly secured and maintained to protect both 

animals and the public. Maintaining animal habitats and providing specialized items for 

animals’ health and well-being are not just recommended best practices but required 

by oversight and regulatory entities such as the AZA and the USDA. Most critically, 

animal care staff, including keepers, curators, veterinarians, and scientists, must 

possess specialized knowledge and training, and staff numbers must be maintained at 

appropriate levels to ensure the life, safety, and health of both animals and people. 

Accordingly, $650,000 of our request will go to support this critical functional area so 

the NZCBI can ensure the care and maintenance of a robust live collection while also 

protecting the safety of its staff and the public. 

The needs and standards for animal and veterinary care increase as our 

understanding of the unique challenges of caring for critically endangered species 

increases and regulations concerning animal health and welfare change. In the postCOVID-19 environment and the wake of global inflation and supply chain disruptions, 

the impact to the medical care system in the past two years has led to a significant 

increase in the costs of medicine, lab testing, and medical care for the NZCBI’s

animals. This has challenged the NZCBI as one of the leading organizations in the 

United States addressing health care and pandemic diseases for the living collection. 

Although the NZCBI has thus far maintained minimal care standards, missionessential resources have been redirected to maintain these standards. Inflationary 

pressures during the past year have further eroded the NZCBI’s ability to appropriately 

feed and care for the animals in our care. Without the additional resources for the 

living collection, the quality of animal care, research, and conservation will be 

diminished, or the size of the living collection may have to be reduced — meaning that 

species at risk today will not benefit in the way that other critically endangered species 

have. Without additional funding, prior successes will be diminished and future efforts 

and visitors’ experiences will be at risk. That is why $800,000 of this request 

addresses the higher costs of food, medicine, and hay due to inflation and increasing 

costs. 

75 
The last component of our request for increased funding concerns the NZCBI’s

continuing effort to modernize its historic 1920s infrastructure. The reopening of the 

Bird House, after a six-year closure, marks a crucial point in the conservation of native 

migratory songbirds in the United States. The ability of visitors to walk through the 

free-flight aviaries, a first for the NZCBI, will engender wonder and educate our visitors 

on the importance of these birds. Consequently, $50,000 of this request is to 

appropriately support the newly imagined Bird House space and maintain the health 

and welfare of the birds in this collection. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds, including onsite 

earned revenue (e.g., parking, food, and retail, etc.) support salaries and benefits 

of the NZCBI director and general operational requirements not fully covered by 

federal funds (e.g., education, professional training, animal acquisitions, finance 

and administration, information technology, communications, exhibits, and animal 

care). Donor/sponsor-designated funds support costs related to specific programs 

and projects for critically endangered species (e.g., antelope, amphibians, 

cheetahs, giant pandas, Asian elephants, and tigers, etc.). Private donations help 

the NZCBI implement multiple small- to medium-sized projects and support exhibit 

interpretive design and implementation. Government grants and contracts support 

a wide array of scientific studies on ecology and the biology and habitats of 

wildlife species. 

76 
SMITHSONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T 

GRANTS INTERAGENCY 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 34 4,759 6 713 15 2,527 30 4,030 27 2,468 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 34 4,934 6 700 15 2,000 30 4,000 27 2,700 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 36 5,430 7 800 15 2,300 30 4,000 27 2,500 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 22 3,218 23 3,530 1 312

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 4 663 4 686 0 23

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 8 1,053 9 1,214 1 161

Total 34 4,934 36 5,430 2 496

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is a national leader in 

research and public programs on ecosystems in the coastal zone, where most of the 

world’s population lives and our economy is based. SERC’s innovative research and 

unique setting advance basic environmental science to inform wise policy management 

decisions for many natural resources on the coasts. SERC’s complementary array of 

hands-on and virtual programs also provide the public with the knowledge to solve the 

environmental challenges of the 21st century. 

Research and discovery are the core activities at SERC. Scientists use the 

Center’s 2,650-acre site on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest 

estuary, as a model system for long-term research and one-of-a-kind experiments. 

SERC researchers incorporate other sites, including Smithsonian field stations, to 

investigate connections among aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric components of 

77 
complex ecosystems through comparative studies on regional, continental, and global 

scales. In addition, SERC is a partner in key Smithsonian research initiatives, including 

Life on a Sustainable Planet, ForestGEO, and MarineGEO (Global Earth 

Observatories). SERC also leads collaborations with other federal research networks, 

such as the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) funded by the National 

Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Ballast Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) 

funded by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

SERC is expanding programs for public engagement. Public outreach programs 

connect thousands of people to a wide range of activities, including virtual evening 

lectures, Science Saturdays for families, nature hikes, and tours of the Center’s 

facilities. In 2021, SERC finished restoring the historic 1735 Woodlawn House as a 

welcome center and public exhibit on the archaeology and history of land use at the 

Rhode River site. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) 

programs in environmental science provide thousands of school children with hands-on 

projects and virtual field trips and teachers with training that builds their confidence to 

lead students in STEM activities. In addition, SERC’s highly successful citizen-science 

program engages more than 500 volunteers in research across a wide spectrum of 

projects. The Center’s vigorous professional training program for interns, graduate and 

postdoctoral Fellows, and visiting scientists produces the next generation of scientists 

and natural resource managers. SERC’s strategic plan envisions the Smithsonian 

Institute for the Environment that will convene interdisciplinary teams to solve difficult 

environmental problems and advance visionary research. 

In addition, SERC continues to update and implement its facilities master plan. In 

FY 2023, the Center added short-term housing to its Green Village as cottages for 

visiting scholars and consolidated its facilities maintenance structures for improved 

safety and efficiency. SERC is a Smithsonian leader in sustainability through energy 

conservation and shifts to renewable solar energy, and in FY 2023 the six newly 

completed visitor’s cottages became the Smithsonian’s first “net-positive energy” 

buildings to take the next step toward the Center’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon 

emissions for all of SERC by 2025. Improved water reuse and recycling systems also 

eliminate waste at the site. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In addition to federal appropriations, SERC achieves its research mission 

through competitive success at applying for extramural grants and contracts. With these 

public and private resources, SERC stewards its 2,650-acre Chesapeake site as a 

model for long-term research and experiments on land-sea interactions. The site’s 

topography of streams, shorelines, forests, and agricultural fields now provide 

ecological data sets going back nearly 60 years, and host large-scale experiments, 

instrument arrays, and remote sensing. SERC leverages its local infrastructure and 

global research platform to measure the effects of land use, pollution, fisheries, invasive 

species, habitat restoration, and climate change on biodiversity and complex ecosystem 

interactions. To observe and interpret changes in near-shore marine ecosystems and 

78 
terrestrial environments, SERC serves as the headquarters for the MarineGEO 

program, leads long-term studies of ForestGEO’s temperate forest plots, and is a base 

for the NSF-funded NEON forest tower and ground-based sampling array. SERC also 

supports the efforts of other federal agencies and collaborators (such as the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of 

Energy, and many universities and state agencies). 

SERC’s research, education, and outreach activities support the Smithsonian’s 

Strategic Plan by informing local environmental resource management and 

conservation and engaging the public in hands-on science. SERC uses its Chesapeake 

base to test and inform new national and international approaches to habitat restoration 

of forests, streams, wetlands, and shorelines. The Center uses the Smithsonian’s Earth 

Optimism program as a powerful communications tool to engage the public and policy 

makers in applying its research results. SERC plans a primary facility to convene 

diverse teams of business leaders, policy makers, educators, and scientists to find 

innovative solutions to the difficult environmental problems facing our nation. In addition 

to providing a public lecture series, workshops, and many volunteer opportunities, the 

Center also offers expert consultation for the public, including teachers and public 

officials. As part of its interactive core mission, SERC is open to the public six days a 

week for visitors to explore the Center’s many trails through forests, fields, and more 

than 15 miles of shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay. 

Furthermore, SERC’s comprehensive facilities master plan will continue to 

support sustainable growth to improve public access and engagement and highlight 

conservation lessons by setting an example of decreasing energy and water 

consumption to reduce operating costs across the campus. 

Finally, SERC management ensures proper accounting for its research activities, 

including indirect cost recovery in its sponsored research program. The Center also 

maintains excellent records of safety for all employees and visitors, as well as for 

managing its properties and protecting sensitive information and data. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $496,000 that provides 

$236,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, and a programmatic increase of 2 FTEs and $260,000 for a human 

resources specialist and coordinator for its Scientific Visitor Program. 

Operations Support (+$110,000, +1 FTE) 

This budget request includes an increase of $110,000 and 1 FTE to hire a human 

resources specialist. SERC has no staff dedicated to support the many personnel 

transactions and record keeping for position classification, hiring, training, promotions, 

and departures for a very active programs in research and public engagement. The 

79 
central Smithsonian Office of Human Resources does not have capacity to support these 

activities, so funding this request would enable SERC to ensure these transactions 

comply with Office of Personnel Management and SI guidelines and policy. 

Scientific Research (+$150,000, +1 FTE) 

The request includes funding to support new and innovative research 

collaborations on major coastal environmental issues related to climate, biodiversity, and 

resilience by enhancing and expanding its Scientific Visitor Program. As SERC’s profile

has grown for its expertise on major coastal environmental issues, demand for on-site 

workshops for visiting scholars has increased to synthesize data and inform restoration 

efforts. Present staffing provides inadequate support for existing activities, let alone to 

meet new and increasing demands for collaborative problem solving. This additional 

funding will support a coordinator for the program, enabling the participation of more 

visiting scholars. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — Extramural Government grants, contracts, and 

interagency agreements amounting to approximately $8 million annually support most 

(70 percent) of SERC’s scientific research program, including the NBIC as established 

by Congress under the National Invasive Species Act of 1996. In addition, indirect cost 

recovery derived from these extramural research and education awards provides core 

administrative support. Other resources include donor/sponsor-designated funds which 

provide essential operating support for specific programs and projects in research, 

public education, and professional training. 

80 
SMITHSONIAN TROPICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 191 15,643 13 1,359 42 5,006 10 1,438 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 191 16,176 18 1,456 52 7,398 13 1,582 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 192 17,850 19 1,529 55 8,138 15 1,740 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 113 10,178 114 11,465 1 1,287

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience 

engagement 3 208 3 213 0 5

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire 

diverse audiences 2 368 2 380 0 12

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate 

information to the public 6 497 6 537 0 40

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian 

facilities, collections, staff, visitors and volunteers 18 736 18 795 0 59

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative 

infrastructure 41 3,674 41 3,910 0 236

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology 

systems and infrastructure 8 515 8 550 0 35

Total 191 16,176 192 17,850 1 1,674

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

81 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

In 1910, Smithsonian Secretary Charles Walcott received a request from President 

William Howard Taft to send a scientific expedition to Panama to study the environmental 

impact of the Panama Canal. The President of Panama, Pablo Arosemena, invited the 

Smithsonian to extend its study to the entire isthmus (1910–1912), establishing a 

relationship that more than 110 years later continues to be a remarkable scientific 

investment for both countries and the world at large. The Smithsonian Tropical Research 

Institute (STRI) is now the principal U.S. organization dedicated to advancing fundamental 

scientific discovery and understanding of biological and cultural diversity in the tropics, and 

its contribution to human welfare. As such, STRI plays an important role for the U.S. 

Government and the Smithsonian by maintaining world-class research facilities in Panama, 

where each year approximately 1,400 resident and visiting international scientists and 

university students come to conduct research. STRI serves as the official custodian for the 

Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), under the terms of the Convention on Nature 

Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere, as ratified by the U.S. 

Senate in April of 1941 and codified in the Panama Canal Treaties. The BCNM is the only 

mainland tropical reserve under U.S. stewardship since it first served as the original base of 

operations for the 1910 expedition. STRI also owns and administers Coibita Island, which 

was bequeathed to the Institution to preserve and use for research, and is part of Panama’s 

Coiba National Park, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 

(UNESCO) World Heritage Site. 

The rise of the Isthmus of Panama, about three million years ago, changed the 

world. It connected North and South America and separated the Atlantic from the Pacific 

Ocean, setting into motion a global change that dramatically impacted marine and 

terrestrial life. STRI is located at the ideal spot to study this event. Its 13 research facilities 

and field stations, situated throughout Panama’s diverse ecosystems, serve as an 

unparalleled field research platform to investigate the groundbreaking events that shaped 

the modern world and its tropical diversity. 

Scientific Productivity 

A Visiting Committee of outside experts regularly evaluates the relevance, quality, 

and performance of STRI scientists. In their last review, the Visiting Committee used 

National Research Council criteria to measure the productivity and impact of STRI 

science compared to 142 of the best university research departments in the United 

States. STRI scientists ranked first in all measures of scientific relevance (such as 

publication citations), quality (in terms of scientific honors), and productivity (including 

publication numbers). In addition, the number of young scientists who choose STRI as the 

base for their graduate and postgraduate research training provides another annual 

measure of the relevance and quality of STRI science to the future of tropical biology and 

policy. STRI’s staff share their research platform with scientists from the United States 

and international organizations. This collaborative effort has produced more than 15,207 

scientific publications to date, and currently results in an average of one new scientific 

publication every day. 

82 
FY 2021 and part of FY 2022 were challenging years for the Institute because the 

measures needed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic required the continued closure of 

STRI facilities for much of that time. Despite the closures, STRI’s scientific achievements 

include the following: 1) employing 40 staff scientists and hosting some 1,400 scientific 

visitors every year, from undergraduates and interns to postdoctoral investigators and 

tenured research associates; 2) helping to manage 350 running research projects 

annually; and 3) publishing more than 400 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals 

every year. The research is not only shared widely with the global scientific community, 

but also reaches policy makers in Panama and beyond, receives worldwide media 

coverage, and is the foundation for an outreach and training program that reaches 

hundreds of teachers and tens of thousands of school children every year. 

Scientific Directions 

The long-term research conducted by STRI scientists and collaborators is an 

essential contribution to the Smithsonian Institution’s Strategic Plan.

The Barro Colorado Island Research Station in Panama will celebrate its upcoming 

100th birthday with an exhibition at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 

Washington DC. This exhibition will be an expanded version of the one shown in Panama 

City at the Museo del Canal Interoceanico. 

This year, STRI will participate in the Institution-wide Ocean Strategy, with a clear 

focus on marine science for sustainability. This strategy will focus new and existing 

resources on four integrated research pillars critical for resolving the future of ocean 

environments in the face of global change: drivers of reef resilience; blue carbon and 

ecosystem co-benefits; marine biodiversity and sustainable fisheries; and urbanized coasts. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

STRI is the only major research center to locate modern scientific instrumentation 

and facilities at the edges of tropical forests and coral reefs. Institute staff lead 

internationally recognized research programs and assist scientific visitors with obtaining 

visas, collecting permits, transportation, housing, computing, and library needs. STRI staff 

are also mentors for students from universities across the United States and around the 

world. Panamanian staff and the support of the Government of Panama, including rentfree use of multiple properties, have fostered Smithsonian research in Panama for more 

than a century and STRI has been an exceptional ambassador of goodwill for the United 

States in Panama and throughout Latin America. As part of its core mission, STRI will 

continue to enhance the Smithsonian’s scientific platform for long-term research on 

biodiversity, ecosystems, and the impacts of environmental change. This will be done 

through novel research, educating the next generation of scientists, and disseminating 

scientific findings to its global audiences. 

Policy makers and scientists need long-term data on fluctuations in the primary 

productivity of forests and reefs around the globe, as well as information on changes in 

the abundance and distribution of biological diversity. STRI provides that information like 

83 
no other part of the U.S. mission in Panama. In addition, the Institute shares knowledge, 

experience, and expertise with the next generation of tropical scientists. STRI typically 

hosts more than 800 pre- and postdoctoral students each year, half of whom come from 

the United States. For many, their experience at STRI is their first real opportunity to be 

scientists. Furthermore, the Institute supports education by working with science teachers 

to inspire wonder and critical thinking skills in the classroom. In Panama and through 

digital partnerships with U.S. school districts, STRI explains field and laboratory science 

and makes environmental research readily accessible to teachers and students. 

ENABLING STRI’s MISSION THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

The Institute continues to advance the vision detailed in the decadal plan for 

upgrading its facilities, some of which date back to the pre-World War II era of Panama 

Canal defense. STRI is also developing its Coibita facilities as required by its benefactors. 

In addition, the Institute offers important facility resources for federal agencies and 

universities. For terrestrial research, STRI serves as the headquarters for ForestGEO. For 

coastal areas, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with STRI to establish seismic 

monitoring equipment on BCNM as part of its Caribbean Tsunami Warning System. 

Moreover, the Continuously Operating Caribbean GPS Observational Network 

(COCONet) project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has partnered 

with STRI to develop large-scale geodetic and atmospheric monitoring infrastructure in 

the Caribbean. STRI’s two marine facilities in the Atlantic (Bocas del Toro and Galeta) 

and two in the Pacific (Naos and Coibita Island) permit scientists to move between 

experiments in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea in a few hours. This 

recurring two-ocean theme in marine science at STRI has resulted in landmark studies of 

the evolution and ecology of tropical marine species and communities, as well as 

research funded by the NSF and the National Institutes of Health for the ecologically 

guided discovery of new pharmaceutical compounds. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,674,000 that provides 

$724,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under 

this line item, as well as a programmatic increase of $950,000 and 1 FTE to support the 

Institute’s research mission. 

Scientific Research (+$950,000, +1 FTE) 

The Institute requests a funding increase (+$950,000 and +1 FTE) to strengthen its 

support for marine science research. For decades, STRI has maintained a robust marine 

monitoring program, providing researchers with high-quality meteorological, hydrological, 

and oceanographic data needed to support their work. The program includes nine 

automated weather stations, two weirs, a network of remote ocean temperature sensors 

deployed along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Panama, and multiparameter ocean 

water-quality monitoring in the Bay of Panama and Bocas del Toro. This program is 

supported by one full-time staff position, focused principally on terrestrial monitoring. In the 

last decade, STRI has made steady progress in developing its marine social, ecological, 

biological, and physical monitoring program, which now includes a mix of temperature, 

84 
salinity, acidity, turbidity, chlorophyll, light, and other measurements. However, this program 

has no staff support. With the launch of the SI-wide Ocean Strategy, STRI has an urgent 

need for standardized physical data on the major marine regions of Panama (Bocas del 

Toro and Galeta on the Caribbean and Coiba and Las Perlas on the Pacific). This 

monitoring program should be predominantly near the shore (including relevant islands) and 

should, at minimum, collect key variables critical for measuring climate change, including 

acidity, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, alkalinity, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, 

and salinity. In addition, STRI and Institution-wide marine research also requires 

standardized sea-level monitoring and bathymetric mapping in all four regions named 

above. This work requires permanent sites in each region, with environmental variables 

monitored on the sea floor and the surface, as well as sensor arrays in each region to detect 

regional variation of basic variables (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen). The 

request will support a marine monitoring coordinator for all STRI research related to this 

program. 

In FY 2023, the Smithsonian launched an Institution-wide Ocean Strategy with a clear 

focus on science for sustainability. As part of this initiative, STRI is committed to establishing 

and resourcing interlocking centers dedicated to ocean and sustainability science. This 

includes a request to replace STRI’s 22-year-old research boat, a federally funded vessel in 

the fleet, to fill a significant gap in our capacity to facilitate and enhance research 

opportunities in the farthest research areas in Gulf of Panama. The Institute proposed 

replacing its aging, 23-foot vessel with a 30-foot-long boat for six passengers with diving 

capabilities, ample deck workspace, and a davit for bottom sampling, with 300 pounds of lift. 

Finally, without the funds requested, STRI will be unable to adequately support the 

Institution-wide Life on a Sustainable Planet Ocean Strategy and establish the interlocking 

centers to build partnerships and conduct integrated research in service of sustainability. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and 

programmatic expenses for a small percentage of STRI employees involved in research, 

public outreach, and fund raising. Donor/sponsor-designated funds support discretionary 

research needs and specific programs, projects, and positions, including donordesignated support for an endowed chair for the director, an endowed staff position in 

tropical paleoecology, an endowed chair for the director of ForestGEO, and private funds 

to support the Institute’s Agua Salud program that studies carbon sequestration and 

tropical reforestation, as well as a 10-year staff position in terrestrial microbiology. 

Funding from the Rohr Foundation, board members, and an emeritus scientist has 

enabled the Institute to fund six new postdoctoral Fellows. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic, STRI experienced a significant loss of earned revenue 

due to temporary closure of all facilities and the cancellation of most academic courses due 

to the shutdowns caused by the pandemic. This gap in earned revenue has required STRI 

to make painful budget cuts and realign its expenses to maintain financial stability during the 

ongoing closures. Despite this adversity, STRI received a $3 million NSF award with Global 

Sustainability Scholars. These funds will allow STRI to host 36 post-baccalaureate scholars 

from under-represented groups in the United States to work for one-year Fellowship periods 

with STRI scientists in the next four years. 

85 
ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY/FREER GALLERY OF ART 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 40 6,461 5 633 65 12,860 0 262 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 40 6,918 4 2,103 64 14,650 1 650 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 40 7,209 4 2,187 64 15,236 1 676 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 2 377 2 392 0 15

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 4 742 4 772 0 30

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 3 666 3 693 0 27

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 1 362 1 391 0 29

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 13 2,065 13 2,148 0 83

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 12 1,924 12 2,001 0 77

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 1 208 1 216 0 8

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 4 574 4 597 0 23

Total 40 6,918 40 7,209 0 291

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

On May 9, 1923, the Freer Gallery of Art opened its doors to the public as the 

first fine arts museum on the National Mall, becoming the country’s first national art 

86 
museum and embodying the dream of Charles Lang Freer to make his collection of 

10,000 Asian and American works of art available to the nation. Almost 65 years later, 

on September 28,1987, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery opened to complement the Freer, 

adding another 1,000 works of Asian art and more than 40,000 square feet of public 

space to the existing building. 

Today, 100 years since opening its doors, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of

Asian Art is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in 

ways that deepen our collective understanding of Asia and the world. Home to more 

than 46,000 objects, the Museum stewards one of North America’s largest and most 

comprehensive collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present, 

from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Islamic world. Its rich 

holdings bring the arts of Asia into dialogue with an important collection of 19th- and 

early 20th-century American works, providing a bridge for creative collaborations and 

cultural exchanges between the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. 

Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the Freer Gallery’s opening in 

1923, the National Museum of Asian Art is a leading resource for visitors, students, and 

scholars in the United States and internationally. 

Based on broad consultation, and fully aligned with the Smithsonian’s overall

Strategic Plan, the Museum’s new strategic plan, adopted in June of 2019, charts a path 

forward that is as faithful to the past as it is ambitiously future-oriented. The vision, 

values, and goals that it sets out promise a more creative, engaged, and efficient 

Museum; one that celebrates Asian art and addresses basic questions about culture. It 

aims to do full justice to the extraordinary art it houses and the public trust it holds. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Museum will advance both Institution-wide and internal goals by continuing 

to execute its 2020–2025 strategic plan to guide operations, planning, and decision 

making. The plan’s four goals are both practical and ambitious. They are as follows: 

• Goal 1: To expand, preserve, and celebrate our collections; 

• Goal 2: To identify, attract, and serve new audiences through both our 

physical and digital spaces; 

• Goal 3: To foster an object-inspired understanding of the arts 

communities, cultures, and societies of Asia; and 

• Goal 4: To build a museum culture that is creative, collaborative, 

transparent, and resourceful. 

In FY 2024, the Museum will: 

• continue celebrating the centennial of the Freer Gallery through a series of 

exhibitions, public programs, and events; 

87 
• add distinction to its newly established National Museum of Asian Art 

collection through the ongoing acquisition of extraordinary objects and 

donated collections; 

• provide expertise in cultural heritage to global partners through training 

programs, joint exhibitions, and research projects; 

• ensure the integrity of our collection by enhancing the Museum’s 

excellence in conservation and scientific research; 

• implement a digitization plan that extends our reach and impact to national 

and international audiences; 

• raise our local, national, and global profile with a coordinated campaign of 

communications, partnerships, and programs to attract audiences 

interested in understanding and celebrating Asian art and culture; 

• better address visitor needs; 

• fund collaborations with selected Smithsonian museums, universities, and 

other nonprofit partners to broaden our expertise and impact in fostering 

an understanding of Asian arts, cultures, and societies; 

• strengthen relationships with Asian and Asian American communities, 

including organizations that represent them, by enhancing our outreach 

and programming through formal partnerships and informal collaborations; 

• increase its paid internship program for both undergraduate and 

postgraduate students, first established in FY 2022; and 

• advance a robust fundraising strategy to support the Museum’s highest 

priority programs. 

The Museum will monitor progress on these focused plans and other daily 

operations through its cross-departmental implementation team. This team provides 

regular oversight of action plans and tracks progress on key performance indicators. 

These metrics allow the Museum to take advantage of emerging opportunities and 

adjust to revenue fluctuations while also providing the focus needed to ensure that the 

four main goals of the strategic plan are achieved. 

In addition, the Museum has a longstanding commitment to education, 

scholarship, and research, which will continue to advance by sharing knowledge with 

student audiences through deep digital engagement and online programming that bring 

our collections and research to the public. In FY 2023, the Museum began a search for 

a new leadership position to add depth and strength to its educational offerings. This 

new associate director for community engagement, learning, and interpretation will also 

lead the Museum’s Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) initiatives. 

In FY 2024, the Museum will pay special attention to programming, visitor 

services, communications, research, monitoring the integrity of our infrastructure, and 

advancement. The Museum will also increase its commitment to visitor accessibility by: 

• continuing its centennial year celebration through the spring of 2024; 

• adding two additional heritage festivals; 

88 
• building on audience research, including the results of the study supported 

by a grant from the Smithsonian’s Asian American Pacific Islander Center, 

to help the Museum's leadership better understand how Asian American 

communities view our collections, galleries, and programs; 

• leveraging the emerging partnerships created through its grant activity to 

deepen the public’s understanding of Asian religions through 

programming, digital initiatives, and exhibitions; 

• capitalizing on a digital-first approach that puts the Museum at the 

forefront of the Smithsonian’s open-access effort by executing the digital 

strategic plan developed with an Institution-wide team of digital experts; 

• planning for a new Center for Asian Art Conservation, Research, and 

Education that will build upon the Museum’s unrivalled expertise in Asian 

art conservation, and both broaden and deepen the Museum’s impact as a 

leading educational resource for visitors, both in person and online; 

• transforming the Museum’s current laboratory into an active site of 

participation in and collaboration on conservation and scientific research. 

By expanding its digital reach, the Museum will engage current and new 

audiences more deeply in conservation work, sharing knowledge, and 

stimulating innovative ideas; and 

• continuing to implement digital solutions which add interactive features 

and functionality to core activities and better serve the needs of internal 

and external users. 

The FY 2024 exhibition schedule and complementary public programs will offer 

opportunities for audience engagement with both historical and contemporary topics 

and provide visitors with access to some of the finest works of Asian art. 

As the Museum continues to build a culture that is creative, collaborative, 

transparent, and resourceful, staff will assess and enhance their own development, the 

efficacy of their organizational structure, and oversight of internal controls by: 

• maintaining fiscal discipline in support of the Museum’s strategic plan and 

taking advantage of opportunities for investments in infrastructure and 

new partnerships; 

• recruiting new talent in the areas of curation, research, visitor services, 

digital and multimedia, and administration. In FY 2024, the Museum’s staff 

will collaborate with colleagues to provide the mentorship and resources 

needed to advance our mission. This infusion of new thinking, talent, and 

enthusiasm will also allow the facility’s leadership to assess operations 

and ensure that the Museum is nimble, collaborative, and well-positioned 

to meet the challenges of the next century; and 

• dedicating funds for leadership and supervisory training to equip 

managers and supervisors with the information, skills, and tools needed to 

make effective decisions and better serve the visiting public. 

89 
EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $291,000 that provides for 

necessary pay and other related salary costs. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust and donor/sponsor-designated 

funds are generated from memberships; revenue sharing from Museum shop sales and 

the Smithsonian Channel; participation fees from traveling exhibition venues; special 

events; unrestricted and restricted gifts and grants; and endowment income. The 

National Museum of Asian Art depends to a substantial extent on income sources to 

support the quality of exhibitions, programs, and publications expected by visitors and 

scholars, both online and on site. 

90 
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN CENTER 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 7 2,520 1 222 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 7 2,560 0 88 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 7 2,615 0 37 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 0 324 0 345 0 21

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 0 50 0 50 0 0

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 0 90 0 0 0 -90

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 5 718 5 972 0 254

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 0 649 0 535 0 -114

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 0 502 0 410 0 -92

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 2 227 2 303 0 76

Total 7 2,560 7 2,615 0 55

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) was established 

in 1997 as a mission-critical initiative to further the inclusion of Asian Americans, 

Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) across the Smithsonian’s 

collections, research, exhibitions, and programs. Asian Americans are the 

fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States. More than 24 million 

American citizens trace their roots to 20+ countries in East and Southeast Asia 

and the Indian subcontinent. In less than 50 years, nearly one of every 10 people 

91 
in America will have a heritage from the continent of Asia and the Pacific Islands. 

Given the importance and size of these demographics, it is essential that 

AANHPI stories be told to ensure our understanding of America and America’s 

standing in the world is more accurate, compelling, and powerful. 

Having celebrated its 25th year in 2022, the APAC is extending its mission 

of amplifying AANHPI voices at the Smithsonian by creating new spaces for 

storytelling on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This period of significant and 

fast-paced transformation will shift APAC’s mostly virtual presence into more 

physical and enduring spaces, culminating in a dedicated gallery on the Mall —

slated to open in 2030 — where community members and visitors can learn how 

the AANPHI people have contributed to the American experience and America’s 

position in the world. 

In the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress decided to 

appropriate the Center’s federal resources of $860,000 and 7 FTEs in its own 

line item. This new line item also included $1,700,000 in funds for the Asian 

Pacific American Initiatives Pool (APAIP), which brought APAC’s total FY 2023 

allocation to $2,560,000. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

As the APAC works to create the Smithsonian’s first museum space 

dedicated to exploring the complexities of AANHPI history, culture, and lived 

experiences, the Center’s efforts advance the Institution’s strategic goals. The 

path to establishing this dedicated space begins with two one-year residencies at 

sister Smithsonian units. The APAC works across units to display co-collected 

objects and integrate AANHPI stories into narratives told in existing 

spaces. These unexpected story arcs catalyze new conversations that address 

the complex challenge of telling a full and inclusive story of the American 

experience. 

Yearlong residencies will help the Center develop a dedicated gallery by 

providing the time and space to test a range of interpretive strategies, 

content, and design approaches, as well as identify visitor needs to help the 

APAC better understand and impact 21st-century audiences. More importantly, 

this is a phased approach to engaging the vast landscape of cultural stewards 

and presenters with whom the Center must develop reciprocal and respective 

relationships to collectively drive this visionary and interdisciplinary work. 

The Smithsonian’s dedicated gallery will be the Institution’s first effort to

tell a pan-AANHPI story with significant collections development, research, and 

interpretation that fully embodies the principles of the Smithsonian Strategic Plan 

to create greater reach, greater relevance, and profound impact in serving the 

public. 

92 
 

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN INITIATIVES POOL 

The APAIP will document the full spectrum of the American Experience by 

allocating funds to support research, exhibitions, educational programs, collections, 

digital and media projects, as well as partnerships with local and regional cultural 

organizations. 

Projects are selected on a competitive basis from proposals that demonstrate 

innovation and advancement of scholarship, cost-effective deployment of the pool 

funds, coordination with other Smithsonian resources, and successful external fund 

raising from the private sector. Since its inception in FY 2016, the APAIP has funded 

more than 80 programs and projects across the Smithsonian and increased the 

Asian Pacific American presence in the Institution’s presentation of and research 

into the American Experience. 

In FY 2018, the APAIP supported its first curator dedicated to preserving and 

exhibiting Asian Pacific American history at the National Museum of American 

History (NMAH). With the additional funding provided in FYs 2020 and 2022, the 

pool was able to support more projects and employ two curatorial assistants — one 

at NMAH and the other at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH). In 

FY 2023, the APAIP will take on the additional responsibility of supporting a curator 

at the National Museum of American Indian (NMAI) to focus on Native Hawaiian 

History and Culture, a collections specialist at the Archives of American Art focused 

on Asian Pacific American art, and a curatorial assistant at the Smithsonian 

American Art Museum to support the research, documentation, display, and 

acquisition of works by Asian Pacific American artists. All positions supported by the 

pool are not to exceed four-year term positions. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $55,000 for 

necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this 

line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salary and 

benefit costs for the Center director and other program-related costs. 

Donor/sponsor-designated funds support salaries and benefits for development staff; 

costs associated with reaching the APAC’s fundraising goals; training of future 

conservators; conservation of objects for exhibits and community loans; publications 

and special events for exhibition openings; and costs related to specific programs 

and projects. 

93 
CENTER FOR FOLKLIFE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 

20 3,637 10 1,270 3 1,272 2 1,233 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 20 3,938 12 1,681 7 2,200 4 1,400 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 21 4,532 12 1,512 7 2,200 0 600 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 1 190 1 196 0 6

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 210 2 389 1 179

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 1 215 1 221 0 6

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 11 1,891 11 2,263 0 372

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 3 450 3 465 0 15

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy environment 0 395 0 395 0 0

Deliver an aggressive and professional maintenance program

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, staff, 

visitors and volunteers 0 150 0 150 0 0

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 3 437 3 453 0 16

Total 20 3,938 21 4,532 1 594

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH) is a Smithsonian 

research and education unit with the mission to increase understanding of the 

diverse, community-based cultural traditions found in the United States and around 

the world, aid their preservation, and strengthen the public’s appreciation for our 

94 
 

 

shared humanity. For more than five decades, the CFCH has accomplished this 

mission through scholarly research, public presentations — most dramatically 

through the Smithsonian Folklife Festival — and the widely distributed Smithsonian 

Folkways Recordings, as well as publications which rely on documentation in the 

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, and various other cultural heritage 

and sustainability projects. The Center has also developed a robust website and 

digital outreach presence that reaches an audience of hundreds of millions. The 

CFCH collaborates with Smithsonian museums, cultural and educational centers, and 

other federal partners — especially the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center 

and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts program — in 

addition to hundreds of organizations in the United States and around the globe. 

The CFCH is recognized as a national and world leader in the cultural heritage 

field. The award-winning Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a model for presenting living, 

community-based cultural heritage in the United States and other nations. The Center 

has repeatedly produced large, public educational events similar to the Festival “back 

home” in many U.S. states, as well as for presidential inaugurals, the opening of 

national museums and monuments such as the National Museum of African 

American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the National Museum of the American 

Indian, the World War II Memorial, the Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary, the 

bicentennial of the United States and the Olympics. 

The quality of CFCH products is widely recognized. Smithsonian Folkways 

Recordings has won 10 Grammy Awards for its productions, 11 lifetime Grammys for 

its key artists, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, 30 additional Grammy 

nominations, one Latin Grammy, two Latin Grammy nominations, and 30 

Independent Music Awards. Recognition of the CFCH’s excellence includes Academy 

and Emmy Awards for documentary films, and awards from various educational 

organizations. Center staff have authored important books, been elected to national 

academies and designated as prestigious Fellows, led professional associations, and 

received top national and international honors in their fields. CFCH personnel lecture 

at universities and museums and annually mentor some 120 interns and Fellows from 

the United States and other nations. In addition, the Center consults with the U.S. 

Department of State on international cultural heritage policies and practices and has 

partnered with the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID) on many 

projects to encourage cultural enterprise and development as a vehicle for cultural 

preservation and vitality. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The CFCH accomplishes its mission through high-quality scholarship, 

educational productions, and project implementation involving Smithsonian and 

numerous external partners, including U.S. agencies, state cultural agencies, and 

international cultural organizations. Toward this end, federal appropriations provide 

base-level support for research and education, archival and collections care, and 

Festival production, while also leveraging considerable support from U.S. federal and 

95 
state agencies, foreign nations, foundations, and philanthropic sources. Federal 

collections support is vital for research and educational purposes, and for 

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, which generates $3 million annually in earned 

revenue to support 19 staff salaries and operations from the proceeds of distributing 

and licensing music in the collections. Federal funds represent an investment that 

annually leverages about three times its value in nonappropriated funds and helps 

the CFCH reach an audience of more than 300 million a year, thereby also increasing 

public understanding of grassroots cultural traditions in the United States and abroad. 

The Center’s original signature production, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 

returned to the National Mall for two weeks around the July 4th holiday in 2022 after a 

hiatus necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and public health and safety concerns. 

One Festival program featured Earth Optimism, with more than 200 cultural exemplars 

and scientists demonstrating how cultural traditions are addressing environmental 

conservation and sustainable practices while enhancing innovation, civic engagement, 

and economic development. The second program featured the folklife and cultural 

heritage of the United Arab Emirates. More than 100 cultural practitioners performed 

traditional songs and dances, demonstrated traditional visual, culinary, and occupational 

arts, and illustrated how that heritage is being adapted and applied to contemporary 

circumstances. A series of concerts featured Puerto Rican bomba and plena music as 

well as Tex-Mex and Appalachian music. Long-term collaborator Yo-Yo Ma hosted a 

concert focusing on Afghani and Asian musical traditions, now carried to the United 

States by immigrants and refugees. In relaunching the Festival, the Center adapted 

lessons learned during the pandemic years, with a vigorous online presence offering 

musical performances, crafts and cooking demonstrations, and panel discussions which 

reached well beyond the National Mall. 

In 2023, the Festival will present several programs, including one on the 

culture of the Ozarks — focusing on Missouri and Arkansas — and another on the 

cultural traditions — foodways, music, craftsmanship, and celebration — growing out 

of the diversity of religious communities in the United States. A special July 4th 

concert is planned to feature musicians from Ukraine. Building on lessons learned 

during the pandemic years, the CFCH will continue to extend the Smithsonian’s 

overall digital strategy and expand its reach beyond the two-week physical production 

on the National Mall. 

Meanwhile, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings — the Center’s most broadly 

distributed signature product — has extended its impact with the continued success 

of several recently produced music boxed sets. The most elaborate was The 

Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap, a major collaboration of Smithsonian 

Folkways with the NMAAHC and the hip-hop community. The production is on its way 

to becoming a signature publication, setting the standard for the field, much like prior 

Smithsonian anthologies of jazz and folk music did. Additional releases in 2022 

included Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, Pharis and Jason Romero’s Tell ‘Em You 

Were Gold, Rebolu’s Mi Herencia/My Heritage, and My Lai by the Kronos Quartet 

Jake Blount’s The New Faith, a musical exploration of Afro-futurism, was on many 

96 
top recordings lists for the year. In 2023, Smithsonian Folkways’ planned recordings 

include major box sets of the Collections of Mack McCormick 1968–1971, Songs 

from Senegal and the Gambia, Corazones and Candiones, and Aga Kahn Master 

Musicians. 

Folkways will also continue to extend its reach to millions more listeners, 

distributing 65,000 tracks of audio recordings to teachers, students, scholars, and the 

public via download and streaming services. In addition, the label will keep expanding 

its collaboration with private partners to deliver the entire Folkways collection to more 

than 560 libraries throughout the North American continent and beyond. 

A third major programmatic activity, the Smithsonian Cultural Vitality Program, 

fulfills the Center’s commitment to cultural preservation by encouraging communities 

and local cultural exemplars to combine traditional practices and heritage with 

entrepreneurial activities in ways that generate both civic and economic benefits. For 

example, the CFCH works closely with U.S. Native American organizations to 

preserve indigenous languages, and with African American artisans to expand their 

visibility and access to resources and markets and enhance their economic 

opportunities. The Center also collaborates with USAID and other supporters to 

develop cultural tourism, local artisanry, and other creative industries in Armenia, 

Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Moldova, and Bhutan. 

By building on their research and community-responsive collaborations, 

curators and research staff will continue to publish books, articles, and digital 

features, and make professional presentations at gatherings of specialists. They also 

will continue to serve in an advisory capacity for other Smithsonian units and external 

agencies and in leadership roles for academic and professional societies. For 

example, CFCH curators contributed to the traveling exhibition World on the Move: 

250,000 Years of Human Migration, produced in collaboration with the American 

Anthropological Association, that will be mounted in libraries around the country with 

support from the American Library Association. Curators also organized the, 

Smithsonian exhibition Music HerStory: Women and Music of Social Change, which 

premiered at the National Museum of American History and will also tour the nation. 

The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections contain the written and 

audiovisual documentation of more than 50 years of Festival research and planning, 

the recordings of Folkways and 19 other record labels, and a rapidly expanding digital 

footprint. Its major recent accomplishments include the renovation of the Center’s 

archives repository with expanded off-site storage and the re-housing of collections. 

Archives staff have enhanced the tracking of collections, increased digitization of 

audiovisual media, and processed additional materials from the Arhoolie Records 

collection and others. The Center will make these vast collections accessible to 

source communities and the public while ensuring their continued availability as a 

“working archive” for CFCH staff to use for ongoing productions. 

97 
Finally, the CFCH continues to play a strong role in realizing the Smithsonian’s

Strategic Plan. It is a key collaborator with many museums and units such as the 

annual Mother Tongue Film Festival it organizes with the National Museum of Natural 

History and the National Museum of the American Indian. It produces various 

educational programs and World Wide Web features with the Asian Pacific American 

Center and the National Museum of the American Latino. It produced the Music 

HerStory exhibition with help from the Smithsonian American Women’s History 

Initiative and Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, and the benchmark Smithsonian 

Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap in collaboration with the NMAAHC. 

In keeping with its decades of community-based consultation and collaboration, 

the Center enshrined its commitments to culturally respectful collections management 

in its Shared Stewardship of Collections Policy and contributed to the Secretary’s call

for an Institution-wide policy on Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns. In addition, 

the CFCH provides programming for the Smithsonian Channel and regularly 

contributes stories to Smithsonian magazine. As the Smithsonian and the nation 

prepare for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, the Center will play a major 

organizing and coordinating role in those activities. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $594,000 that provides 

$116,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, and an increase of $311,000 to cover the fixed costs of Folklife 

Festival security and other necessary costs, as justified in the Fixed Costs section of 

this budget submission. The request also includes a programmatic increase of 

$167,000 and 1 FTE for an audiovisual archivist, which is described below. 

Digital Support (+$167,000, +1 FTE) 

This budget request includes an increase of $167,000 and 1 FTE for an 

audiovisual archivist to process, preserve, and digitize documentary media 

collections in the Ralph Rinzler Archives and help make them available to cultural 

communities, educators, scholars, and the public, largely online. The Rinzler Archives 

is the Smithsonian’s largest audiovisual repository — yet it does not have a 

dedicated, permanent specialist devoted to processing those collections. This new 

position will correct that deficiency and make these important collections much more 

accessible to the public. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and 

benefits for approximately one-quarter of the CFCH’s full-time personnel, and 

revenues from Folkways Recordings pay more than one-third of all full-time staff 

salaries and expenses. Donor/sponsor-designated funds cover costs related to 

specific projects such as the programmatic components of the Smithsonian Folklife 

Festival, some research efforts, all cultural vitality projects, and several other 

educational programs. 

98 
COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 37 5,417 26 3,129 17 4,893 1 174 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 37 5,702 25 3,450 20 5,250 1 150 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 38 6,227 27 3,750 22 5,600 1 150 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 4 390 4 410 0 20

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 225 1 235 0 10

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 3 280 4 428 1 148

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 1 180 1 190 0 10

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 4 430 4 450 0 20

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 8 2,285 8 2,510 0 225

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 11 1,212 11 1,270 0 58

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 4 520 4 545 0 25

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 1 180 1 189 0 9

Total 37 5,702 38 6,227 1 525

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

99 
 

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM), in New York City, is one 

of two Smithsonian museums outside Washington, DC. Unique among its peers at the 

Institution, CHSDM is the only museum in the nation dedicated exclusively to historic 

and contemporary design. Its collection is international in scope and encompasses 

215,000 objects, representing 30 centuries of design from China’s Han Dynasty 

(200 B.C.) to the present. The Museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact 

of design on daily life through educational programs, exhibitions, and publications. 

As an influential design authority in the United States, CHSDM’s programs and

exhibitions demonstrate how design shapes culture and history — in the past, present, 

and future. The Museum will continue its dynamic exhibition programming and active 

roster of educational and public programs, as well as expand the number of programs 

offered virtually and in venues outside the New York City metropolitan area in 2024. 

Together, these programs will help CHSDM engage larger, more diverse audiences and 

fulfill its mission to serve as a catalyst for design education throughout the nation and 

worldwide. 

The Museum also devotes considerable resources to ensure the advancement of 

knowledge in the humanities by fostering a greater understanding of the role of design 

in everyday life and its impact on shaping the built environment of the past, present, and 

future; and to encourage the “by-products” of design thinking — such as creative 

problem solving and teamwork — in other disciplines and areas of life, through 

interactive, engaging, in-person and online experiences. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In FY 2024, CHSDM will continue to transform the Museum visit from passive to 

participatory with the most innovative, educational, immersive, and interactive 

exhibitions for the public, focusing on the design process. The Museum will present 

Shifting Perspectives: Inside the Mind of Es Devlin, the first monographic exhibition 

dedicated to British artist and designer Es Devlin. During an almost 30-year practice, 

Devlin has pushed the boundaries of experiential storytelling in theater, opera, Olympic 

ceremonies, stadium tours, and immersive art installations. Other exhibitions on view in 

FY 2024 will feature the work of designer Dorothy Liebes and include Give Me a Sign: 

The Language of Symbols, which will highlight the critical and ubiquitous role of 

symbols in everyday life. 

Also in FY 2024, the Museum will continue to explore enhanced visitor 

experiences designed to keep pace with emerging technology, providing a holistic, 

interactive design methodology to enhance CHSDM’s visitor experience. CHSDM 

resources will continue to advance knowledge in the humanities through exhibitionrelated and collections-oriented scholarly research to create the most innovative and 

educational exhibitions for the public. 

100 
The Museum will continue to acquire objects for its internationally renowned 

permanent collection. With the digitization of the collection completed, CHSDM 

continues to expand its online programs and channels for all exhibitions. The Museum 

will also continue its more-than-30-year partnership with the New School/Parsons to 

support an on-site graduate program focused on the history of design and curatorial 

studies, which will give students and scholars access to objects in the CHSDM’s 

collections. 

In addition, CHSDM will inspire, educate, and empower audiences through 

design by offering educational programs and content in various formats. The goal of all 

the programming is to deliver content relevant to the individual program participant’s 

level of understanding of design and design thinking. To do this, the Museum will 

engage intergenerational audiences that include students, educators, emerging 

designers, design professionals, and the public, through beginning, intermediate, and 

advanced programs in design. Content will focus on using objects in the collection or on 

view in an exhibition as points of inspiration and reference. Visitors will be encouraged 

to view design with the broad goals of developing practical, creative problem-solving 

and critical-thinking skills that can be applied to any field. The Museum will also 

continue its traditional offerings such as design field trips, family programs, docent-led 

tours, and public programs. CHSDM remains committed to making its programs and 

content virtually accessible. Furthermore, the Museum will continue to make its 

educational opportunities available to a much broader audience through online 

platforms such as the SI Learning Lab. CHSDM will also continue leveraging its worldrenowned design collection to offer nationally recognized professional development 

workshops in design thinking for K–12 educators across the country. 

CHSDM will strive to enhance its reputation and that of the Institution by 

continuing to secure significant media coverage across national and international print 

and digital platforms. This includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, and 

The Wall Street Journal as well as general interest publications and those relating to all 

fields of design. The Museum will also increase its social media presence and 

modernize its communications strategy to better position CHSDM to maintain and 

cultivate substantive relationships with the public, its existing membership community, 

state and local governments, children, educators, business leaders, and designers. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $525,000 that 

provides $216,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing 

staff; $175,000 for the annual rent increase at the Museum’s off-site collections 

storage facility, which is also referenced in the Fixed Costs section of this budget 

submission; and a programmatic increase of 1 FTE and $134,000 for education 

support, which is described in greater detail below. 

101 
Education Support (+$134,000, +1 FTE) 

The new director of public education programs will be responsible for developing, 

executing, and evaluating a rich roster of mission-driven activities focused on design and 

its connected fields. This position will serve as the CHSDM’s lead for both public programs 

supporting exhibitions as well as independently organized education programs and 

partnerships to help achieve other institutional goals. The initiatives will play a key and 

visible role in reaching truly diverse and underserved audiences and make vital 

contributions to raising the Museum’s public profile as a leader in nationwide design 

conversations. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — Nonappropriated resources support 

65 percent of the CHSDM’s operating budget. General trust funds are generated from 

memberships, Museum shop sales, admissions, special events, and unrestricted 

contributions. General trust funds support salaries and benefits of administrative 

personnel, development and business activities, and other program-related costs. The 

CHSDM also raises funds from private sources to support research, exhibitions, public 

programs, and administrative functions. This includes securing contributions for new 

exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public outreach. Donor/sponsor-designated 

funds are essential to support exhibitions and educational initiatives. In addition, 

significant endowment gifts support the Museum’s research, exhibitions, public 

programs, and administrative functions. 

102 
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 33 5,339 6 2,500 19 6,962 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 33 5,559 7 3,000 24 9,000 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 33 5,842 7 3,000 24 9,000 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 4 695 4 722 0 27

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 2 360 2 374 0 14

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 1 125 1 132 0 7

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 2 360 2 374 0 14

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 12 2,025 12 2,107 0 82

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 8 1,324 8 1,436 0 112

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 4 670 4 697 0 27

Total 33 5,559 33 5,842 0 283

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Now in its fifth decade, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG) is a 

leading voice for contemporary art and culture and provides a national platform for the 

modern art and artists of our time. As one of the most visited modern art museums in the 

United States, the HMSG seeks to share the transformative power of modern and 

contemporary art by creating meaningful personal experiences in which art, artists, 

103 
audiences, and ideas converge. Through groundbreaking exhibitions, events, research, 

and acquisitions, visitors encounter the most important artists of the 21st century. The 

Hirshhorn’s holdings encompass one of the most important collections of post-World War 

II art in the world, wherein today’s artists have a global platform to explore new ways to 

create, with performance, digital media, video, and technology. 

As the national Museum for modern and contemporary art, the HMSG is home to a 

collection of more than 12,000 artworks and objects which cover the broad sweep of 

visual culture in the last 150 years, including paintings, sculpture, works on paper, 

performance, video, and digital media. While the initial collection was a gift from the 

Museum’s founder, Joseph Hirshhorn, collections acquisition efforts are ongoing. The 

acquisition program focuses on artworks at the forefront of contemporary art, and the 

Museum has increased its efforts to prioritize greater diversity in its collection. For 

instance, nearly one-fifth of recent acquisitions in the last six years were created by Black 

artists. The collections care and conservation of the HMSG’s extensive holdings receive a 

substantial portion of the Museum’s resources and enables staff to showcase artwork at 

the building, online, and through an active loan program with other institutions. 

During FY 2021, the Museum transitioned from in-person to online programs and 

used digital-native content as the primary means of connecting with audiences. The 

closure of physical spaces required by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity 

to highlight the time-based media and video works within the Hirshhorn’s collection. Staff 

curated novel, digital-native exhibitions available to visitors through the Museum’s

website and social media channels, while also looking forward to the building’s reopening 

and preparing thoughtful and well-researched physical exhibitions. 

The HMSG offers a wide range of educational and public programs serving diverse 

audiences and encouraging viewers to learn about various fields of contemporary culture. 

The Museum leverages the lessons learned from ARTLAB+, the award-winning digital 

media studio that connects teenagers from local, underserved communities with artist 

mentors, to better serve diverse audiences with youth and family programming. 

The Hirshhorn is also constantly improving its financial and administrative 

management tools and procedures. The Museum strives to create a staff culture that is 

efficient, collaborative, committed, innovative, and diverse. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

Efforts to support Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research continue as the Museum 

develops public forums on the intersections of art, design, technology, and education, 

featuring international subject-matter experts and an interactive online component, 

extending digital audience engagement far beyond the walls of the physical building. The 

Hirshhorn will expand its online and on-site programs dealing with the role of technology 

and new media in contemporary art, museum culture, and digital education. 

The HMSG’s proposed exhibition schedule for FY 2024 builds upon the mission to 

expand access to the arts and increase public understanding of, and engagement with, 

104 
the international scope of modern and contemporary art in all its diversity. FY 2024 will 

feature exhibitions and major events highlighting the best of emerging, international 

contemporary art. This will include: 

• John Akomfrah’s acclaimed six-channel video work, Purple (on view through 

January of 2024). This film captures ecological features around the world — from 

the Arctic to the South Pacific — which are at risk of or are disappearing due to 

changing climates. Wrapped in the gentle arc of the Museum’s curved walls, the 

installation will allow visitors to experience remote landscapes within a panoramic 

exploration of vulnerable environments. Set against current conversations 

regarding gender, power, and recognition in our society, the exhibition celebrates 

the depth, breadth, radicality, and rigor of art made by women while calling 

attention to the ways that gender itself can be understood in relation to the making 

and presentation of art — both irrelevant and irrevocable. 

• A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China (on view through 

January of 2024) includes a sweeping selection of contemporary Chinese 

photography. The exhibition includes works by more than 20 photographers from 

between 1993 and 2004, a vibrant period that put Beijing on the map as a nexus of 

experimental art. Evocative of the rapidly changing society from which they 

emerged, these photographs are ambitious in scale and impact, and they resonate 

with possibility in the face of an unscripted future that is still unfolding today. 

• Opening in November of 2023, the Hirshhorn will feature the first comprehensive 

survey of artwork by Simone Leigh (who was born in 1967 in Chicago). Among the 

most respected artists of her generation, Leigh represented the United States at 

the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2022. The 

exhibition will survey approximately 20 years of her highly disciplined productions 

in ceramic, bronze, video, and installations, and will feature works from Simone 

Leigh: Sovereignty, the artist’s Venice Biennale presentation, providing audiences 

with the chance to experience this landmark installation. Addressing a wide swath 

of historical periods, geographies, and traditions, her art references vernacular and 

hand-made processes from across the African diaspora, as well as forms 

traditionally associated with African art and architecture. Simone Leigh will offer 

visitors a timely opportunity to gain a holistic understanding of the complex and 

profoundly moving work of this groundbreaking artist in one of the country’s few 

free public institutions devoted to contemporary art. 

• Opening in May of 2024, the Museum will host the largest U.S. exhibition of works 

by the Brazilian duo OSGEMEOS. This world-renowned street-art duo draw on 

their interests in hip-hop, American graffiti, and Brazilian folk art to create imagined 

worlds populated by distinctive cartoon-like characters. Their work combines a 

surreal, playful, and humorous approach with a keen attention to social concerns. 

Visitors will experience the full breadth of the artists’ 30 years of creative output, 

including paintings, immersive installations, video works, and sculpture. 

105 
In addition, the HMSG continues planning for large-scale immersive exhibitions to 

celebrate the Museum’s 50th anniversary in October of 2024 with installations 

highlighting the Hirshhorn’s extraordinary collection holdings. 

Also in FY 2024, in support of the strategic goal to expand access to the 

Smithsonian’s digital content, the Museum’s website will engage with local and remote 

audiences about exhibition offerings, upcoming public programs, and information on 

collections and artists. Featured content will include audio and video from public 

programs, interviews with artists and curators, and searchable access to the collections. 

The Hirshhorn’s communications and marketing efforts will diffuse deep knowledge of 

contemporary art and culture, not merely describe actions and exhibits in superficial 

terms. In addition, the Museum continues to publish original catalogues to complement 

exhibitions, along with other books that examine modern art, design, and cultural shifts of 

the early 21st century. 

Using Hirshhorn Eye! (Hi! for short), a revolutionary, in-gallery art guide that applies 

image-recognition technology to scan art and instantly provide access to exclusive artist 

videos and inside information, staff have increased interaction between visitors and the 

digital resources of the Museum. Hi! content is updated regularly in coordination with rotating 

exhibitions. In FY 2024, the HMSG will continue to create and deliver content that builds on 

these in-gallery exhibition learning aids. In addition, the innovative Hirshhorn Eye! technology 

will provide more in-depth content for the recently released Collections Catalogue. By 

scanning high-quality photographs, readers will be linked to artist interviews, additional 

viewpoints, and related content that could not be included in the published book. 

The HMSG will continue to offer public programs for visitors with varying levels of art 

experience and cultural interests, and by expanding the concept of a museum as a learning 

center. Local artists lead workshops for K–12 teachers and students. They will present 

ideas and inspirations to people of all ages through the “Meet the Artist” programs and “In

Conversation” interviews and panel discussions. The Museum will draw upon a wide range 

of artists, researchers, and experts to provide interpretive tours. 

In concert with educational foundation sponsors, the Hirshhorn will reinvigorate the 

ARTLAB+ program to create workshops where local teenagers can explore digital media. 

The Museum will re-launch the “Gallery Guides” program to bring advanced art students 

into the galleries to aid visitors’ critical experience with art on display and develop the 

students’ own education objectives and teaching skills. The Hirshhorn will also launch pilot 

programs to reach preschool-aged children, families, and underserved audiences through 

increased accessibility programs offered in Spanish and American Sign Language. 

The HMSG will also continue collections research in the Museum’s state-of-the-art 

Conservation Lab and collections storage space. The upgraded spaces have improved 

natural light to enhance collections management and conservation activities. In addition, 

the Hirshhorn will advance research and preserve time-based media (such as film, digital 

video, and audio artworks) by integrating the work of conservation and exhibits to improve 

the presentation and stewardship of the analog and digital time-based media. The Museum 

106 
will also continue to photograph and catalogue the collection to make it more accessible via 

search features on the HMSG website. 

The Museum will merge the functional with the artistic by including artists and 

designers in discussions with facilities staff. This will involve revitalizing the Sculpture 

Garden and re-envisioning the way that the plaza and gallery spaces are used as we 

approach the Museum’s 50th anniversary year. These projects will enable the Hirshhorn’s 

physical plant to support the Museum’s mission and its expanded programming and 

collections, as well as enhance the visitor experience and address infrastructure needs. 

The new Garden will create an area for large-scale contemporary works and performances 

within intimate spaces where visitors can enjoy the Museum’s many modern masterpieces. 

Finally, the HMSG will continue improving long-range program planning reviews to 

enhance resource allocation, funds management, and more effective cost sharing with 

outside organizations to support major exhibitions and programs. By identifying and 

working with partners in the private sector, the staff will leverage the Museum’s federal 

appropriations to the maximum extent possible. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $283,000 that provides 

$226,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff, and $57,000 

to support anticipated higher costs for off-site leased collections storage space, which are 

also referenced in the Fixed Costs section of this budget submission. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and benefits 

of administrative and development personnel, as well as some programs and public 

relations staff, advancement activities, and exhibition and program-related costs. 

Donor/sponsor-designated funds support exhibitions, public programs, communications, 

and marketing. 

107 
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 32 5,257 4 661 0 473 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 32 5,439 6 2,244 8 2,826 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 32 5,659 6 2,580 8 3,250 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 3 617 3 638 0 21

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 4 386 4 414 0 28

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 4 595 4 623 0 28

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 3 583 3 604 0 21

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 8 1,639 8 1,691 0 52

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 5 744 5 778 0 34

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 4 647 4 675 0 28

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 1 228 1 236 0 8

Total 32 5,439 32 5,659 0 220

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) inspires conversations about the beauty, 

power, and diversity of Africa’s arts and cultures worldwide. The Museum strives to be the 

world’s leading center of scholarly and artistic excellence on the arts of Africa and serves 

108 
local, national, and international audiences on site and online. The NMAfA uses its 

unparalleled collections, exhibitions, educational programs, and publications to foster the 

broadest access, dispel stereotypes, and collaborate with African, diasporic, and global 

communities. 

In FY 2024, the NMAfA plans to continue essential work on exhibitions and programs, 

audience development, and collections/facilities care to fulfill its mission. A key component of 

Museum operations is the creation of temporary and long-term exhibitions of historical, 

modern, and contemporary artworks from its own collection and from other museums and 

private collections. The NMAfA is expanding its reach to a wide range of local, national, and 

international visitors and stakeholders, both in person and online, by strengthening its 

strategic range of public programs, curriculum-focused educational assets, and collaborations 

with organizational, academic, and community partners. 

Over the course of the last year, substantial selections from the Museum’s large and 

important permanent collection of Africa’s historical, modern, and contemporary arts were on 

view. This included the ongoing Currents: Water in African Art exhibition that features aquaticthemed artworks from the permanent collection; the multi-year exhibition Heroes: Principles of 

African Greatness, which used interactive technology to engage visitors with stories about 

African men and women who achieved and exemplify greatness through varying types of 

heroism; and the long-term exhibition Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa’s Arts that offers 

changing storylines and highlights the most significant selections from the Museum’s 

permanent collection of African works of art. 

The NMAfA launched the exhibition Iké Udé: Nollywood Portraits, featuring the work of 

the Nigerian-born, New York-based artist. In his work, Udé explores the school of Nollywood 

films from Nigeria, re-enacting the process of producing a major Nollywood picture and 

illustrating how audiences play a critical role in this process as actors, actresses, producers, 

and directors who gain public acclaim through their skills in costume design, effective use of 

props, lighting, and performing on camera. In FY 2023, the Museum will open the exhibition 

From the Deep: In the Wake of Drexciya with Ayana V. Jackson. Inspired by the Detroitbased Afrofuturist music duo Drexciya, photographer Ayana Jackson revisits the history of the 

trans-Atlantic slave trade in this first solo museum presentation by the artist. The exhibition 

addresses difficult and defining issues of history, race, representation, and the future, and 

features the artist’s first video and a selection of full costumes created with designers in 

Senegal and Angola. 

Also in FY 2023, the NMAfA will continue renovations to the second-level facilities area 

for supporting staff, and increase the visibility of and public access to Museum assets, 

including the education program areas, the renowned Warren M. Robbins Library, and the 

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, which are all dedicated to helping the public learn more 

about African art. Phase 1 improvements include a new conference room and lecture hall with 

technology to provide better on-site and online public accessibility. The renovation plan 

repurposes the current architecture to minimize costs while improving spatial workflow and 

efficiencies. This staged, multi-year renovation project has been designed to permit ongoing 

access to current facilities. 

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In addition, the Museum is working with the Freer and Sackler Galleries of Asian Art to 

create new, fire-rated storage spaces and modify existing fire-rated spaces to meet current 

life-safety codes. In pursuit of this goal, the NMAfA has completed three phases of its main 

storage master plan and is using resources from the Smithsonian’s Collection’s Care and 

Preservation Fund (CCPF) to finish more phases of this work. 

Several technology modifications are under way to support both on-site and virtual 

exhibitions and program access. Museum staff are adapting exhibition technology to permit 

touchless capabilities, as well as developing new digital technologies to create virtual gallery 

experiences. The NMAfA is exploring the potential to link this technology to the Museum’s 

webpage and include add-ins such as artist or curator tours, other contextual information, and 

access to a new, online NMAfA store. Also, to further enhance the in-person experience, the 

Museum has begun upgrading all exhibition fixtures and lamps with light-emitting diodes 

(LEDs) throughout the building. The LEDs installed in two first-floor galleries to date improve 

the lighting’s energy efficiency and reduces the facility’s utility costs. 

The NMAfA also continues to process its award of a $1.5 million five-year 

implementation grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. to support the Museum’s Global 

Religions of Africa Initiative. Africa’s global religious practices on the continent and in its 

diasporas engage with verbal, visual, and performing arts and offer strategies relevant to the 

urgent issues of our day. This initiative focuses on educational programming, community 

outreach, and audience engagement through on-site and virtual programs. Endowmentfunded programming is designed to enhance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion 

(DEAI) in programs and offerings, as well as to better represent voices and communities of 

faith. The grant includes contract support for a project coordinator and four paid internships 

per year. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The NMAfA catalyzes new methods of engagement with larger audiences — including 

with stakeholders historically engaged with the Museum as well as new, first-time visitor 

audiences — by working to ensure that every home and classroom has access to the 

Smithsonian’s digital content. Through its expanding digital strategies, the NMAfA will 

emphasize enhanced learning styles, introduce new language content, and improve 

accessibility for differently abled visitors. The Museum has also launched a phased Web 

redesign that will address accessibility, offer content in additional languages, and present 

exciting NMAfA resources for educators, art enthusiasts, and students worldwide. As part of 

this redesign, the Museum will also offer teachers new tools in multiple languages and 

produce more visual content to reach diverse audiences. 

The website redesign continues in support of the strategies to expand the Museum’s 

social media presence on multiple platforms and reach a broader range of long-term 

audiences as well as new audiences and stakeholders. New digital stories will be developed 

and shared on the Museum’s website, the NMAfA interface on Google Arts and Culture, via 

the Smithsonian Voices blog, in addition to other social media platforms which broaden the 

reach of the Museum’s work and increase its visibility. 

The Museum will also continue digitizing its art and photographic archive collections to 

make them available to the public via the portals on the NMAfA website. This will increase 

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public access to its collections through enhanced navigation features via eMuseum and multimedia applications, and by completing additional image and object catalogue records for the 

NMAfA’s public access database. The Museum works closely with the Office of Digital 

Transformation and the Office of the Chief Information Officer to embark on a large-scale, 

mass-digitization project that will add a substantial number of new object records to the online 

collection database. Conservation and registration records are also being digitized and added 

to the Institution’s database network.

The NMAfA will continue to broaden visibility, prepare future programming that attracts 

more visitors, and seek visitor feedback on exhibitions and programs, using visitor comments, 

docent interactions, and surveys of its public programs. Collaborative projects initiated by the 

NMAfA include working with Smithsonian units on best practices in program development, 

internships, and audience assessment. In October of 2022, the NMAfA made its first 

deaccession of collections under the Smithsonian’s new Ethical Returns and Shared 

Stewardship Policy by formally transferring ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to the National 

Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria. The bronzes, which had been part of 

the Museum’s collection, were stolen during an 1897 British raid on Benin City. The

Institution’s Board of Regents voted to deaccession the bronzes in keeping with the new 

policy, which authorizes the return of Smithsonian collections to the community of origin, when 

appropriate, based on ethical considerations such as the manner and circumstances in which 

the items were originally acquired. The NMAfA will continue to participate in the process for 

restitution and repatriation of colonial-era and looted collections objects. In the future, this 

collaboration will forge connections with colleagues at African museums to share information, 

develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and address questions of DEAI in the United States 

and worldwide. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $220,000 for necessary pay and 

other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support staff salaries, benefits, 

and travel. The Museum raises contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations 

to support activities and programs such as the Paid Internships Initiative, the ongoing NMAfA 

Women’s Initiative, and the Global Religions of Africa Initiative. In addition, grants, donations, 

and sponsorships fund special projects like exhibitions, education programs, and publications. 

The Museum has expanded its offerings and increased fund raising to support new projects, 

such as collaborative programs with partner African museums, multi-year curatorial 

residencies, and participation in professional development training that increases both 

domestic and international peer perspectives, welcomes new voices, and raises the visibility 

of art from the African continent around the globe. 

111 
 

ANACOSTIA COMMUNITY MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 17 2,873 2 593 2 340 0 245 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 17 2,949 3 612 0 100 0 210 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 20 3,434 3 636 0 200 0 100 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 3 242 3 258 0 16

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 2 530 4 779 2 249

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 3 422 4 595 1 173

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 1 180 1 185 0 5

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 2 450 2 460 0 10

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 3 421 3 437 0 16

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 1 346 1 351 0 5

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, 

staff, visitors and volunteers 0 75 0 75 0 0

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 2 209 2 219 0 10

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 0 75 0 76 0 1

Total 17 2,949 20 3,434 3 485

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

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BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Since its founding in 1967, the Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) has been a 

catalyst to help people in urban neighborhoods voice their concerns about city life, 

examine their role in society, and encourage local cultural expression. As the 

Smithsonian’s first community museum, the ACM is uniquely positioned as a trusted 

bridge between organizations, academia, government, businesses, and community 

members, which together give voice to previously untold perspectives and uncover 

novel solutions to the problems of urban living. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In 2023 and 2024, the ACM continues to expand its programmatic offerings. The 

Museum is in the third year of a five-year initiative, Transforming America, that looks at 

five issues through the lens of racial equity, with 2023 and 2024 highlighting issues of 

the environment and public health. The 2023 exhibition To Live and Breathe: Women 

and Environmental Justice in Washington, DC celebrates ordinary women making 

extraordinary change through the lens of “where we live, work, play, and pray.” 

Environmental toxins, deadly viruses, and climate change threaten all of us, but they 

have a disparate impact on people of color and anyone who cannot afford to leave 

dangerous jobs or move away from neighborhoods with high levels of pollution or 

flooding. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent severe climate events have laid bare 

what women have long discussed at kitchen tables around the country. The stories in 

this exhibition provide us with inspiring examples of women who face great odds but are 

tireless in their efforts to protect their families, neighbors, and communities. 

As part of this focus, the Museum will host four anchor public programs which 

highlight environmental themes and mark key community commemorations, as well as 

expand our programming to include more offerings for families and seniors. Key to the 

Museum’s Year of the Environment will be the launching of the ACM’s Center for 

Environmental Justice. The Center will use a humanities-based framework that places 

traditional scientific research and data in the context of daily life and offers a range of 

community-based programs, including the inaugural Environmental Justice Academy 

funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Women’s Environmental Leadership

(WEL) network and summit. 

In addition, the ACM continues to provide more direct service for people 

experiencing food insecurity by hosting the Feed the Fridge program. This program 

placed a fridge on the Museum grounds and filled it five days a week with prepared 

meals for anyone in need. During 2021, the community fridge fed more than 8,000 

residents of the city’s Wards 7 and 8.

In 2024, the ACM will launch its education-themed exhibition tentatively titled A 

Bold and Beautiful Vision, focusing on the significance of Washington, DC arts 

educators as catalysts for local and national artists and cultural workers. The ACM 

plans to expand its community engagement reach by collaborating with the Charles 

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Sumner School Museum and Archives, and the DC History Center — to install three 

exhibits, one at each site, focusing on the history of the struggle for equal education for 

children of color in Washington, DC. In addition, the ACM will continue to enhance its 

online presence with a defined social media strategy and amplify the Museum’s 

programmatic offerings. 

In 2023, the ACM implemented its impact statement and prioritized audiences by 

incorporating it into our program planning. As part of this process, the impact framework 

is being used to develop and evaluate the upcoming exhibit To Live and Breathe: 

Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, DC. This evaluation will provide vital 

information on the effectiveness of our content and whether the Museum is having the 

desired impact on our audiences. 

Even though the Museum has reopened to the public, the ACM will continue to 

develop and implement online content as well programs that may take place off 

Museum grounds. These types of virtual and off-site programs allow the ACM to better 

meet audiences where they are and expand outreach as a community-based Museum. 

The ACM is committed to improving the stewardship of and increasing public 

access to its collections. The Museum’s major priority is to continue digitizing collections 

and developing its online portal to make hundreds of high-quality images and records 

available through the Smithsonian’s Collection Search Center and The Museum System 

(TMS) database. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $485,000 that provides 

$89,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under 

this line item, and a programmatic increase of 3 FTEs and $396,000 for digital 

transformation and education support. 

Digital Support (+$239,000, +2 FTEs) 

The FY 2024 request includes funding for a new digital content manager 

(+$110,000, +1 FTE), who will lead the strategy for ensuring that ACM content and digital 

resources reach and serve the needs of the diverse ACM community. This position will 

allow the Museum to broaden its reach to new audiences and create and maintain an 

online presence that leads to awareness and increases in-person visitation. In addition, 

this position will coordinate existing content from researchers and scholars and rewrite 

content for the ACM’s digital, marketing, and outreach programs to build public awareness 

of and increase engagement with the Museum’s audiences. The position will involve 

working across multiple platforms, including the Smithsonian intranet, public social media 

and crowdsourcing platforms, and e-newsletters. 

The FY 2024 request will also support a digital curator (+$129,000, +1 FTE) to 

research and produce digital resources and exhibitions in the Museum’s major content 

114 
areas, which focuses on community life in the Washington, DC region. The ACM 

approaches curation of community life through the following core content areas: arts, 

environmental justice, family histories, historical achievement, and community activism, 

encompassing a broad swath of issues which include housing, education, and public 

health. The digital curator will create digital companion exhibits for those in the 

Museum’s gallery as well as independent digital exhibits such as the first standalone 

online exhibition, We Shall Not Be Moved: Stories of Struggle from Barry FarmHillsdale, which expanded the Museum’s audience. The digital curator would also 

program the ACM’s recently launched Outdoor Projector Program that uses recurring 

digital art exhibitions and introduces a new digital gallery experience for the public to 

extend the Museum’s reach beyond its limited physical exhibit space. A distinguishing 

programmatic approach is the engagement of local, national, and international artists 

with ties to the region who, in their own artistic practice, form a dialogue with the 

Museum’s core content areas. Additionally, the program seeks to amplify and deepen 

the public’s interpretation of African American and Washington, DC-based artists with 

works in the ACM’s collections by using a collections-based curatorial approach. 

Education Support (+$157,000, +1 FTE) 

The Museum educator position will assist the ACM in developing and 

implementing programs aimed at community members in the metropolitan Washington 

region, including Maryland and Virginia. Programs will be developed for youth and 

family audiences and may take place at the Museum or off site in conjunction with 

community partners. The purpose of the programs will be to better connect the ACM 

with local communities by sharing content focused on the humanities. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — The ACM’s financial strength is closely tied to 

its strategic revitalization. Recently, for the first time in more than a decade, the 

Museum hit its fundraising target. In FY 2024, through the development of a 

comprehensive fundraising plan, advancement staff will leverage the ACM’s success in 

2023 to inspire current donors and attract new ones through its community focused 

mission and vision. Key areas of fund raising will support the Center for Environmental 

Justice and exhibits, public programs, and school programs, including digital content 

and experiences for To Live and Breathe, A Bold and Beautiful Vision, the 2025 

exhibition focused on public health, and the 2026 exhibit commemorating the nation’s 

250th anniversary. The ACM will also leverage the institutional campaign as a key 

component of the Museum’s fundraising strategy. 

115 
ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 14 2,023 2 262 17 2,132 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 14 2,097 2 689 17 2,506 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 14 2,180 2 644 17 2,804 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience 

engagement 1 139 2 388 1 249

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate 

information to the public 1 138 1 138 0 0

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 1 70 1 70 0 0

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 9 1,280 8 1,114 -1 -166

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative 

infrastructure 2 470 2 470 0 0

Total 14 2,097 14 2,180 0 83

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Founded in 1954, the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (AAA) is the 

world’s pre-eminent and most widely used resource for original papers and other 

primary records documenting the visual arts in the United States. By collecting, 

preserving, and making available more than 30 million unique letters, diaries, 

photographs, financial records, sketchbooks, scrapbooks, and the like, AAA 

embodies the Smithsonian’s mission for “the increase and diffusion of

knowledge.” 

To achieve the Institution’s strategic initiative to ensure that every home and 

classroom has access to the Smithsonian’s digital content, AAA continues its 

116 
ambitious digitization program, established in 2005, to provide online access to a 

significant portion of its holdings. By digitizing entire archival collections and 

fulfilling digitization-on-demand requests from researchers, in FY 2024 AAA will 

make hundreds of linear feet of material freely available and searchable online. 

In addition, the Archives will continue to engage in comprehensive and 

systematic collection assessment surveys to inform the strategic initiative of 

developing stewardship practices that ensure the preservation and sustainability 

of our collections for future generations. As part of this effort, AAA continues to 

decrease the backlog of unprocessed collections in both audiovisual (AV) and 

born-digital holdings. 

AAA will provide a nimble, cost-effective, and responsive administrative 

infrastructure by regularly assessing and enhancing staff development and 

maintaining conscientious oversight of internal controls. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

AAA will achieve the Institution’s strategic initiative to be a trusted source of 

information that explores the American identity by representing the American 

experience and diversifying our exhibitions online and in the Donald W. Reynolds 

Center. As part of this effort, AAA is working with the National Portrait Gallery to 

co-curate the exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Angel of History, which is 

scheduled to open in the fall of 2024; and collaborating with the Smithsonian 

American Art Museum on the exhibition Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by 

Women, opening in May of 2024. These exhibitions address the strategic goal of 

creating One Smithsonian, with collaborative programming and, in the case of the 

fiber-art exhibition, promoting the American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI). 

The Archives will advance the Smithsonian’s role as a trusted source in 

ongoing efforts to enhance collection catalogue records and finding aids with 

inclusive and conscientious description and subject tagging related to artists from 

historically under-represented communities. This includes participating in the 

Institution’s reparative description projects and learning best practices from other 

units and committees, such as the AWHI’s gender and metadata working group. 

In FY 2024, with lessons learned from the Smithsonian’s experience with 

the COVID-19 pandemic, AAA will refine its means of conducting remote oral 

history interviews. Using portable kits funded by the Alice L. Walton Foundation, 

Archives staff will conduct remote interviews and focus on under-represented 

artists. AAA will reach new audiences through its monthly podcast, Articulated: 

Dispatches from the Archives of American Art, which draws on the breadth and 

depth of AAA’s oral history collection while incorporating multiple points of view 

from external partners. In addition, the Archives will continue to host virtual 

events which tell an expansive story of art and the American experience while 

highlighting its mission to preserve these primary sources and make them 

available to the public. 

117 
In FY 2024, with ongoing support from the Terra Foundation for American 

Art and other funding streams in the private sector, AAA will add an estimated 

150,000 digital image files online. The Archives will also develop its internal 

digitization and Collections Information System (CIS) application to ensure 

proper collections documentation and support increasingly complex workflows, 

as well as to provide proper logging and accessioning of materials in born-digital 

formats. Together, these efforts will enable AAA to track the life cycle of all 

materials from pre-acquisition to storage and access. In addition, the Archives 

will work with staff in the Office of the Chief Information Officer to leverage its 

investment in the description, digitization, and management of its collections by 

participating in ArchivesSpace, SOVA (Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives), the 

Smithsonian’s Enterprise Digital Asset Network (EDAN) architecture, the Digital 

Asset Management System (DAMS), the Smithsonian Transcription Center, and 

other Smithsonian digitization initiatives. 

Furthermore, in FY 2024, the Archives will process all new collections and at 

least 10 percent of AAA’s backlog, or about 1,000 linear feet of archival collections, 

resulting in new, fully searchable finding aids on AAA’s website. Finding aids will 

provide online access to many previously hidden collections, with a focus on the 

records of art galleries as well as on the papers of women, Latinos, and Asian 

Pacific artists and arts organizations. System workflows will continue to integrate 

accelerated processing and preservation strategies to diminish the current backlog 

and prevent a new backlog. 

AAA’s audiovisual archivist will review workflows for the acquisition, 

preservation, and description of and access to AV formats. This review will drive 

plans to digitize large quantities of at-risk digital formats and advance AAA’s role in 

the new Institution-wide Audiovisual Media Preservation Initiative (AVMPI). 

In addition, the Archives will continue to strengthen its collections 

stewardship through ongoing, comprehensive collections assessment surveys for 

manuscript collections, photographic materials, and at-risk AV and born-digital 

holdings. Reports generated from this data provide valuable information about 

AAA’s holdings so the Archives’ staff can make informed, shared decisions about 

the best way to allocate limited resources. AAA will continue taking a leadership 

role in working with the larger Smithsonian archival community to initiate and 

implement Institution-wide collections assessment strategies and systems. 

In FY 2024, AAA will support researchers by providing access to its 

collections and microfilm in the Archives’ Washington, DC research center, as 

well as other U.S. research centers. AAA staff will offer remote reference 

services through the Web-based “Ask Us” form, and continue to digitize legacy 

microfilm on demand, thereby expanding a new revenue stream. 

Also in FY 2024, AAA will establish a new, two-year residency position for 

an entry-level archivist to assist with accessioning, collections stewardship and 

processing, reference services, and digital projects. This position will include 

opportunities for professional development and mentorship. 

118 
Finally, the Archives will focus on increasing the flexibility of its 

administrative functions to make them nimble. By continuing to implement the 

strategic initiative of “Our Shared Future,” AAA will increase the efficiency of its 

processes, generating more effective and integrated solutions. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

This FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $83,000 for 

necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this 

line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support AAA’s 

advancement office, including salaries and benefits. Donor/sponsor-designated funds 

support specific programs and projects, including exhibitions, internships, production 

of oral history interviews, collections and media processing, and publication of the 

Archives of American Art Journal. In FY 2024, the Archives will continue working 

closely with its diverse advisory board to position this publication as the leading 

scholarly journal in the field of American art history. During the past eight years, AAA 

has increased the number of outstanding submissions, raised the visibility of the 

journal, strengthened the Archives’ relationship with the University of Chicago Press, 

and established more cost-effective, multiyear contracts for design and printing. 

Also, in FY 2024, the Archives will continue to develop strategies for sustaining 

its digitization program by growing its endowment to support essential staff and 

implementing improved rapid-capture technologies and techniques. Funding from the 

Terra Foundation for American Art, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, and other donors 

supports AAA’s ambitious digitization program. The Archives will continue to raise 

money from the private sector for digitization, oral history projects, collections 

management, and general operating expenses. 

In response to the Smithsonian’s initiative to build and enrich a national culture 

of lifelong learning by engaging with educational systems nationwide, AAA will 

continue to develop and broaden its teaching with primary sources program with the 

goal of making the Archive’s digital resources active in undergraduate courses and 

graduate seminars across the United States. AAA will also expand Fellowship 

opportunities by piloting a short-term visitor program open to all researchers with a 

compelling reason to consult original primary sources, including curators, artists, 

independent scholars, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as scholars with 

academic affiliations. 

119 
 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN 

HISTORY AND CULTURE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 155 34,853 18 4,419 44 24,372 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 155 35,767 24 6,640 51 29,920 0 7 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 155 36,886 26 6,972 54 31,416 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 23 5,139 23 5,300 0 161

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 16 3,895 16 4,017 0 122

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 18 3,219 18 3,320 0 101

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 21 6,333 21 6,531 0 198

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 18 4,379 18 4,516 0 137

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 19 4,012 19 4,137 0 125

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 5 810 5 836 0 26

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 26 4,860 26 5,012 0 152

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 9 3,120 9 3,217 0 97

Total 155 35,767 155 36,886 0 1,119

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

120 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) was 

established by Congress in 2003 to document, collect, conserve, interpret, and display 

the historical and cultural experiences and achievements of African Americans. Since 

opening in 2016, the NMAAHC, both in person and virtually, continues to provide a 

meeting place for all people to learn about the history and culture of African Americans 

and their contributions to American life. The Museum seeks to help all Americans and 

others around the world to understand these contributions, and in so doing, stimulate a 

dialogue about race and help foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing. As the only 

national Museum devoted exclusively to documenting and exploring African American 

history and culture, the NMAAHC bridges a major gap in our national memory by 

creating exhibitions and programs which focus on a wide arc of history and look deeply 

into slavery, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the great migrations of African 

Americans before and between the World Wars, the civil rights movement, and other 

significant issues of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The Museum also celebrates 

African American creativity and cultural expressions through art, dance, sports, theater, 

music, and literature. 

The NMAAHC’s building, exhibitions, digital technology, and Sweet Home Café 

are all award-winning entities, and the Museum’s shop and café both continue to enjoy 

large crowds. The Museum will be welcoming its nine millionth visitor in the spring of 

2023. In FY 2024, the NMAAHC will mark the continuation and expansion of major 

initiatives which fulfill the mission of looking at American history through the lens of 

African American history and culture: the building of a national collection; continued 

development of information technology and digitization programs; and the development 

and continued implementation of a robust research and education programming 

initiative — through both virtual and in-person resources. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In FY 2024, the Museum’s top priorities are to make long-term enhancements to 

its scholarly output, educational outreach, and digital programs — all while continuing to 

build the national collection. This includes growing domestic and international 

partnerships to generate additional support for the Museum; designing and developing 

temporary and traveling exhibitions for display throughout the United States; expanding 

scholarly research in all areas of African American history and culture; and developing 

robust virtual and in-person programming for the public, educators, and students. 

Also in FY 2024, the Museum’s office of digital strategy and engagement will 

continue expanding the NMAAHC’s global audience reach, engagement, and impact.

The Museum will research, design, and develop new digital experiences using emerging 

technologies to enhance interactive educational programs, promote engagement with 

visitors, and help make the collections, exhibitions, programs, and educational 

resources more accessible to a global audience. 

Furthermore, the NMAAHC will continue to expand its interactive, Web, and 

mobile offerings to provide innovative and engaging digital experiences that deepen the 

121 
connection between visitors and the Museum’s collection through bold storytelling and 

introduce our diverse audiences to themes which are both timely and relevant in today’s 

world. In 2023, the NMAAHC continued to build on the success of The Searchable 

Museum, a multiyear initiative to make all content accessible through an intuitive, 

responsive, and accessible online platform, by releasing two new exhibitions: Making a 

Way Out of No Way and Spirit in the Dark, along with related educational content and 

additional digital resources. In addition, The Searchable Museum’s new features include 

digital experiences drawn from the Museum’s permanent exhibitions, including 

Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: Era of Segregation 1876–1968, and its latest 

special exhibition, Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures. New “digital-only” 

experiences will build on The Searchable Museum initiative in FY 2024 and further 

realize the Smithsonian strategic goals of ensuring 1) every home and classroom has 

access to the NMAAHC’s digital content, and 2) being a trusted source of information 

that explores and grapples with America’s past, present, and future. 

In FY 2024, NMAAHC curators will continue to acquire artifacts, fine art, archival 

materials, photographs, film, and other media assets for the Museum’s permanent 

collection. Curatorial research will contextualize objects from a historical and 

contemporary perspective, with the aim of reckoning with our racial past through 

interpretive exhibitions, digital projects, publications, symposia, and public 

programs. Projects currently in development include publications on African American 

athletes and photography; books and digital publications related to the Museum’s 10th 

anniversary in 2026; and an exhibition with a companion publication about African 

Americans and the White House. In addition, the Center for the Study of Global 

Slavery’s exhibition, In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World is 

scheduled to open in the Museum’s special exhibitions gallery in 2024 and will then 

travel internationally. In Slavery’s Wake explores the wider international history of 

slavery and colonialism, and the way it transformed geographies, societies, economies, 

and concepts of race and identity. As part of the exhibition development process, the 

NMAAHC and its partners conducted a public conversation and oral history initiative 

called Unfinished Conversations. These filmed conversations around the lasting 

legacies of slavery and colonialism in contemporary life will inform a new globally 

shared archive that speaks from the perspectives of the descendants of those formerly 

enslaved and colonized peoples. 

The Museum now co-owns, with the J. Paul Getty Trust, the physical Johnson 

Publishing Company Archive and will continue to process, digitize, and make digitally 

accessible more than four million of its images, including photographs published in 

Ebony and Jet magazines. The NMAAHC will also continue planning to move the 

collection from Chicago to a new research center in Washington, DC when digitization is 

complete. The initial online portal is scheduled to open for the public in early 2024. 

Digital Humanities, an interpretive method and type of project based on the 

intersection of scholarship, digital tools, and technology, will be incorporated into 

projects to provide new and innovative ways for visitors to engage with the Museum’s 

collections and interpretive content. In FY 2024, NMAAHC staff will continue to focus on 

recent acquisitions and undigitized objects to improve the features and functions of the 

Museum’s collection information and cloud-hosted digital storage and delivery systems, 

122 
 

as well as online user interfaces. These enhanced systems will be used in connection 

with the NMAAHC’s digital-first strategy to drive visionary, interdisciplinary research and 

scholarly projects. The Robert Frederick Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation 

of African American History will continue to deliver public programming, digitization of 

community-based collections, Fellowship programs, and visitor engagement through the 

Explore Your Family History Center and the Community Curation Program — an online 

platform for members of the public to share personal stories through digitized images, 

video, and audio, along with digital media resources from the Museum’s community and 

institutional partners. The NMAAHC will also continue offering online audiences curated 

and community-generated selections of digital collections in the Museum’s virtual 

environment. 

The NMAAHC will keep working to make 100 percent of the Museum’s 

collections accessible to the public online, adding to the more than 18,000 items now 

available, and ensure that all digitized collection records and images for unrestricted 

materials are freely available via the Digital Public Library of America. The NMAAHC will 

also add new features and resources for the more than 3,000 objects in the collection 

now available through the Open Access Initiative. The Museum will increase access to 

the Freedmen’s Bureau records by continuing a multiyear effort with the Smithsonian 

Transcription Center to provide searchable, full-text transcriptions of the records, which 

are now linked to a genealogical index. This will include working with partners to 

conduct Transcribe-a-Thons, where volunteers help transcribe historical documents. 

In addition, the NMAAHC continues to offer compelling, first-class exhibitions and 

engage and inspire diverse audiences. In early FY 2023, the Museum opened a 

temporary exhibition entitled Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism and 

Popular Culture. This exhibit examines Black religious life through a selection of 

photographs from the Johnson Publishing Company. The images in the exhibition 

spotlight noteworthy individuals — including religious and political leaders, musicians, 

authors, athletes, activists, and educators — and are supported by diverse objects from 

the Museum’s collection, many on display for the first time. 

Also in FY 2023, the NMAAHC began exploring ways to further realize the 

potential of the Museum’s second-floor space: Explore More! The NMAAHC envisions 

this space as an integrated, state-of-the-art gallery that uses technology and 

programming to engage visitors of all ages, and provide them with the opportunity to 

deeply explore educational themes, family genealogies, the Museum’s media offerings, 

library, and other featured collections. While many of the current individual elements are 

successful on their own, the NMAAHC will address issues of functionality, flow, 

connectivity, and presentation to improve the visitor experience. This project is set to be 

completed by the fall of 2026 to coincide with the Museum’s tenth anniversary. 

In 2023 and into 2024, the NMAAHC will present the next large-scale temporary 

exhibition, Afro- Futurism: A History of Black Futures from the Past, Present, and 

Beyond. This exhibition presents a deep dive into ideas of Black identity and 

representation by contextualizing the African American experience through the 

perspectives of science, technology, and futuristic principles. Afro-Futurism provides a 

template for re-imagining Black futures, unimpeded by the restrictions of racism, and will 

123 
explore the various people, concepts, themes, and artistry which have given voice to 

expressions of such a better and more humane society. The Museum will also continue 

its intensive and comprehensive rotation program to replace loans and at-risk objects 

within its long-term exhibitions. Typically, the NMAAHC replaces between 200–300 

objects per year on a twice-yearly cycle. 

The Museum achieves the strategic goal of building and enriching a national 

culture of learning by presenting an array of lectures, conferences, community 

resources, staged readings, film screenings, concerts, and conversations with 

renowned scholars, thought leaders, musicians, actors, artists, authors, and filmmakers. 

In FY 2024, the NMAAHC’s staff plans to increase their national reach and impact by 

presenting programs digitally and in person, while adhering to necessary health and 

safety protocols. The Museum will continue to leverage education technology by making 

resources available by streaming programs — such as those about Juneteenth and 

Black History Month — and will create virtual experiences to enable audiences across 

the globe to participate. NMAAHC educators will also continue initiatives for all 

audiences by expanding digitally based resources which use the Museum’s collections 

and exhibitions and provide resources for the classroom and home by offering educatorand caregiver-development opportunities to reach learners where they live and study. 

The Museum will advance the Smithsonian’s educational goals by sharing

content about African American history and culture through media, marketing, and 

social media channels. Media campaigns, audience cultivation and outreach, marketing, 

communications, and social media are all avenues that the NMAAHC will continue 

developing to build and maintain its positive brand. 

To achieve the strategic initiative of improving collections stewardship, the 

Museum’s office of curatorial affairs will continue to identify, acquire, process, and lend 

collections while developing, preserving, and refining them to make the collection more 

accessible to the public. The NMAAHC has 41,729 objects in its collection and 

continues to manage offers of new collections and facilitate a robust review process. 

The Museum is also enhancing its collections-storage spaces and improving 

efficiency with high-density storage equipment and reorganization activities, and 

regularly coordinates with the National Collections Program. In addition, the NMAAHC 

continues developing keystone collection documents and standards while reviewing and 

streamlining workflows to be nimble and promote collaborative, integrated solutions. 

The NMAAHC office of strategic partnerships will advance the strategic goal of 

making the Museum a trusted source of information by delivering far-reaching and 

transformative support for African American and African Diaspora history and culture 

organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally. The office works with its 

collaborating institutions, provides access to training and resources in support of 

leaders and best practices, and raises awareness of these projects. In FY 2024, the 

NMAAHC will continue its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) History 

and Culture Access Consortium, a five-year initiative to address issues facing HBCUs 

and their affiliated museums and archives. This initiative will strengthen the long-term 

institutional stability of these vital cultural organizations. The resulting community of best 

124 
practices will focus on skill-based training for traditionally under-represented 

professionals, executive leadership training, and collections inventory and digitization. 

This initiative will culminate in 2026 with a travelling exhibition, aligned with the U.S. 

semi-quincentennial, to highlight the essential role HBCUs have played to advance 

American history and identity. Additionally, the NMAAHC will execute a series of virtual 

and in-person training sessions for museum professionals to strengthen ethical 

interpretation practices in the field and support environmentally centered community 

engagement and successful global partnerships. 

To achieve the goal of improving the Smithsonian’s digital strategy initiative, the 

Museum will continue building its cloud-based computing environment to create a more 

cost-effective, flexible, scalable, and secure infrastructure that supports technical 

innovations. The NMAAHC will also continue developing digital initiatives, using low- or 

no-cost, open-source technologies, to enable rapid prototyping while minimizing costs. 

Also in FY 2024, the Museum will help launch the Smithsonian’s climate action 

plan by designing and installing outdoor garden spaces to not only recapture 

groundwater and add to the NMAAHC’s green spaces but also educate visitors about 

subjects such as food justice, urban farming, and African-American environmentalism. 

Finally, the Museum will contribute to the strategic goal of building a nimble 

Smithsonian by continuing to develop its organizational structure and refine its business 

practices to accomplish program goals. The NMAAHC’s safety and facilities program 

will continually improve health and safety protocols, emergency operations procedures, 

disaster management plans, and related consolidation efforts. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,119,000 for necessary 

pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salary and benefit 

costs for the Museum director and other program-related costs. Donor/sponsordesignated funds support salaries and benefits for programmatic and development staff; 

costs associated with reaching fundraising goals, collections acquisitions, digitization, 

and educational initiatives; publications and special events for exhibition openings; 

costs of specific programs and projects, including educational programs, advertising, 

production of fundraising proposals, and member- and donor-related special events; as 

well as outreach activities. 

125 
 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

KENNETH E. BEHRING CENTER 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 160 26,581 14 2,036 54 18,029 0 513 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 159 28,180 21 3,127 47 12,354 2 1,000 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 161 29,709 21 3,100 47 12,500 2 1,000 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 21 3,664 21 3,752 0 88

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 15 2,536 15 2,674 0 138

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 6 1,127 6 1,188 0 61

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 14 2,536 14 2,674 0 138

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 35 7,045 35 7,317 0 272

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 45 7,890 45 8,319 0 429

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 2 564 2 594 0 30

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 16 1,973 18 2,300 2 327

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 5 845 5 891 0 46

Total 159 28,180 161 29,709 2 1,529

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

126 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The National Museum of American History (NMAH), Kenneth E. Behring Center, 

has the unique and cherished role as the only Museum in the country dedicated to 

telling the full history of the United States. Through incomparable collections, rigorous 

research, and dynamic public outreach, the NMAH seeks to empower people to create 

a just and compassionate future by exploring, preserving, and sharing the complexity of 

our past. Learning U.S. history helps people understand that today’s world is the result 

of myriad choices and actions made by many different individuals and communities 

across time and place. Increasingly, we understand that knowledge of the past is not a 

luxury. It is essential for the civic health of our country and for our democracy to survive. 

The Museum is honored to steward the nation’s premier history collections, 

consisting of more than 1.8 million objects and more than three shelf-miles of archival 

collections. Our artifacts form a fascinating mosaic of American life and make up the 

greatest single collection of American history in the world. The NMAH manages a nearly 

800,000-square-foot building on the National Mall in Washington, DC as well as 

collections primarily stored and cared for at the Museum Support Center and the Paul 

E. Garber Facility in Suitland, Maryland, and at the Pennsy Drive Building in Landover, 

Maryland. 

At the heart of the Museum are the employees who care for its audiences, 

collections, resources, messages, buildings, and scholarship, all in service to the people 

of the United States and their ongoing education. Collectively, the staff create a series 

of forums, both virtual and in the Museum, where millions of people engage with one 

another and with inspiring and challenging stories from U.S. history. In our galleries and 

online presence, we have connected generations of Americans to deeply researched 

history via an exceptionally broad range of primary sources and material culture. 

Approximately 1.8 million people visited the Museum in 2022 and more than 11 million 

guests interacted with the Museum last year through online channels (e.g., via websites, 

social media platforms, the YouTube channel, and e-news). The NMAH has shared its 

work in Rapid Response Collecting related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives 

Matter, and other protests, as well as the January 6th Capitol attack, through proactive 

news media outreach and educational offerings. The Museum’s exhibitions, collecting, 

research, and digital work are also covered extensively through media campaigns, 

which in FY 2022 reached a potential audience of 19.85 billion people, with coverage 

across all national networks, wire services, U.S. and international newspapers and their 

digital outlets, as well as radio, podcasts, and blogs. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Museum’s 10-year strategic plan (for 2020–2030) guides the NMAH as it 

envisions pathbreaking public work to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States 

in 2026, followed by a full-scale renovation of the Museum’s entire East Wing. The plan 

is organized around the NMAH’s vision to become the country’s most accessible, 

inclusive, relevant, and sustainable public history institution. To fulfill that role by 2030, 

127 
the Museum will serve an audience that reflects the full racial, class, gender, ethnic, and 

geographic demographics of the United States. The NMAH is deploying its recently 

developed state-of-the-field interpretative and collections plans to advance the 

Museum’s overarching strategic plan. 

The NMAH’s vision is a timely reflection of its status as the Smithsonian’s flagship 

history museum, given the congressionally authorized creation of the Smithsonian American 

Women’s History Museum (SAWHM) and the National Museum of the American Latino 

(NMAL), whose goals are inextricably tied to the current mission and work of the NMAH. 

The Museum has already established the groundwork for these two new museums through 

its participation and partnerships with the Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative 

(AWHI) and the Smithsonian Latino Center. Accordingly, the NMAH will continue these 

collaborative efforts with the new museums and ensure that our combined mutual resources 

serve audiences in the best possible manner. The fiscal impact of these two new museums 

on the NMAH will be reflected in future budget considerations. 

This groundwork is evidenced by the Museum’s recent and upcoming slate of 

public projects that advance the NMAH’s commitment to telling the stories of women’s 

history in innovative ways. Girlhood (It’s Complicated), an exhibition that tackles the 

long and complicated history of girls from all backgrounds, races, and classes, and what 

it has meant to grow up female in the United States, from the 1790s to the present, 

begins a national tour in early 2023. The exhibition mines the Museum’s rich collections 

and covers key topics such as education, wellness, work, fashion, and girls’ involvement 

in American political and social movements. In addition, the AWHI-funded podcast 

Collected, which launched in 2022, offers compelling and accessible journeys through 

topics in African American history which are particularly relevant today. 

The NMAH’s connection with the NMAL is highlighted by the traveling exhibition 

¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues/En los barrios y las grandes ligas. It takes 

audiences on a bilingual journey into the heart of the nation’s pastime, vividly conveying 

how generations of Latin Americans have helped make modern baseball the game it is 

today. Their inspirational stories gesture toward larger themes in American history that 

connect us all, on and off the baseball diamond. The Museum also provided the NMAL 

with space and assistance to open the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the NMAH in 

2022. This 4,500-square-foot space centers the U.S. Latino experience within America’s 

historical narrative via a series of changing exhibits, the latest in digital technology, and 

robust educational programs designed for multi-generational audiences. The Molina 

Family Gallery is the first physical space at the Smithsonian primarily dedicated to 

showcasing the contributions of the Latino community in shaping America’s culture.

The NMAH engages diverse audiences, nurtures community partnerships, and 

advances collaborative work across disciplinary boundaries. Recent accomplishments 

include developing the Center for the Public Understanding of American Religion and 

continuing the multiyear Undocumented collecting initiative to chronicle the efforts of 

undocumented people to shape political change. Other related projects involve 

showcasing the history of the Filipino American community in Stockton, California 

128 
through the acquisition of a 20th-century steamer trunk and associated materials; the 

acquisition of the first Black-owned vehicle to be collected by the Museum, a rare 1932 

Ford Model B purchased by Delbert McKinney with his Pullman porter wages; and the 

public display of the Fight the Virus, NOT the People banner presented to the Museum 

by members of the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. 

In addition, the NMAH is investing in its digital future as part of the Smithsonian’s 

strategic goal to ensure that every home and classroom has access to our digital 

content. The Museum is redesigning, migrating, and refreshing its public Web platform 

for the first time in seven years, based on the identified needs of the NMAH’s audiences 

and staff. The Museum is also developing a plan to define new digital-outreach goals 

and objectives, with a focus on more efficient and nimble workflows, enhanced 

infrastructure, and better training to increase staff capacity. The NMAH continues 

improving access to and use of its collections through digitization, more descriptive 

cataloguing, and increased availability of images in the public domain, which allows 

people to download them in high-resolution formats, for free. The Museum also partners 

with the Journal Storage platform known as JSTOR to develop an experimental project 

that will link NMAH collections to scholarly publications. 

Recently, the NMAH completed a forward-looking collections plan that enables 

sustained stewardship and advances a more inclusive and accessible national 

collection for the American people. This plan creates a shared language and common 

sense of purpose that will guide decisions about the Museum’s collections’ acquisition, 

stewardship, and utilization. Through deep examination of collections and discussions 

with colleagues in museums around the world, we are closely examining materials to 

better care for our most important collections and finding new homes for those better 

suited for specialized or regional repositories. In collaboration with the Smithsonian’s 

National Collections Program and Smithsonian facilities management, the NMAH has 

prepared designs and begun early work to support the Museum’s East Wing 

revitalization (also known as the Public Space Renewal Program — PSRP IV); 

completed designs and begun construction of the Pod 6 collections storage space at the 

Museum Support Center; and completed the first phase of the most pressing collections 

inventory and decontamination project at the Garber Facility. 

Most importantly, the Museum is exploring preventive measures to enhance the 

resiliency of the main building and protect it from catastrophic flooding. Through these 

far-reaching, long-term initiatives, the NMAH will continue to promote and enhance the 

value of its collections; complete intensive inventory, digitization, and description 

projects; increase online access; advance cross-institutional collaborations; deploy 

innovative uses of technology; and work to transform its physical infrastructure — all 

with the goal of preserving the historical memories of the nation for future generations. 

The Museum’s new interpretive plan provides direction and focus to create rich 

and engaging visitor experiences within the NMAH, in classrooms, and on digital 

channels. The plan recognizes the potential power of the breadth of our audiences —

from visitors, readers, program attendees, students, and teachers to online users, co129 
creators, community partners, conveners, and artists. By engaging with a living past, 

audiences will recognize themselves as change-makers and see new connections with 

their fellow citizens. This sense of empowerment and interconnection is basic to the 

Museum’s mission to help the visiting public realize “a just and compassionate future.” 

In FY 2023, the NMAH will continue crafting a multiyear strategy to identify and engage 

audiences as part of the Museum’s public outreach efforts.

The NMAH continues adapting to the changing needs of pre-K–12 teachers and 

students. As public schools transitioned back to in-person learning, the need for digital 

media and downloadable resources remained steady. For daycare centers and other 

pre-K-serving organizations, the transition has been challenging, with both parents and 

organizations needing supportive print and digital media materials to keep young 

learners engaged. In FY 2022, NMAH educators continued to add to the thousands of 

free resources on History Explorer, the Museum’s acclaimed website for teachers. 

Highlights include Brief and Incomplete: Votes for Women, a 12-minute, AWHI-funded 

video that capsulizes for middle and high-school students the long and challenging path 

to woman suffrage, and Really Big Money, an exhibition and classroom curriculum cocurated by historians and educators who use the Museum’s extensive numismatic 

collections to help elementary students learn about world cultures and financial literacy. 

In FY 2022, the Museum started, and in FY 2023 will continue conducting its 10th 

National Youth Summit (NYS), with a special focus on the intersection of history and 

civics that asks the driving question, “How do the stories we tell about our past shape 

our democracy?” In response to teacher and student needs, the 2022/2023 NYS has 

been divided into a four-part civic education series that spans the 2022/2023 school 

year. Each part includes a case study that uses Museum objects and artifacts, 

addresses a supporting question, and includes teacher- and student-facing materials. 

Each case study is supported by a live webinar that provides students with the chance 

to interact with panelists as well as peers. The webinars are recorded and made 

accessible for asynchronous use as additional learning resources. 

The NMAH’s NYS provides a unique opportunity to bring middle and high-school 

students together with scholars, teachers, policy experts, and activists in a national 

conversation about important events in America’s past which remain relevant to the 

nation’s present and future. The 2021/2022 NYS focused on gender equity and drew 

nearly 5,000 young people from 34 states and at 12 different Smithsonian Affiliate 

museums across the country. 

In FY 2023, the Museum opened several new exhibitions which bring the long 

lens of history to bear on contemporary needs and concerns. Entertainment Nation 

explores how film, television, music, and sports have served as forums for key national 

conversations about who we are and who we want to be. (Re)Framing Conversations: 

Photographs by Richard Avedon, 1946–1965 illustrates how Richard Avedon’s iconic 

portraits speak to the complexities of his time and raise enduring questions for all 

Americans today. In preparation for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration 

of Independence, the NMAH launched the Revolutionary Questions initiative that will 

130 
 

culminate in exhibitions, public programs, pre-K–12 partnerships, digital outreach, and 

other interpretive products to inspire dialogue and reflection around the core question: 

“How have people come together to make change?”

Also upcoming in 2023, Mirror, Mirror: Reflections of America in Disney Parks will 

explore how Disney has conveyed visions of American identity and history, Treasures 

and Trouble: Looking Inside a Legendary Blues Archive will showcase a one-of-a-kind 

blues archive; and ¡De última hora!: Latinas Report the News will focus on women who 

contributed to the growth, popularity, and advocacy of Spanish-language television in 

Latino communities. 

In 2024, Do No Harm will explore a paradox at the heart of modern medicine —

its amazing inventiveness in saving lives and its sobering ability to tolerate, even 

exacerbate, social inequities in our collective health and well-being. Change YOUR 

Game will use the Museum’s collections to explore how athletes, inventors, and 

technology have reimagined and reshaped sports. Also opening will be Corazón y Vida: 

Lowrider Culture in the United States and Science on Trial, an exploration of the power 

of scientific evidence in our justice system. 

Finally, the NMAH will achieve the strategic goal of creating a nimble and 

responsive administration by reorganizing the Museum to align its work and human and 

financial resources with its strategic plan. Staff will focus on demonstrating 

accountability and efficiencies in the Museum’s administrative, personnel, hiring, and 

governance practices which prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion among volunteers, 

interns, Fellows, employees, and the NMAH advisory board. The Museum’s Inclusion, 

Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Council is working to establish a more inclusive 

and equitable business environment, address issues of unconscious bias and racial 

equity, and develop a long-term training plan tailored to the needs of the Museum and 

its staff. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,529,000 that provides 

$1,309,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, and a programmatic increase of 2 FTEs and $220,000 to expand 

operational support at the NMAH. 

Operational Support (+$220,000, +2 FTEs) 

This budget submission includes an increase of $220,000 and 2 FTEs to bolster 

the Museum’s operational and management capacity. Investing in these positions will 

improve and support the procurement, communications, budgeting, human resources, 

and performance evaluation functions of the Museum. We need to devote resources to 

these important management positions as they are essential to the smooth functioning 

of NMAH operations. The lack of management support positions at NMAH has required 

other professional staff to focus on operational tasks instead of performing the jobs they 

131 
were hired to do. Filling these positions will help the Museum be more cost-effective, 

nimble, and responsive. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust revenue sources include space 

rentals for special events, revenue sharing from business operations, honoraria for 

speaking engagements, and tuition reimbursements for classes taught by staff. These 

general trust funds support salaries and benefits for NMAH staff who work in 

administration, advancement, public affairs, and special events, as well as other 

program costs. In addition, the Museum receives restricted funding through 

donor/sponsor-designated trust funds (such as gifts, private grants, and endowments) 

and Government grants and contracts. These restricted funds are used to develop, 

install, and promote new exhibitions, fund public programs and educational initiatives, 

and support research, travel, and collection acquisitions. These restricted funds are vital 

to complete the renovation of the public spaces in the Museum through the fabrication 

and opening of new exhibits, such as the recently opened 20-year exhibition 

Entertainment Nation, and a temporary rotating exhibition space on the third floor of the 

building’s West Wing.

132 
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 185 35,680 2 645 22 9,756 0 92 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 185 36,762 3 1,364 38 13,087 0 139 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 185 38,126 3 1,169 28 9,564 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 14 2,696 14 2,799 0 103

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 8 1,454 8 1,513 0 59

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 39 5,720 39 6,008 0 288

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 15 2,710 15 2,821 0 111

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 21 6,255 21 6,410 0 155

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 30 4,784 30 5,005 0 221

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 12 2,073 12 2,161 0 88

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, 

staff, visitors and volunteers 0 1,214 0 1,214 0 0

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 34 6,924 34 7,175 0 251

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 12 2,932 12 3,020 0 88

Total 185 36,762 185 38,126 0 1,364

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

133 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

By partnering with Native peoples and their allies, the National Museum of the 

American Indian (NMAI) fosters a richer shared human experience through a more 

informed understanding of the Native peoples of America. 

In keeping with its authorizing statute, the NMAI is one Museum in three locations: 

the NMAI-DC on the National Mall, NMAI-NY in lower Manhattan, and the Cultural 

Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland. However, despite having multiple sites, the 

NMAI will continue to focus its resources to support research, exhibits, and programs 

concerning the cultures and histories of Native communities and to present contemporary 

works of art to the public. The online and on-site offerings of diverse exhibitions, cultural 

demonstrations, tribal festivals, educational presentations, and scholarly symposia ensure 

a meaningful visitor experience at all the Museum’s locations and on the World Wide 

Web. Online content based on these programs will continue to expand our reach to 

distant virtual visitors who may not be able to come to the Museum in person. Through its 

exhibitions and public programming, the NMAI continues to present the contemporary 

voices of Native peoples to educate and inform the public while correcting widespread 

stereotypes. 

The NMAI will continue to steward the more than one million collection items 

entrusted to the Museum’s care. The collections represent an excess of 14,000 years of 

history and more than 1,500 indigenous cultures and communities throughout the 

Western Hemisphere and Hawaii. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The NMAI is directing its resources to: 1) activities that will increase visitation; 2) 

public programming and exhibits that will encompass information about the indigenous 

peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Hawaii (as mandated in the NMAI enabling 

legislation) and demonstrate the presence and cultural contributions of contemporary 

Native peoples; 3) outreach to Native communities, tribes, and organizations through 

programming that includes consultations, loans from NMAI collections, online access to 

collections and content, videoconferences, internships, and publications; and 4) amplify 

the civic discourse on issues facing Native Americans by conducting seminars and 

symposia on matters of public interest. Major exhibitions opening or under development in 

FY 2024 include: 

• Unbound — Narrative Art of the Plains reflects the dynamic tradition of narrative art 

among Native nations from the Great Plains. The exhibition traces the evolution of 

the art form from historic hides, muslins, and ledger books to more than 50 

contemporary works commissioned by the Museum. Illustrating everything from 

war deeds and ceremonial events to notions of modernity and identity, the selected 

artworks are as diverse as the individuals who created them. The exhibition was 

featured in NMAI’s New York facility in 2016 and will open in an expanded version 

in Washington, DC on May 20, 2024. A fully illustrated catalogue with scholarly 

essays will accompany the renewed version of the exhibition. 

134 
• Sublime Light — Tapestry Art of D.Y. Begay will open at the Museum’s 

Washington, DC location on September 24, 2024. This will be the first major 

retrospective of D.Y. Begay, an innovative and accomplished Diné (Navajo) artist 

and weaver. Hailing from the community of Tselani, on the Navajo Reservation in 

Arizona and the American Southwest, D.Y. Begay is a transformative artist whose 

work bridges her traditional Diné upbringing and lifelong passion to explore 

Indigenous and non-Indigenous fiber arts. Begay’s work helps shift perceptions of 

Indigenous fiber arts as “craft” or “women’s domestic art,” and places it squarely 

within the contemporary art world. 

• Know Your Treaty — NMAI collaborated with Museums on Main Street (MoMS), a 

program of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), to 

organize regional versions of the NMAI’s award-winning exhibition Nation to 

Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations, curated 

by Presidential Medal of Honor awardee Suzan Harjo and currently on view in 

Washington, DC. MoMS works with regional museums to co-create exhibitions 

relevant to local histories and audiences. The NMAI will support partnerships with 

pertinent tribes to help tell local stories of Indigenous presence, treaty 

dispossessions, and ongoing relations today. Regional venues will be booked for 

2024. 

In addition, the Museum will achieve its education goals by continuing to provide 

daily exhibit and educational programming about Native peoples of the Western 

Hemisphere and Hawaii, thereby providing opportunities to expand public knowledge. The 

seven-day-a-week operation will include interpretive activities, film and video 

presentations, cultural arts performances, demonstrations, and resource materials about 

Native American history and cultural heritage. The NMAI will also continue working with 

Native educators and cultural experts on the Museum’s national education initiative, 

“Native Knowledge 360,” to create model curriculum materials. In support of this program, 

the NMAI will offer an array of virtual and on-site teacher professional development 

resources across the country to provide educators with materials to augment their 

students’ understanding of Native American history and culture. To promote learning 

across generations, the imagiNATIONS Activity Centers in Washington, DC and New 

York City will provide bilingual (English/Spanish) interactive learning spaces to introduce 

aspects of Indigenous knowledge or Native science through tangible examples of their 

remarkable accomplishments and contributions to the world. The NMAI is also developing 

related online educational resources to make the centers more accessible for audiences 

unable to visit the Museum in person. 

NMAI staff will continue providing on-site and online educational programs for 

groups, schools, and other public audiences, leading presentations in galleries and 

deploying volunteers in all public spaces and program areas to ensure maximum use of 

all the Museum’s available educational resources to enhance the visitor experience. 

Public engagement efforts will continue to bring the Museum and its resources to 

audiences through both on-site and online venues and via innovative outreach and 

135 
 

training programs. These contacts will link external communities to public audiences 

through technology and involve them in NMAI activities and exhibit planning and 

programming. 

In addition, the NMAI will keep dedicating resources to expand access to the 

Museum’s collections online, providing digital educational resources and developing its 

website as part of the Smithsonian’s strategic digital transformation goal. 

The NMAI will also continue to hire and retain the highest quality research staff and 

collaborate with leading institutions of learning and community-based scholars. Museum 

staff will also disseminate their research to Native American communities and public 

audiences through the World Wide Web, exhibitions, printed materials, programs, and 

publications, and will continue to seek collaborative opportunities with other organizations, 

museums, institutions of higher learning, and Native American communities. 

Through judicious acquisition, documentation, digitization, inventory, preservation, 

research, security, storage renewal, and enhancements, as well as loans to museums 

across the United States, the NMAI’s staff will continue to serve as a trusted source for 

information and content in concert with Native communities and cultural experts. The 

Museum’s scholars will also continue to engage the public by increasing digital access to 

collections for Native communities and hosting virtual workshops. This includes 

enhancing the collections by acquiring works which document Native experiences and 

expressive cultures, such as those represented in modern and contemporary arts. In 

addition, the NMAI will continue to loan collections objects to tribal museums and, where 

appropriate and in accordance with the Smithsonian’s new ethical returns policy, 

repatriate sacred objects and items of cultural patrimony to their original tribes. 

Furthermore, the Museum also maintains the National Native American Veterans’

Memorial, which was legislatively authorized and opened on the grounds of the main 

building on the National Mall in FY 2021. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,364,000 for necessary pay 

and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salary and benefit 

costs for the Museum director and other program-related costs. Donor/ sponsordesignated funds support salaries and benefits for development staff; costs associated 

with achieving the NMAI’s fundraising goals; training of future conservators; Fellowships; 

conservation of objects for exhibits and community loans; publications and special events 

for exhibition openings; costs related to specific programs and projects, including building 

on the interpretation and promotion of the National Native American Veterans’ Memorial 

through educational programs; production of fundraising proposals; and member- and 

donor-related special events; as well as outreach activities. 

136 
 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN LATINO 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 17 8,324 6 1,048 5 737 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 28 10,392 7 1,339 3 4,596 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 41 14,635 5 1,062 3 4,426 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 0 0 0 100 0 100

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 5 854 5 991 0 137

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 4 569 7 1,208 3 639

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 6 6,010 6 6,439 0 429

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 2 310 2 424 0 114

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 4 565 7 1,322 3 757

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 6 813 11 1,787 5 974

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 1 208 3 553 2 345

Ensuring Financial Strength

Secure financial resources required for Institution's mission 0 1,063 0 1,811 0 748

Total 28 10,392 41 14,635 13 4,243

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

137 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Public Law (P.L.) 116–260, signed by the President on December 27, 

2020, established the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) within 

the Smithsonian Institution. The mission of the NMAL is to give voice to the 

richness and challenges of the Latino American experience, make it possible for 

all people to understand the depth, complexity, and promise of the American 

experience, and serve as a national forum for a collaboration on and celebration 

of Latino American history and culture for educational and social institutions. 

More specifically, the NMAL will be the keystone institution for people in the 

United States and visitors worldwide to learn about Latino contributions to life, art, 

history, and culture in the United States; and will serve as a gateway for visitors to 

view other Latino exhibitions, collections, and programming at other facilities and 

museums throughout the United States. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

As mandated by P.L. 116–260, the Museum will illuminate the story of the 

United States by featuring Latino contributions and providing a national resource 

for the collection, study, research, publication, and establishment of exhibitions 

and programs about Latino life, art, history, and culture that encompasses, for 

example: 

• Latino contributions to the early history of what is now the United 

States of America and all its territories; 

• Latino service in the armed forces from the earliest days of the 

American Revolution to current military deployments in defense of our 

freedoms; 

• Latino contributions to the freedom, well-being, and economic 

prosperity of all people in the United States through historical 

movements; 

• the entrepreneurial and charitable activities of Latinos; and 

• the study and appreciation of Latino life, art, history, and culture, and 

their impact on U.S. society. 

The Museum will begin to hire the highest quality research staff and 

collaborate with leading institutions of learning and community-based scholars. 

The NMAL staff will make research for film, video, audio, and photographic 

content developed for exhibitions available at the Museum and eventually to 

public audiences through the World Wide Web, printed materials, and 

collaborative activities with other groups and organizations. 

138 
 

 

 

Moving forward, the NMAL will also establish a planning and coordination 

structure to develop a project schedule for defining exhibition emphasis, 

direction, and composition; form a collections identification and acquisition 

strategy; coordinate collaborative efforts with other museums; create a strategic 

public relations plan and initial materials to introduce the new Museum to national 

and global audiences; develop operating plans; purchase needed equipment, 

supplies, and contractual support; and perform environmental impact and traffic 

analyses of potential building sites. 

The NMAL will also further its nimble and responsive administration efforts 

by developing annual operating budgets; preparing personnel actions and 

vacancy announcements to hire new Museum staff; organizing a capital 

campaign office; and developing a fundraising strategy and implementation plan 

to identify philanthropic prospects and major gift sources. 

In FY 2022, the Museum entered the early stages of development by: (1) 

forming the NMAL Board of Trustees and meeting on a regular basis; (2) 

selecting a founding director to begin work in early May of 2022; (3) starting site 

selection for the Museum. (4) forming a Scholarly Advisory Committee to begin 

meeting in March of 2022; (5) merging the Smithsonian Latino Center with the 

NMAL and adding new staff to the existing roster of personnel; and (6) opening 

the Molina Family Latino Gallery in June at the National Museum of American 

History (NMAH), so it can serve as the provisional NMAL until the new Museum 

opens its doors. 

In FY 2023, the NMAL will continue these efforts and focus on staffing, 

research, outreach, fund raising, and planning for the new Museum to include a 

site selection and collection plan. 

In FY 2024, the NMAL will continue the work of the Latino Initiatives Pool 

(LIP), which provides funding for Smithsonian-wide projects that support Latino 

programs and focus on U.S. Latino contributions to science, history, and culture. 

Pool funds have been used to support exhibition and collections development, public 

and educational programs, research and publications, digital content, and 

Fellowships and internships. 

Projects are selected on a competitive basis, as recommended by a peerreview panel, from proposals that demonstrate cost-effective deployment of pool 

funds, as well as coordination with other Smithsonian and external resources. Since 

its creation in 1995, the LIP has provided in excess of $42.8 million in funding for 

more than 600 Smithsonian programs and projects. 

In addition, the Latino Curatorial Initiative has supported 17 Latino curators 

and eight curatorial assistants at various Smithsonian units. The initiative was 

designed to increase Latino representation and scholarship at the Smithsonian. 

Their areas of expertise include archaeology, history, anthropology, American 

Studies, archival services, Latino art and design, and traveling exhibition support. 

Furthermore, the expanded funding of the LIP has broadened the Smithsonian’s 

139 
outreach efforts nationwide. This includes an increased number of traveling 

exhibitions, public and educational programs, and institutional partnerships. These 

funds ensure that Smithsonian content is available to more visitors throughout the 

country and the world, including new audiences using digital platforms. 

The LIP funding will continue to support Smithsonian leadership and 

professional development programs as well. An example of this is the Smithsonian 

Latino Center’s Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP), which now boasts a 

national alumni network of more than 350 museum and museum-adjacent 

professionals and scholars, some of whom are employed at the Smithsonian. 

Programs such as the LMSP play an important role in creating an extensive pool of 

qualified museum professionals and a network of cultural specialists at universities, 

museums, and cultural centers, many of which also collaborate with the 

Smithsonian. The LMSP recently expanded to include an undergraduate internship 

supported by The Andrew Mellon Foundation and re-established predoctoral and 

postdoctoral opportunities for graduate students and scholars. The undergraduate 

internship focuses on areas of museum work that are often under-represented by 

Latino professionals. Those areas include museum conservation, digital humanities, 

museum education, and exhibition design. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request for the NMAL includes an increase of 

$4,243,000. The increase includes $243,000 for necessary pay and other related 

salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item, and $4,000,000 in 

programmatic increases for 13 FTEs. The program increases are as follows: 

National Museum of the American Latino (+$4,000,000, +13 FTEs) 

This increase will support the initial planning activities for the new Museum 

in the areas of exhibitions, public programs, collections, and outreach. Extensive 

programmatic planning, in conjunction with facilities planning, will be necessary 

so that the NMAL’s programs and the eventual design of the Museum building 

are compatible and enable the NMAL to achieve its intended mission. Planning 

will encompass the development of strategies for the identification, acquisition, 

and management of collections and archival materials for research; physical and 

thematic design, composition, and direction of exhibitions; design of a full range 

of public programs for various audiences; and establishing an outreach program 

to address diverse Museum constituencies, including different ethnic groups, 

schools, families, and cultural and historical foundations. This initial planning 

work is vital because it will form the foundation for the programs and activities the 

NMAL offers in the future. 

Administrative staff will perform all necessary purchasing tasks to acquire 

supplies, equipment, and contractual services; develop budgetary estimates and 

budget justification material; perform accounting functions; process personnel 

actions, including hiring and all other personnel services; and obtain legal advice 

and opinions. This additional staffing will be essential for the smooth functioning 

140 
of operations as the workforce and workload of the new Museum grow each year 

to support opening the NMAL to the public. 

This increase will also expand the Museum’s fundraising campaign 

department and enable the recruitment and hiring of professional fundraising 

personnel who will develop a strategic fundraising plan and cultivate donor 

prospects. The staff for this office will be a mix of federal and trust positions and 

contractors in accordance with the provisions of P.L. 116–260 that specifically 

authorizes the NMAL to use appropriations for fund raising. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salary and 

benefit costs for the Museum director and other program-related costs. Donor/ 

sponsor-designated funds support salaries and benefits for development staff; costs 

associated with reaching the NMAL’s fundraising goals; training of future 

conservators; conservation of objects for exhibits and community loans; publications 

and special events for exhibition openings; and costs related to specific programs 

and projects. 

141 
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 57 7,176 4 1,953 13 4,095 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 

57 7,473 3 1,855 17 4,410 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 57 7,830 3 1,777 17 4,498 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 3 507 3 526 0 19 

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 248 1 257 0 9 

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 8 917 8 967 0 50 

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 2 280 2 292 0 12 

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 19 2,255 19 2,373 0 118 

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 19 2,528 19 2,646 0 118 

Management Operation

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 5 738 5 769 0 31 

Total 57 7,473 57 7,830 0 357

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) inspires visitors from 

around the world by illuminating the American experience through powerful images 

that connect people and their stories. 

142 
The NPG strives to bring visitors face to face, literally and figuratively, with 

exceptional Americans and their remarkable stories across time, place, and 

circumstance. The Portrait Gallery uses diverse approaches in visual biography to 

focus on changing notions of American identity, and to track evolving ideas about 

who is significant and has an impact on American culture. As a result, the NPG 

aspires to be widely known as the place that sparks thought and conversation, one 

that translates factual American biography into a discussion of contemporary 

issues, and as a resource that includes diverse audiences as participants to help 

define American identity through portraiture and biography. 

The Portrait Gallery devotes a major portion of its assets toward increasing 

the availability and accessibility of the NPG’s collections through exhibitions, public 

programs, and publications. The exhibitions explore themes in history, biography, 

and art in a way that brings out new meanings and a better understanding of the 

American experience. The Portrait Gallery’s exhibitions in FYs 2023 and 2024 will 

continue to support the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI), 

examining the contributions of women in shaping America. Support has also been 

received by the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool (APAIP) and the Latino 

Initiatives Pool (LIP) to highlight diversity in our programming. Highlights of special 

exhibitions opening in FY 2023 include: 

• One Life: Maya Lin — As part of our One Life series, this exhibition is the 

first visual biography of architect, sculptor, and environmentalist Maya Lin to 

be presented in an art museum. Known primarily for her initially controversial 

and ultimately epoch-making Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, Lin has

consistently and provocatively explored how we experience and relate to the 

landscape. Depicting Lin’s upbringing, education, and the challenges and 

triumphs of her impactful career, this exhibition will demonstrate the 

formative influences that led to her significant contributions to art and 

architecture and will inspire visitors through the stories of her challenges and 

accomplishments. The APAIP provided significant support for this exhibit. 

• Portraiture Now: Kinship — Seven contemporary artists explore 

intergenerational relationships, whether among blood relatives or friends, to 

examine the shifting notions of family. The works evoke the mutable aspect 

of the kinships they depict, attending to both internal and external forces 

which affect those relationships. Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Ruth Buentello 

portray the effects of migration and transnational lives, while LaToya Ruby 

Frazier’s photographs of Flint, Michigan depict the impact of industrial 

neglect on a single family. Jessica Todd Harper probes the subtle tensions 

underlying daily interactions between family members. Jess T. Dugan’s work 

explores her relationship with her wife, Vanessa, as they traverse daily life as 

a queer couple embarking on parenthood. Elsewhere, in paintings he 

describes as a “form of prayer,” Sedrick Huckaby addresses the 

memorialization of family members and loved ones whose lives have been 

taken by gun violence. 

143 
• Portrait of a Nation: 2022 Honorees — Displaying recently acquired and 

commissioned works, this exhibition includes portraits of the newest 

recipients of the NPG’s Portrait of a Nation award: José Andrés, Clive Davis, 

Ava DuVernay, Marian Wright Edelman, Anthony Fauci, and Serena and 

Venus Williams. 

• I Dream a World: Selections from Brian Lanker’s Portraits of Black Women 

Who Changed America (Part 2) — Since the first publication of these images 

more than 30 years ago, African American women have gained greater 

visibility on the national stage and in the global arena. Many of the 

remarkable women featured in this two-part exhibition, drawn from Lanker’s 

extensive photographic project of 75 portraits, will be familiar to audiences. 

They include writers, entertainers, athletes, activists, and politicians. The 

personal challenges and powerful journeys undertaken by each of these 

remarkable women should prove inspirational to all visitors. 

• 1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions — This groundbreaking exhibition 

is the first to examine the Spanish-American War, the Philippine American 

War, and the joint resolution to annex Hawaii through a comparative study of 

portraiture and visual culture. With support from the LIP and APAIP, the 

exhibition will reveal new cultural perspectives which have remained 

marginal in the histories of this pivotal era. 

• One Life: Frederick Douglass — Also in the One Life series, this exhibit 

features the pre-eminent African American of the 19th century and one of the 

nation’s greatest writers, speakers, and intellectuals. Born enslaved, 

Douglass devoted his life to abolitionism and “all rights for all,” a slogan of 

his newspaper, the longest continually running Black newspaper in the 19th 

century. He was also the most photographed American of his time and 

became a national icon through his mastery of the arts of writing, speaking, 

and portraiture. 

In addition to permanent collection rotations, in FY 2023 the Portrait Gallery 

will conclude its immensely popular tour of the portraits of President Barack Obama 

and former First Lady Michelle Obama after two final stops at the de Young 

Museum in San Francisco and the Fine Arts Museum in Boston. The Outwin 2022: 

American Portraiture Today exhibit will begin its tour at the Orlando Museum of Art 

in Florida, and planning will commence for a two-venue tour of the upcoming 

exhibition Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939. Within the Portrait 

Gallery, and with a loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, the NPG will install in 

its America’s Presidents permanent exhibition a life-size portrait of Abraham Lincoln 

by W.F.K. Travers, accompanied by a new tactile component of replicas of the 

Lincoln life-mask and hands for low-vision visitors. 

The NPG’s combined Audience Engagement team, consisting of 

Communications, New Media, and Education staff, will broaden access to the 

144 
Portrait Gallery’s collections by defining overarching goals and strategies to support 

each goal, actionable tactics for each strategy, and key performance metrics to 

measure success. The NPG will also make further strides to raise its national 

visibility, as well as to increase local attendance and engagement, by pursuing a 

hybrid model of online offerings and in-gallery programming. The Audience 

Engagement team will accomplish these goals through targeted outreach, Web, 

and social media campaigns. Building on the online engagement capabilities 

developed in recent years, the NPG will serve international audiences with the 

unique content of its collection of American visual biographies and studies. 

Demonstrating the diversity of our collection subjects, the Portrait Gallery will 

leverage social media platforms to attract more followers and convert them to 

visitors while also expanding engagement with international media. 

In FY 2023, the NPG will continue to collaborate with its innovative learning 

groups, the Teen Council, and the Teacher Advisory Board, and use their 

perspectives and knowledge to extend the educational value of the Portrait 

Gallery’s collection both programmatically and digitally. The Accessibility Task 

Force will help bring NPG staff up to par with accessibility demands. Other popular 

programs, including evening events, curator tours, and exhibition-specific programs 

and events, will continue to anchor the NPG’s educational offerings, both in person 

and online. The NPG docent corps remains a vibrant and diverse group, wellversed in the collection and trained to engage diverse audiences; one quarter of the 

docents are fluent in Spanish and English, and the full corps has successfully made 

the switch to virtual tours. Explore!, the NPG education space for 18-month to 8-

year-olds and designed to help young people explore portraiture as art and history, 

will continue drawing more families to the Gallery. 

The NPG’s primary publication projects in FY 2023 are 1898: Visual Culture 

and U.S. Imperialism in the Caribbean and the Pacific (in the summer of 2023) and 

Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939 (in April of 2024). These 

publications contribute new research to the field of portraiture, highlight the 

important contributions of individuals to U.S. history and culture, and complement 

the Gallery’s major exhibitions. In FY 2023, the catalogue for the NPG exhibition 

Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands (published in June of 2021 by Yale 

University Press) won the Smithsonian Secretary’s Research Prize. 

The Portrait Gallery’s publications office continues to collaborate with other 

departments in providing more accessible and valuable digital content by editing 

and managing hundreds of bilingual extended object labels and various education 

materials. 

The NPG continues its efforts to strengthen collections and will feature 

prioritized acquisitions of portraits of under-represented Americans. Toward that end, 

the Gallery is conducting several collections care projects, such as assessing the 

need for customized cold-storage equipment to safely house its large and oversized 

color prints while continuing to address cataloguing backlogs; enhancing access to 

145 
collections by establishing a digitization process for acquisitions; and further promoting 

the study and appreciation of its collection of portraits in all media by researchers and 

the public worldwide. The NPG will also improve its conservation capacity by 

upgrading lab equipment and maximizing the effectiveness of limited conservation lab 

space. Gallery staff will continue digitizing collection objects, especially works on 

paper, and extending the breadth and depth of images, files, and object condition 

reports in the Smithsonian’s Digital Asset Management System. In FY 2023, key 

object conservation work will focus on paintings and sculptures of notable American 

women, American Presidents, and treatments for delicate frames of portraits. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In FY 2024, the NPG will continue concentrating its efforts and resources to 

install exhibitions, develop and maintain its collection, expand public education 

offerings, and pursue new research directions. 

The Portrait Gallery plans to reach its audiences in FY 2024 with an 

ambitious on-site and traveling exhibition schedule, featuring the following: 

• Forces of Nature: Voices in Environmentalism presents some of the key 

people — scientists, politicians, activists, and artists — whose work has 

shaped attitudes toward the environment from the late 19th century until 

today. This exhibit traces a history of environmentalism in the United States 

from turn-of-the-20th-century conservationism to mid-20th-century 

environmentalism to current actions on environmental justice and the climate 

crisis. It uses portraiture, biography, and, when possible, the subjects’ own 

words to probe this important and complicated history. 

• Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell 

features the work of George Hurrell, widely regarded as the pre-eminent 

Hollywood portrait photographer of the 1930s and ‘40s. Hurrell created 

definitive, timeless images of many of the most glamorous figures of 

cinema’s golden era. With a keen eye for lighting effects and artful posing, 

he developed a style of presentation whose impact extended far beyond the 

boundaries of Hollywood and, for better or worse, influenced popular 

standards of beauty for decades to come. This exhibition will showcase 

images from the Portrait Gallery’s collection and illustrate Hurrell’s special 

ability to create iconic portraits of legendary stars whose public images were 

burnished in his studio. 

• Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939 examines the first four 

decades of the 20th century when American women made crucial 

contributions to the vibrant creative milieu of Paris. Drawn by a strong desire 

for independence, they crossed the Atlantic to pursue personal and 

professional ambitions in a city viewed as the epicenter of modernity. Brilliant 

Exiles will recapture the experiences of these unorthodox women who found 

146 
in Paris the freedom to blaze new trails in a variety of fields, including art, 

literature, design, publishing, music, fashion, journalism, theater, and dance. 

The NPG will work with the Smithsonian’s AWHI on this project. 

• One Life: James Baldwin — Honoring the 100th anniversary of writer, 

essayist, and playwright James Baldwin’s birth, this exhibition will create a 

picture of Baldwin that situates him among a pantheon of cultural leaders 

instrumental to his life and legacy. Featured works will present Baldwin 

alongside other gay civil rights activists who impacted his life, such as 

Bayard Rustin, Lorraine Hansberry, and Barbara Jordan, as well as nextgeneration artists who were influenced by Baldwin, including photographer 

Lyle Ashton Harris, writer Essex Hemphill, and filmmaker Marlon Riggs. 

In addition to these on-site temporary exhibitions, the Gallery will continue 

the national tour of The Outwin 2022 photographic competition to three locations: 

the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; the 

Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Springfield Museum in 

Massachusetts: and the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan. The NPG will also 

prepare Brilliant Exiles for a two-venue tour to begin in March of 2025. 

The combined Audience Engagement team will continue to reach and 

educate audiences by defining overarching goals, strategies to support each goal, 

actionable tactics for each strategy, and key performance indicators to measure 

success. The NPG will continue to raise its visibility with a brand awareness 

campaign outlined in a new strategic plan and to evaluate data to better understand 

visitors — both in person and online. Staff will accomplish these goals through datadriven evaluation and communications, and continue to build Diversity, Equity, 

Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) into the fabric of the Portrait Gallery’s programs, 

social media platforms, and the Audience Engagement team. 

Also in FY 2024, the Audience Engagement staff will implement the NPG 

strategic plan by expanding civic engagement programs and cementing 10 new 

partnerships for the NPG. These partnerships will expand existing programs and 

exhibitions, and create deep, impactful experiences for audiences across the United 

States. In addition, the NPG will reimagine the physical design of its Education 

Center, the Explore! gallery, and the alcove that joins the two spaces, to offer 

visitors a true museum engagement experience. The Portrait Gallery will build on 

existing programs by looking to its strategic plan for guidance on the best way to 

expand our reach and use data and evaluation to offer a more tailored and engaged 

experience for visitors. The NPG will also explore options for creating spaces where 

visitors can participate in civil discourse and think about becoming more engaged 

citizens in the modern American experience. 

The Portrait Gallery’s main publication projects in FY 2024 include completing 

exhibition catalogues for Brilliant Exiles and One Life: James Baldwin and developing 

the catalogue for its future exhibition of the work of artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres. With 

147 
each publication, the NPG aims to broaden access through high-quality printed works 

which reach far beyond the Gallery’s walls nationally and worldwide. 

The NPG will continue to improve the stewardship of the national collections by 

providing a fuller picture of the early nation, with further acquisitions of 18th- and 19thcentury portraits of under-represented minorities and women and the reinstallation of 

the permanent collection gallery of artworks from 1600–1900. This effort includes 

works never previously on view and features more women and other historically underrepresented groups. The Portrait Gallery will also seek to acquire portraits of 

contemporary leading figures in disability rights, the sciences, business, and the arts. 

The NPG will expand its collection of time-based media artworks while also 

commissioning more original portraits of all media and continue working with the 

Digitization Program Office until its entire collection of two- and three-dimensional 

works is digitized and made accessible to the public and researchers via the Web. 

Moreover, the Portrait Gallery will support the physical conservation needs of the 

national collection in all media and continue to provide state-of-the-art analysis of 

works in the permanent collection. 

Finally, the NPG will continue to focus on its nimble and responsive 

administration through vigorous efforts to recruit a diverse and professional workforce. 

The Portrait Gallery will participate in working groups launched by the Under Secretary 

for Administration to improve Institution-wide policies and procedures for recruiting, 

contracting, security, and facilities management. 

As the national champion of American biography, it is vital that the NPG remain 

open, welcoming, and relevant to all Americans, with accessibility programs to make the 

Portrait Gallery’s educational initiatives available to all visitors both in person and online. 

Accordingly, the NPG will dedicate a program specialist to engage the accessibility 

community about how to improve the diversity of portraiture, cultures, and art. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $357,000 for necessary pay 

and other related salary costs for current staff under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support essential positions 

and the costs of special events for exhibition openings, loan exhibition development, 

outreach, fund raising, management, and research. The NPG must support exhibitions, 

publications, public lectures, gallery programs, symposia, and some collection 

acquisitions with donor/sponsor-designated funds. Private donations are thus critical to 

the Portrait Gallery’s planning, programming, and ability to deliver on its public mission. 

It is through a public-private partnership that the NPG achieves its goals and serves the 

Smithsonian’s mission.

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NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 8 2,105 2 496 3 3,189 18 3,152 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 8 2,280 1 109 5 2,800 21 3,510 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 8 2,343 1 115 5 3,200 24 3,700 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 1 110 1 114 0 4

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 1 177 1 184 0 7

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 125 1 130 0 5

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate 

information to the public 1 49 1 51 0 2

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 1 132 1 137 0 5

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 3 462 3 481 0 19

Facilities Operations and Maintenance 

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 0 888 0 909 0 21

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, 

collections, staff, visitors and volunteers 0 337 0 337 0 0

Total 8 2,280 8 2,343 0 63

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The National Postal Museum (NPM), with the world’s largest museum collection of 

stamps and postal artifacts, is dedicated to creating visitor experiences that educate, 

149 
excite, entertain, and inspire. With more than six million objects, the Museum is 

responsible for the Smithsonian’s second-largest collection. The NPM dedicates its 

resources to developing new and innovative ways to explore the vital role of the postal 

system in American life, and to make its vast philatelic and postal collections available to 

all visitors — both in person and online. The Museum uses its collections in exhibitions 

and public programs which educate visitors on the history of America, transportation, 

communications, economics, and commerce. 

The NPM’s strategic plan (for the years 2022–2025) is designed to advance the 

core strategic directions of the Museum. Many of the strategic objectives assigned to key 

areas (by management) require Institution-wide cooperation. The teamwork and 

processes necessary to achieve shared objectives were created by the Museum’s 

management staff. The NPM’s senior leadership gave special attention to the plan for 

digital outreach and engagement because this area will become increasingly important to 

the Museum as it develops new audiences and serves as a focal point for national and 

international philatelic history, collecting, and storytelling. 

Expanding the research and public output of the curatorial department will 

enhance the brand of the NPM as a global leader in education and the collection and 

dissemination of postal and philatelic history. Toward that end, since social media is an 

ever-increasing and helpful platform for broadening the curatorial impact on philately and 

postal history, using the World Wide Web to highlight our collection’s depth and value will 

provide better access for the public and scholars, as well as encourage donations to 

support our work. In addition, the Museum will change how it greets and orients visitors, 

supports and staffs exhibitions, and creates new programs to attract and serve diverse 

audiences. 

The NPM will become a leader in the Smithsonian’s effort to embody DEAI 

(Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) principles and practices in its operations. 

This commitment will span both in-house activities (from hiring practices to inter-staff 

professional communications) and the Museum’s outward-looking efforts to develop and 

attract new audiences. 

These highlights of the NPM’s strategic plan shine a light on the strong potential

of the Museum to dramatically increase its reach and impact and continue to be known 

as a leader in the field of philately. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The NPM’s primary activities will contribute to the Smithsonian’s vision of building

on “its unique strengths to engage and to inspire more people, where they are, with 

greater impact, while catalyzing critical conversations on issues affecting our nation and 

the world” through the prism of postal communications and philately. These challenges 

will be met by partnering with other Smithsonian museums and serving as a catalyst for 

conversations about complex issues; extending the digital reach of the Museum; 

understanding and impacting 21st century audiences; contributing to large, visionary, 

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interdisciplinary research and scholarly projects; and preserving our philatelic and postal 

heritage while optimizing our assets. 

In March of 2023, the Museum will open its second rotation of artifacts and 

historic memorabilia for Baseball: America’s Home Run, an exhibition exploring 

America’s national pastime. Featuring hundreds of U.S. and international stamps 

commemorating historic moments and drawing on original artwork and archival material 

from the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) esteemed Postmaster General’s (PMG) 

Collection, the display of stamps and mail is enhanced by dozens of objects loaned by 

other Smithsonian museums, law-enforcement agencies, and private collectors. The 

bilingual, three-year exhibition (running from 2022–2025) is presented in English and 

Spanish with help from the Smithsonian Latino Center and has broad appeal to the 

public. 

In FY 2023, the NPM’s education and visitor experience department will continue 

to expand pre-K–12 educational programs and create and expand exhibit-related 

learning opportunities for both on-site and virtual learners. The Byrne Education Center 

will continue to support the Museum’s enhanced learning opportunities for visiting 

groups. By focusing on social and emotional learning practices, hands-on activities, and 

civic connections to the Museum’s collections, the NPM is well-positioned to help 

learners make personal connections to Museum content. Throughout FY 2023, the 

Byrne Education Center will once again be used by the NPM and the greater 

Smithsonian community for meetings and educational experiences for visitors of all ages. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum continued to expand its 

virtual educational programming and resources, and now offers a suite of virtual field 

trips for students from pre-K through 5th grade as well as recurring virtual programs for 

early learners and adults. Keeping DEAI practices and principles at the center of the 

department’s work, nearly all virtual programs include live closed captioning or sign 

language interpreters, visual descriptions of speakers and images, and recognitions 

honoring the history and cultures of the region’s Native American communities. The 

education and visitor services department has continued further efforts to amplify 

previously overlooked stories related to historically marginalized and/or underrepresented communities with objects in the Museum’s collections.

At the NPM, federal resources are dedicated to improving the stewardship of the 

six million objects which represent the national collection of philatelic material and postal 

history. The Museum’s collections team leads efforts to preserve and provide access to 

collection objects on site and online. Since 2020, the collections department has steadily 

increased and enhanced the number of object records available online through various 

initiatives, including a bi-annual publication of new accessions to the Museum’s website, 

participating in the Institution-wide open-access initiative, and reviewing never-beforepublished object records for posting to the website. 

In FY 2023, the NPM collections staff will build on their accomplishments by 

continuing to participate in Institution-wide digitization efforts, carrying out exhibition 

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rotations, identifying and consolidating material in storage, processing deaccessions, 

and maintaining normal business operations. Collections will be made available to 

Museum visitors, researchers who contact the team for an appointment to see material 

not on view, and to audiences around the world who can see NPM objects via the 

Museum’s website. 

The collections department will also support collections management by 

developing, maintaining, and preserving the national collections and making them more 

accessible to the public. For example, the team will continue to document and add 

collections-related information to the NPM database. The Museum’s conservator will 

carry out conservation treatments on the permanent collection, ensuring that the objects 

are preserved for future generations. And finally, the team will process new acquisitions 

to enhance the NPM’s ability to fully capture philatelic and postal history.

In addition, the collections department will continue to catalogue, image, and 

conserve the loan of the PMG Collection of original stamp art. The PMG Art Collection, 

which began transferring to the Museum from the USPS in FY 2012, represents one of 

the NPM’s most important collections. It includes the original artwork, as well as rejected 

designs and preliminary sketches, commissioned for more than 3,000 U.S. postage 

stamps between 1942 and the present. As the USPS continues to transfer new PMG 

material to the NPM, the collections department will examine, treat, and re-house the 

collection and process related archival collections. 

Also in FY 2023, the team will refine collections policies, plans, and procedures 

due for review, including the Museum’s collections management and lending policies and 

its collections emergency and stewardship plans. The stewardship plan will guide the 

content and development of the NPM’s collection. The collections department will lead 

staff in a coordinated and uniform direction to draft this plan, which will allow the 

Museum to gain better control of its collections and ensure there are appropriate staff 

and resources to manage them. 

Finally, for America’s 250th anniversary, the Museum will develop and publish a 

virtual exhibition exploring the history of voting by mail in the United States. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

This FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $63,000 for necessary pay 

and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — The USPS provides the NPM with an annual 

grant that supports more than 60 percent of the Museum’s core functions and 

operational costs, including nonfederal salaries and benefits, facility maintenance, 

exhibitions, education, and collection management programs. Fundraising initiatives 

generate resources from the private sector to develop and support new exhibitions, 

research opportunities, educational and public programs, and special events. 

152 
 

 

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS INTERAGENCY 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 85 11,263 13 2,184 37 9,181 1 136 3 200 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 86 11,913 13 2,249 37 9,456 1 140 3 206 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 86 12,701 13 2,300 37 9,500 0 0 0 000 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 6 797 6 837 0 40

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 5 925 5 958 0 33

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 2 296 2 309 0 13

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 13 1,655 13 1,741 0 86

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 22 3,140 22 3,286 0 146

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 21 2,757 21 3,114 0 357

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 1 140 1 147 0 7

Deliver an aggressive and professional maintenance program 0 0

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 13 1,883 13 1,969 0 86

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 3 320 3 340 0 20

Total 86 11,913 86 12,701 0 788

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) is the nation’s Museum 

dedicated to the art and artists of the United States from colonial times to the present. It 

153 
 

is the home of the largest and most inclusive collection of American art in the world, and 

its holdings of more than 48,000 works, spanning three centuries of the nation’s cultural 

development, tell the story of America through the visual arts. The Museum’s programs 

make the collection available to national and international audiences, as well as to those 

who visit its two historic buildings in Washington, DC: the Donald W. Reynolds Center 

(DWRC) for American Art and Portraiture (shared by SAAM and the National Portrait 

Gallery) and the Renwick Gallery, dedicated to American crafts and decorative arts. 

SAAM curators and research Fellows-in-residence use the collection and other 

resources to develop new insights into America’s cultural and artistic legacy as well as 

current themes and explorations. The resulting knowledge drives collections 

development, exhibitions, associated award-winning catalogues and scholarly 

publications, and educational programs. The Fellowship program cultivates the next 

generation of professors and curators. SAAM has hosted more than 800 scholars who 

now work at academic and cultural institutions across the United States, Australia, Asia, 

the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. The Museum’s peerreviewed journal, American Art, serves as a primary venue for groundbreaking 

scholarship in the field. In addition, SAAM hosts international symposia and seminars 

on topics of relevance in the field of American art and encourages a deeper 

understanding of American art’s global connections. 

In FY 2024, SAAM will continue to expand digital technologies by offering 

activities to engage users both online and in the galleries. The Museum takes full 

advantage of the latest technologies, with a focus on mobile-optimized websites and 

applications, video production, and social media engagement. Three videoconference 

centers deliver the Museum’s education programs to classrooms around the world. The 

digitization of SAAM’s collections also continues, allowing the Museum to add new 

assets and media to support its vast online resources. 

The Museum continues to produce world-class exhibitions, educational 

opportunities, and public programs as it works toward our shared Smithsonian future. 

An ambitious schedule of exhibitions developed in-house and complemented by shows 

obtained from other organizations attracts new visitors and encourages repeat visits. At 

the DWRC, large spaces, shops, and a renovated restaurant greet visitors with a broad 

range of activities to maintain their interest. The Lunder Conservation Center provides a 

window on preservation of the national collections, and the Luce Foundation Center for 

American Art displays 3,500 collection objects in an inviting, visible storage center. 

SAAM’s Renwick Gallery has additional space for exhibitions, public programs, and 

rotating displays of its permanent collection of American crafts. Multiple traveling 

exhibitions are shared with other museums throughout the United States, enriching 

people’s lives by giving them direct access to their nation’s artistic and cultural heritage.

National education programs directly reach K–12 teachers and students. These 

programs use the latest technologies to incorporate art into social studies, history, and 

language arts. Resident teacher institutes are supplemented by online/on-demand 

courses for the K–12 community. The Museum regularly collaborates with private and 

public organizations to provide teachers with new resources. In addition, students are 

brought into the Museum as often as possible to provide that direct experience with the 

154 
transformative power of great art. The MacMillan Education Center, located in the 

galleries, serves students across the nation and on U.S. military bases worldwide. 

Public programs enhance Museum exhibitions and highlight permanent 

collections with lectures, tours, and gallery talks, as well as craft and sketching 

workshops. The McEvoy Auditorium hosts four of SAAM’s five lecture series and two 

of its five music series, with additional programming at the Renwick Gallery or in the 

Kogod Courtyard. The latter space also hosts programs such as family days, 

heritage months, and art-themed movies. In FY 2022 alone, SAAM hosted more 

than 100 programs and events. 

Preserving Our Natural and Cultural Heritage through the lens of American art is 

at the forefront of all collection activities. Scholarship and research help set acquisition 

objectives. Gifts of art and private funds raised through advancement activities pay for 

additions to the national collection. Conservators research methods and tools to 

preserve the artwork. The Museum’s Lunder Conservation Center is an important 

resource for conservation training and colloquia of interest to the conservation 

community and the public. Conservation Fellowships ensure that experience and 

knowledge are shared with the larger community of conservation practitioners. 

SAAM also has a robust safety program to ensure a safe and healthy 

environment for Museum staff and visitors. 

The Museum takes a multi-pronged approach to ensuring that Cost-Effective 

and Responsive Administration supports its mission. Information Technology (IT) staff 

implement and maintain the information framework on which so many other efforts 

depend. This includes exhibition space screens and kiosks that provide access to 

information anywhere, on any device. Managers carefully plan, promote, protect, and 

conserve the Museum’s resources. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

Research on the collections and related American art topics by curatorial staff 

continues in support of exhibitions and the permanent collection. Endowments and 

multi-year private support have allowed the Museum to hire a full slate of curators 

with specialties ranging from sculpture, photography, and contemporary crafts to 

media arts. The Museum’s award-winning journal, American Art, will publish three 

issues of new scholarship. SAAM also hosts approximately 20 research Fellows 

every year from throughout the country and internationally, thereby increasing the 

number of scholars using the collections. The resulting discoveries and 

interpretations by staff and Fellows help Americans appreciate their diverse cultural 

heritage as well as advance scholarship in American art. Research also feeds into 

educational programs and provides content for the Museum’s website and new 

media. 

The Museum embraces the Web by making as much of its artwork and 

related data as possible freely available online to the public. Ninety-nine percent of 

SAAM’s collection is now online. The Museum hosts dynamic websites for visitors, 

155 
researchers, and educators, most notably through the popular website at 

AmericanArt.si.edu. SAAM also participates in collaborative digital initiatives with 

other organizations, using powerful tools such as Linked Open Data (LOD). The 

publication of SAAM’s collections data as LOD has established the Museum as a 

leader in promoting semantic Web standards in the museum community. SAAM also 

maintains an active social media presence on many platforms — including 

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our blog, Eye Level — which engages the public 

in conversations about art-related topics. The Museum adds dozens of educational 

videos and live streams to its non-profit YouTube channel each year and makes 

these assets fully accessible, regardless of the type of device used. Custom-built 

interactive exhibition components, apps, and videos are used whenever appropriate 

to provide a richer learning experience for visitors. 

SAAM is planning six exhibitions in FY 2024, including: 

• Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023 

The Biennial Invitational features artists Joe Feddersen (Arrow 

Lakes/Okanagan), Lily Hope (Tlingit), Ursala Hudson (Tlingit), Erica 

Lord (Athabaskan/Iñupiat), Geo Neptune (Passamaquoddy), and 

Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe). Together, these artists 

present a fresh and nuanced vision of Native American art. 

• Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies 

Exploring the powerful resonances between recent video art and 

popular music, this exhibition focuses on video art that employs the 

strategies of musical creation — scores, improvisation, and 

interpretation — as well as its styles, structures, and lyrics, to speak to 

personal as well as shared aspects of American life. 

• Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea 

Ideas about the American West, both in popular culture and in 

commonly accepted historical narratives, are often based on a past 

that never was, and fail to consider important events that actually 

occurred. The exhibition examines the perspectives of 48 modern and 

contemporary artists who offer a broader and more inclusive view of 

this region, which too often has been dominated by romanticized myths 

and Euro-American historical accounts. 

• Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas 

This exhibit provides an intimate view of Alma Thomas’ evolving artistic 

practices during her most prolific period from 1959 to her death in 

1978. 

• Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice 

William H. Johnson’s Fighters for Freedom series from the mid-1940s 

is a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and 

performers, as well as international heads of state working to bring 

peace to the world. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the collection 

156 
 

of more than 1,000 works by William H. Johnson that were given to 

SAAM by the Harmon Foundation in 1967, and it reminds us that 

individual achievement and commitment to social justice are at the 

heart of the American story. 

• Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women 

This exhibition presents an alternative history of 20th-century American 

art by showcasing the work of artists such as Emma Amos, Sheila 

Hicks, and Faith Ringgold, who, stitch by stitch, used fiber materials to 

express their personal stories and create resonant and intricate 

artworks of beauty and power. 

As part of its goal to make as much material as possible accessible to the 

public, the Museum regularly rotates artworks in the permanent collection galleries 

to show the many facets of American art and culture, as well as to encourage return 

visits. To supplement this ongoing effort, SAAM is renovating its galleries with new 

installations to showcase additional works of art for our diverse audiences. 

Developed in collaboration between interpretation and curatorial colleagues, 

American Voices and Visions is the guiding interpretive framework for SAAM’s 

permanent collection galleries throughout the Museum. Transformative additions to 

our permanent collection presentations will include Native American art and a 

rotating selection of photography. The newly refurbished and reimagined galleries 

will also feature many new acquisitions which have been obtained in accordance 

with collection strategies designed to expand representation of under-represented 

artists and perspectives. 

National outreach includes the touring exhibitions Kara Walker: Harper’s 

Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated); Fighters for Freedom: William H. 

Johnson Picturing Justice; Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination; and 

Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics. Interactive 

exhibition components keep pace with proliferating information streams. In addition, 

whenever possible, SAAM loans objects from the national collection to other 

museums. 

SAAM continues to develop its highly successful distance-learning program with 

staff and 22 volunteers who create content that reaches classrooms worldwide. Three 

videoconference centers, including the MacMillan Education Center, enable the 

Museum to serve more students than ever before. Contracts and partnerships with 

Government agencies such as the Department of Defense, the American Battle 

Monuments Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Washington, 

DC public schools also expand the Museum’s reach to more diverse audiences. In 

addition, the Museum created three virtual “Smithsonian Summer Sessions,” which are 

interdisciplinary weeklong experiences taught online to model strategies for learning 

through art, history, and culture. Since 2020, SAAM has welcomed 530 teachers from 

46 states, Washington, DC, two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 

Islands), and nine foreign countries (including Barbados, Bolivia, Canada, India, Iran, 

Italy, Mexico, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates) to this program. SAAM also turned the 

157 
“Summer Sessions” content into three online courses which have enrolled more than 

3,200 teachers. 

The safe storage and display of collections objects remain a top priority. SAAM 

continues to develop public interest in and awareness of preservation issues through 

the Luce Foundation Center and the Lunder Conservation Center and their many 

public and professional programs. The Museum uses new tools and instruments to 

preserve its collection and has leased cool-storage space to ensure that photographic 

material is preserved in ideal conditions. Artworks will be acquired to fill gaps in the 

collection. Time-based media (that is, works exhibiting a changing observable state, 

such as film, videos, or lights) continue to receive special attention in our Time-based 

Media Lab. Galleries in the DWRC continue to be converted to light-emitting diode 

(LED) lighting, which is less damaging to the collection and more economical and 

energy efficient in reducing the costs of maintenance and utilities. 

The Museum’s IT and administrative procedures closely monitor resources and 

processes, resulting in Cost-Effective and Responsive Administration. Use of the 

Museum’s intranet site keeps staff current on the ever-changing procedural and 

regulatory environment. Finally, SAAM conducts continual reviews of work processes 

and conditions to develop safer techniques and materials for both staff and the 

environment, as well as the national collections. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $788,000 that provides 

$571,00 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item, and an increase of $217,000 in unit rent to support SAAM’s

collection storage needs, which is also referenced in the Fixed Costs section of this 

budget submission. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — Nearly all SAAM’s non-personnel costs, 

including those for exhibitions, educational and public programs, and purchases for 

the national collection, are paid with funds provided by individuals, foundations, and 

corporations. Donor/sponsor-designated funds support specific programs and 

projects. Additionally, trust funds support salaries and benefits for one-third of 

Museum staff, as well as all fundraising activities and related costs. 

158 
 

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY MUSEUM 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 13 7,500 0 287 0 153 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 22 9,568 2 386 8 1,267 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 38 13,778 2 460 4 1168 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 0 0 0 150 0 150

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 4 764 5 1,000 1 236

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 3 283 7 1,150 4 867

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 4 5,557 8 6,360 4 803

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 0 100 0 100 0 0

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 3 384 8 1,271 5 887

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 8 1,139 10 1,758 2 619

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ensuring Financial Strength

Secure financial resources required for Institution's mission 0 1,341 0 1,989 0 648

Total 22 9,568 38 13,778 16 4,210

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

159 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Public Law (P.L.) 116-260, signed by the President on December 27, 2020, 

established the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum (SAWHM) within 

the Smithsonian Institution. 

Currently, there is no national museum in the United States devoted to the 

documentation of women’s contributions throughout our nation’s history. On 

December 19, 2014, Congress created a commission to study the potential for an 

American museum of women’s history. The bipartisan commission unanimously 

concluded that the country needs and deserves a national museum dedicated to 

showcasing the historical experiences and impact of women in the United States. A 

comprehensive women’s history museum would document the full spectrum of the 

experiences of women in the United States, represent a diverse range of viewpoints, 

experiences, and backgrounds, more accurately depict the history of the United 

States, and add value to the Smithsonian Institution for the American people. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

Establishing the SAWHM will provide the Smithsonian with a significant new 

vehicle for the collection, preservation, study, and exhibition of programs relating to 

American women’s contributions in various fields and different periods of history 

which have influenced the direction of the United States; spur collaboration with 

other Smithsonian museums and facilities, outside museums, and educational 

institutions; enhance the Institution’s ability to reach audiences nationwide through 

digital resources; and create exhibitions and programs to recognize diverse 

perspectives on women’s history and their contributions to the life of our country. 

The SAWHM will begin hiring the highest quality research staff and 

collaborate with leading institutions of learning and community-based scholars. The 

SAWHM staff will make research and content available at the Museum once it is 

built, and to communities and public audiences through the World Wide Web, printed 

materials, and collaborative activities with other groups and organizations until then. 

As work is done on the physical building, the SAWHM will focus on creating virtual 

content and digital experiences to reach audiences nationwide and advance the 

strategic goal of ensuring that every home and classroom has access to the 

Smithsonian’s digital content. 

Moving forward, the SAWHM will establish a planning and coordination 

structure to develop a project schedule for defining exhibition emphasis, direction, and 

composition; plan a collections identification and acquisition strategy; coordinate 

collaborative efforts with other museums; and devise a strategic public relations plan 

for publishing initial materials about the new Museum. This work will be guided by a 

report issued in 2022 that examined best practices across the Smithsonian and 

identified ways that the SAWHM could better attract diverse audiences and support 

staff. Audience research and focus groups conducted in 2023 have helped the staff 

better understand what people want from the new Museum, digitally and online. The 

160 
SAWHM will also develop operating plans; purchase needed equipment, supplies, and 

contractual support; and perform environmental impact and traffic analyses on 

potential building sites. The site-selection process has involved gaining insight through 

stakeholder focus groups and a national survey, in-depth analysis of potential sites, 

and consultation with federal agencies and commissions. Additional studies will also 

be needed to assess and plan for future collections and collecting activities. 

The Museum will also further its nimble and responsive administration by 

developing annual operating budgets; preparing personnel actions and vacancy 

announcements to hire new staff; organizing a capital campaign office; and 

preparing a fundraising strategy and implementation plan to identify philanthropic 

prospects and major gift sources. The SAWHM has already received several major 

donations, including several grants from foundations and multiple corporate gifts. 

The American Women’s History Initiatives (AWHI) Pool, first funded by 

Congress in FY 2018, officially merged with the SAWHM as part of an organizational 

restructure approved by Congress in December of 2022. The Initiative will continue 

to heighten the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the transformational role 

women have played in constructing our national identity and culture, focusing on 

Institution-wide programming, and supporting all Smithsonian museums with their 

efforts to increase the representation of women in their collections, exhibitions, and 

programs. As a result, the Smithsonian Institution, through the AWHI, will: (1) 

magnify the contributions of women through exhibitions, programs, and educational 

content; (2) increase the representation of women online by building on the 

Institution’s trusted resources; (3) hire staff committed to amplifying the impact of 

American women’s history; and (4) expand the national collections, both online and 

on site, to better portray how women have shaped this country. The FY 2021 

appropriation included an additional $1 million to expand the AWHI and amplify 

women’s history for local, national, and international audiences. Also in FY 2021, 

with federal and non-federal funds, the AWHI hired a director and two data scientists 

to provide a more sophisticated analysis of collections data on women’s history.

Since its inception, the AWHI has awarded more than $10 million to 28 Smithsonian 

units in support of 150+ projects. 

In FY 2020, the AWHI launched the exhibit Girlhood: It’s Complicated at the 

National Museum of American History. Since then, the Initiative has continued to 

fund the development of the traveling exhibit, which will tour the nation from 2023 

through 2025. In addition to this traveling exhibition, the AWHI has supported 13 

Smithsonian-developed exhibitions at museums such as the National Portrait 

Gallery. In FY 2022, the second edition of the book Smithsonian American Women 

was published, which shares treasures from the Smithsonian’s collections with 

people across America. The AWHI also supported the acquisition of several 

significant new collection items, and AWHI-funded curators worked across the 

Institution to make these projects and acquisitions happen. 

In FY 2022 and FY 2023, the AWHI has continued to share women’s history 

with broad and diverse audiences as a part of the new SAWHM. Educational outputs 

include a 12-page, at-home activity guide for Women’s History Month for USA 

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Today, virtual events for early learners linked to Women’s History Month, podcast 

episodes, and public programs centered on empowering girls to both make change 

and spark interest in American History. Launched in 2019 through the AWHI, the 

Because of Her Story (BOHS) Cohort Internship Program is a paid, eight-week 

summer internship. BOHS interns amplify women's stories to tell a more complete 

American history, reach a diverse audience, and empower and inspire people from 

all walks of life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 and 2022 BOHS program 

was held virtually with 30 interns from across the country at various Smithsonian 

units. In FY 2024, these educational efforts will ground SAWHM’s outreach to 

teachers, students, and families. 

The SAWHM continues to promote research and education via online 

partnerships and expand its digital work to establish a baseline to guide the 

representation of American women and girls in the Smithsonian’s public digital 

collections. In addition, the AWHI-funded digital projects will provide genderinclusive descriptions of collections metadata, which will increase the visibility of 

women and girls in Smithsonian collections online. In FY 2022, the AWHI’s efforts to 

share the stories of American women on Wikipedia generated 260,410 new words 

and 103 new articles on the site. These specific additions have directly generated 

636,935 unique views on Wikipedia (in the English-language version). To date, the 

Smithsonian’s open-access images of American women generated 19.3 million 

views. This work puts trusted Smithsonian resources directly in the hands of the 

public. 

Per H.R. 1923 and the “Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020” 

(Public Law 116-330), the AWHI has consulted on the U.S. Mint’s American Women 

Quarters program since January of 2021, providing subject-matter expertise and 

advising on the selection of honorees for the 2022 and 2023 series. In FY 2024, the 

SAWHM will continue working with the U.S. Mint and the National Women’s History 

Museum in Alexandria, Virginia to recognize the honorees for the 2024 and 2025 

circulating quarters. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $4,210,000 that 

provides $210,000 for necessary pay for existing staff funded under this line item 

and a programmatic increase of $4,000,000 and 16 FTEs. The program increases 

are as follows: 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum (+$4,000,000, +16 FTEs) 

This increase will support planning activities for the new Museum in the areas 

of project management, exhibitions, public programs, collections, and outreach. 

Extensive programmatic planning, in conjunction with facilities planning, will be 

necessary so that SAWHM programs and the eventual design of the Museum 

building are compatible and support the new Museum in achieving its intended 

mission. Planning will encompass the development of strategies for the 

identification, acquisition, and management of collections and archival materials for 

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research; the physical and thematic design, composition, and direction of 

exhibitions; preparations for a full range of public programs for various audiences; 

and establishing an outreach program to involve a broad range of constituencies that 

include different ethnic groups, schools, families, and cultural and historical 

foundations. This planning is essential to establish the foundation for the programs 

and activities the SAWHM will offer in the future. 

Administrative staff will perform all necessary purchasing tasks to acquire 

supplies, equipment, and contractual services; develop budgetary estimates and 

budget justification materials; perform accounting functions; process personnel 

actions, including hiring and all other required staffing actions; and provide legal 

advice and opinions. This additional staffing will be vital to the smooth functioning of 

operations as the workforce and workload for the new Museum increase each year. 

This increase will also help the Museum build a fundraising/campaign office, 

including the recruitment and hiring of additional professional fundraising personnel 

who will enact a strategic fundraising plan and cultivate donor prospects. P.L. 116-

260 establishes the SAWHM and authorizes the Museum to use appropriations for 

fund raising. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salary and 

benefit costs for the Museum director and other program-related costs. Donor/ 

sponsor-designated funds support salaries and benefits for development staff; costs 

associated with reaching the SAWHM’s fundraising goals; training of future 

conservators; conservation of objects for exhibits and community loans; publications 

and special events for exhibition openings; and costs related to specific programs 

and projects. 

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OUTREACH 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 51 9,924 31 4,300 15 5,805 4 931 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 51 10,225 27 5,748 28 6,758 5 1,101 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 56 11,369 26 7,401 29 6,066 5 1,052 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 3 1,622 3 1,636 0 14

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 0 592 0 592 0 0

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 12 2,070 15 2,542 3 472

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 1 156 1 185 0 29

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 31 5,286 33 5,776 2 490

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 4 499 4 638 0 139

Total 51 10,225 56 11,369 5 1,144

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

As the nation’s most diverse museum and research complex, the Smithsonian 

Institution must serve many different audiences, from those who seek a traditional 

experience within the museum environment to others who desire an engaging new 

experience, perhaps digitally in their home, or through innovative learning activities in their 

school or community. The Institution’s outreach activities focus on linking the 

Smithsonian’s national collections and research to audiences beyond the Washington, DC 

capital region to places and spaces nationwide. The Smithsonian’s Outreach and 

Education Strategy seeks to: 1) provide relevant programming and enrichment experiences 

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which reflect the rich cultural heritage of the nation; 2) support the use of instructional 

resources in homes, classrooms, and communities across the nation; and 3) provide 

opportunities for Smithsonian Fellows and interns to engage in world-class academic 

experiences that will help the Institution build a robust workforce pipeline of future scientists 

and museum professionals. 

As one of the nation’s most trusted resources for learning, the Smithsonian is at the 

forefront of opening pathways to knowledge for anyone, anywhere. Our 21 museums, 

three cultural centers, 21 libraries and archives, six research centers, six education centers, 

and the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute encompass every part of the 

human experience, including art, history, culture, and science, and work at intersections of 

these disciplines to spark imagination and encourage discovery between art and the 

environment, space exploration and women’s history, cultural traditions, and the evolving 

American story.Whether in museums or communities, Smithsonian educators and experts 

invite conversation, collaboration, and the mutual exchange of ideas to help learners of all 

ages develop transferable critical thinking skills for today’s most complex challenges. The 

Smithsonian provides multiple formal and informal educational experiences to reach people 

locally, nationally, and globally. 

In an average year, the Smithsonian’s education and outreach efforts reach more 

than four million people. Additionally, more than 10 million educator-created resources 

reach 30 million visitors in 46 states, Puerto Rico, and Panama through our network that 

encompasses an excess of 200 Smithsonian Affiliate museums. Our traveling exhibits 

reach approximately 156 communities in 41 states each year. 

This line item includes the programs which provide the critical mass of outreach 

and educational programming that support nationwide engagement, including: the 

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations (SITES | 

Affiliations); Educational Outcomes and Academic Programs (EOAP); the Office of 

Educational Technology (OET); the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships 

(OAAI); the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC); and the Smithsonian 

Institution Scholarly Press (SISP). In addition, the Smithsonian launched a new rural 

initiative in 2022 that is also part of our many efforts to reach people in the communities 

where they live. The rural initiative commits the Smithsonian to engaging with and 

amplifying the voices of rural Americans to better serve local communities, raise the 

visibility of their cultural stories, exchange resources, and join in conversations about our 

shared future. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian 

Affiliations (SITES | Affiliations) (35 FTEs and $6,211,000) became a single unit in 

2018. Its unified mission is to catalyze public engagement and spark curiosity and 

learning by connecting the knowledge, resources, and expertise of the Smithsonian with 

a vital network of cultural and educational organizations. 

165 
 

SITES | Affiliations makes interdisciplinary connections in science and the arts, 

creating mutually beneficial, reciprocal relationships among and between the 

Smithsonian’s many units and museums and other organizations across the country and 

beyond. SITES | Affiliations expands the reach and impact of the Smithsonian and the 

Institution’s network of collaborators, widely sharing knowledge, resources, and 

expertise. It facilitates strong connections and relationships across the network so that 

staff, partners, and collaborators can all learn from each other and extend their outreach 

to the public. 

In addition, SITES | Affiliation’s programs, exhibitions, and services — including 

the award-winning Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program — inspire national 

audiences of all ages to broaden their perspective, deepen their understanding of critical 

issues, and become more informed and curious learners. This work underscores the 

importance of using local stories as a window to better understand national narratives, 

provides local perspectives on national and global issues, and stimulates lifelong 

learning. These activities and programs enable people to see the relevance of the 

Smithsonian in their daily lives. 

With its broad appeal, SITES | Affiliations reaches all 50 states with exhibitions, 

programs targeted to adults, families, youth, and classrooms, professional development 

for museum professionals and classroom teachers, and loans from the Smithsonian’s 

national collections. 

In FY 2024, staff will address topics to support the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan, 

including the diversity of cultural heritage in America, arts, sciences, and history. This will 

be achieved through more than 30 exhibitions — supported by related programs — such 

as Knowing Nature: Stories from the Boreal Forest, Why We Serve: Native Americans in 

the United States Armed Forces, and Caribbean Indigenous Resistance: Taíno Live On! 

/ Resistencia indígena del Caribe: ¡Taíno Vive! In addition, Spark: Places of Innovation, 

developed by the MoMS program, examines the relationship between place and 

creativity and tells the story of small towns where innovation flourishes. Crossroads: 

Change in Rural America, an exhibition looking at how small towns are reinventing 

themselves by focusing on history and new opportunities for growth and economic 

development, will continue to circulate with community-based programming. And a lively 

series of programs offered by more than 200 Affiliates across the country will focus on 

topics such as the changing American narrative and scientific exploration. Other 

programs will bring teenagers together at Affiliate locations to learn how they can 

understand our world and change it for the better, and an immersive internship program 

for diverse college students will give young people the chance to support museums and 

cultural organizations in contributing to their communities. SITES | Affiliations will train 

teachers to lead students in civic engagement projects, which include documenting 

community history and developing solutions to environmental challenges. Affiliates will 

also offer career development for museum professionals to enhance the work of their 

respective organizations. 

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Smithsonian scholars have participated in science literacy, American history, 

cultural diversity, and art education programs at Affiliate locations and at host venues 

for exhibitions. Professional development workshops, internships, and visiting 

professional residencies have given Affiliate staff the opportunity to increase their 

knowledge and skills in collections management, exhibition planning, digitization of 

museum collections, and museum administration. In addition, the Smithsonian 

Affiliations’ annual conference creates a forum for networking, information sharing, and 

future planning. Current Affiliate projects build on and amplify core objectives outlined in 

the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan. Through these exhibitions and programs, and in 

collaboration with museums and cultural organizations nationwide, the Institution 

digitizes museum collections and provides an accessible presence beyond the National 

Mall and other Smithsonian facilities. 

Educational Outcomes and Academic Programs (EOAP) (5 FTEs and 

$714,000) — This outreach function exists organizationally within the Office of the Under 

Secretary for Education (OUSE) which is charged with developing a comprehensive 

strategy for the Smithsonian’s educational mission that builds external partnerships and 

solidifies and extends the Smithsonian’s position as one of the world’s leading education 

champions. The OUSE engages in a national strategy to work with state education 

agencies, school districts, schools, and out-of-school educators to reach students, 

caregivers, teachers, librarians, and technology and media specialists, to support and 

enhance learning experiences and opportunities across the nation with an emphasis on 

reaching rural communities. The OUSE also supports Institution-wide education and 

outreach initiatives and closely links the outreach measures with outcomes reported to 

the Under Secretary for Education so the programs can be fine-tuned for maximum 

impact. Smithsonian education includes the creation of teacher professional learning, 

design of relevant instructional resources, development of student-centered interactives, 

in-person engagement, and structured out-of-school experiences. 

Office of Educational Technology (OET) (6 FTEs and $1,251,000) — The 

Smithsonian is creating new digital services and platforms for scholars, educators, and 

students to better access and use the national collections, research, and educational 

resources. The Smithsonian Learning Lab (developed by the OET) is a free, Webaccessible toolkit for educators and students that enables everyone to find and customize 

millions of digitized resources for educational use and share them with others. Based on 

research and evaluation with pre-K–12 audiences and museum educators, the Lab provides 

valuable new services aligned to the needs and realities of its global audiences. The OET 

also develops standards-aligned resources for classrooms and provides professional 

development to museum educators and classroom teachers to help them get the most out of 

digital museum resources for learning. Within the Institution, the OET uses digital tools to 

develop strategies for connecting Smithsonian resources with classrooms across the 

country. It offers services and technical support to other units on the use of technology, 

content strategy, and data-driven decision making to achieve unit objectives. These range 

from collaborations to create and disseminate content to technical modifications of the 

Learning Lab in response to unit requests. Other OET activities include conducting market 

research to develop new outreach programs and communications to broaden access to and 

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engage audiences with the Smithsonian’s educational offerings. The OET’s resources in 

user-centered research and applications also support education and access initiatives 

Institution-wide. The OET plays a strategic role to identify and develop content sharing 

partnerships and support them with external education technology and classroom support 

organizations. 

Office of Academic Appointments and Internships (OAAI) (6 FTEs and 

$2,175,000) — Housed under the Office of the Under Secretary for Education, OAAI 

programs provide the central management and administrative capacity for the 

Institution’s research Fellowships and other scholarly appointments. One of the 

Smithsonian’s primary objectives is to facilitate academic interactions with students and 

scholars at universities, museums, and other research institutions around the world. 

These programs administer Institution-wide research support and assist Smithsonian 

museums, research centers, and offices with diversifying and developing additional 

Fellowships and visiting scholarly appointments. 

In particular, the Institution offers Fellowships to provide opportunities for 

graduate and pre-doctoral students, and for postdoctoral students and senior 

investigators to conduct independent research, with Smithsonian professional research 

staff offering advice and guidance. These appointments allow for more effective use of 

staff, collections, and facilities. They also help train the next generation of researchers 

and scientists and maintain the Smithsonian’s level of expertise in the research 

community by continuing to attract the best scholars. In addition, the Smithsonian offers 

approximately 1,500 internships each year, which provide workplace-based, guided 

learning opportunities that offer participants hands-on experiences in a wide range of 

fields. Through our internship experiences, we strive to transform future generations of 

leaders, museum professionals, and consumers of culture. 

Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) (1 FTE and $142,000) —The 

SSEC is the formal pre-K—12 education outreach organization within the Smithsonian 

that has the mission of transforming pre-K—12 science, technology, engineering, arts, 

and math (STEAM) education in collaboration with schools, school districts, state 

education agencies, and pre-K—12 education-serving community-based organizations. 

Through SSEC's pre-K—12 STEAM educational resources, the Smithsonian leverages 

the unparalleled network of scientists and scientific artifacts across the Institution's many 

museums and research centers. Through the SSEC's collaborations with universities, 

federal agencies, and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the 

Smithsonian brings STEAM education directly into pre-K—12 classrooms nationwide. 

Because the Smithsonian has a front-row seat to pictures of distant black holes, the 

history of human migration, animal breeding that saves species from extinction, and the 

important role that history, art, and culture play in an integrated approach to STEAM 

education, the SSEC is uniquely positioned to bring innovative transdisciplinary STEAM 

education to pre-K—12 classrooms and other learning environments. 

The SSEC has three goals to achieve its mission in pre-K—12 formal STEAM 

education: innovation, inclusion, and sustainability. The SSEC pursues these goals by 

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developing and disseminating inquiry-based STEAM educational resources for students 

to use nationwide and offering impactful STEAM programming for educators and 

education leaders. The SSEC's educational resources include hands-on, inquiry-based 

STEAM instructional resources for schools, Smithsonian Science for Global Goals 

community research guides that promote sustainable development, and freely available 

digital STEAM interactives. These resources immerse young people in scientific 

concepts, introducing them to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math concepts 

and lessons from an early age. For teachers, the SSEC's educator programming 

includes leadership summits focused on diversifying the STEAM teacher workforce and 

providing STEAM education for students with disabilities, as well as professional 

development academies focused on scientific concepts such as biodiversity, energy, 

earth and space sciences, and climate change. 

In FY 2022, the SSEC's programming and resources reached 9,700 science 

educators and impacted more than 3.5 million students (https://si.edu/dashboard). At the 

heart of the SSEC's work is the idea that all youth deserve the chance to learn about the 

social and scientific phenomena and problems challenging our nation, and to have the 

opportunity to contribute solutions. The Smithsonian, through the SSEC, plays an active 

role in sparking students' and teachers' interest in STEAM to ensure a scientifically 

literate citizenry. 

The SSEC also plays a critical role in coordinating the Smithsonian’s response to 

Congress to ensure the Institution’s contributions to pre-K—16 STEM education and the 

development of the modern STEM workforce are communicated to the public. The 

SSEC serves as the primary point of contact in the cross-agency collaboration under 

the umbrella of the Committee on STEM (CoSTEM) and the Federal Coordination in 

STEM Education (FC-STEM), SSEC initiatives. In addition, the SSEC coordinates the 

Smithsonian's internal efforts to ensure Institution-wide outreach programs for STEAM 

education are cohesive, impactful, inclusive, and meet the needs of families, caregivers, 

educators, and education organizations across the nation, reaching young people 

where they live and learn. 

Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (SISP) (3 FTEs and $876,000) — Through 

the open-access Smithsonian Contributions Series program, continually published since 

1875, and open-access monographs, SISP advances science at the Smithsonian by 

disseminating and publishing research results of the Institution’s staff and their 

collaborators. Federal funds help produce first-class research in science, art, culture, 

history, and education, with widespread distribution to the public and libraries, 

universities, and other education and research organizations. SISP publishes openaccess documents online in digital formats as well as in print, covering core subject 

areas of anthropology, art, botany, history, marine sciences, museum conservation, 

paleobiology, and zoology. In addition, SISP disseminates interdisciplinary research, 

conference proceedings, and scholarly books closely related to Smithsonian 

programming and to the national collections. Finally, federal resources enable SISP to 

increase public access to articles and papers authored by Smithsonian staff. 

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EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,114,000, that provides 

$382,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under 

this line item, as well as $762,000 and 5 FTEs to support SITES l Affiliations, the OET, 

OAAI, and the SSEC. The funds requested will enable the Institution to support our most 

talented professionals, reach diverse audiences, and meet the needs of all learners. 

Exhibit Support (+$300,000, +2 FTEs) 

The request includes two new national outreach managers for SITES | Affiliations, 

who would serve as an integral part of the Smithsonian's outreach to the nation. Our 

current national outreach managers serve as the primary liaisons to more than 200 

Smithsonian Affiliate organizations across the United States and Panama and the local 

communities that fall under their areas of responsibility. In the conduct of their duties, 

they often reach broad and underserved audiences and connect Affiliates to the 

resources, content, and expertise of the Smithsonian and develop programs, exhibitions, 

and other educational offerings for Affiliate communities. The national outreach 

managers have a broad understanding of their audience needs and the best way to 

deliver programs both digitally and in-person. These two new positions will support 

Smithsonian efforts to build and enrich a national culture of learning while also actively 

work to expand access to our digital content. 

Education Support (+$462,000, +3 FTEs) 

The request includes a position within OET (+$200,000, +1 FTE), which will help 

the Smithsonian Learning Lab reach every home and classroom in the nation. The 

Smithsonian Learning Lab is one of the Institution’s signature tools for connecting with 

districts, schools, and their teachers, serving tens of thousands of people each month. In 

addition, this person will support Institution-wide content development. While the 

Smithsonian continues to lead efforts in using technology to serve teachers, the Learning 

Lab, its tools, and its resources have immense potential to increase their accessibility for 

a vastly larger audience of teachers. 

The request also includes a position within OAAI (+$120,000, +1 FTE), which will 

provide resources for a coordinator that will help ensure efficient and effective 

operations. The coordinator will primarily focus on reaching diverse participants across 

the nation and provide our interns and Fellows with a set of unique and transferable 

experiences that support their overall professional growth and development. The 

coordinator will support programming, onboarding, and enrichment activities and assist 

with monitoring and evaluating programs. 

Finally, the request includes funding for a new position within the SSEC 

(+$142,000, +1 FTE). The SSEC contributes to the long-term strategic goals of the 

Smithsonian to advance pre-K—12 STEAM education, amplify science in the American 

discourse, ensure the Smithsonian’s STEAM education programming is inclusive and 

170 
accessible to all youth, regardless of their demographic, geographic, or socio-economic 

status, and promote a digital-first, mobile-first strategy. Through this position, the SSEC 

will build capacity within the Smithsonian to ensure long-term sustainable pre-K—12 

formal STEAM education programming support for teachers and students nationwide 

and align the content with the broader goals of the federal STEM Strategic Plan. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds defray the costs of staff 

salaries and benefits, fund raising, exhibition design and production, publications, 

materials, outside specialists, and contractual services. Donor/sponsor-designated 

funds cover costs related to specific projects and programs. 

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COMMUNICATIONS 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 18 2,982 27 3,752 0 17 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 18 3,075 34 4,470 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 18 3,195 34 4,470 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 124 1 129 0 5

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 14 2,599 14 2,699 0 100

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 2 191 2 206 0 15

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 1 161 1 161 0 0

Total 18 3,075 18 3,195 0 120

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Office of Communications and External Affairs (OCEA) consists of four 

departments and a front office: the Office of Public Affairs (OPA); the Office of 

Government Relations (OGR); the Office of Visitor Services (OVS); and the Office of 

Special Events and Protocol (OSEP). In addition, the OCEA front office hosts the 

Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs and her direct reports. 

The OCEA manages the Smithsonian’s brand strategy, coordinates 

marketing, and oversees the Institution’s internal communications. Office resources 

support the Smithsonian Strategic Plan by training staff about the Institution’s 

priorities and objectives, and informing them about important initiatives, thereby 

enabling the Smithsonian to better execute its mission. Accordingly, the OCEA is 

responsible for helping the Institution reach and engage more people with its 

172 
mission. By improving internal communications and more effectively and efficiently 

informing staff of Institution-wide policies, initiatives, and events, the OCEA 

encourages cross-unit collaboration to help the Smithsonian better achieve its 

strategic goals and core mission. 

The OPA coordinates public relations and communications with museums, 

research centers, cultural resource centers, and offices to present a consistent and 

positive image of the Institution. The Office supports the Strategic Plan by advancing 

the Institution’s objectives, connecting people with Smithsonian experts, research, 

exhibitions, and public programs, and by working with a wide range of media outlets 

and social media platforms. The OPA connects to online audiences by overseeing 

content such as Visitor Information, Events, Exhibits, and Encyclopedia Smithsonian 

on the Institution’s central website. The Office also provides content on Newsdesk, 

the Smithsonian’s online newsroom, and on central Smithsonian social media 

accounts. In addition, the OPA works with units throughout the Institution to establish 

and maintain professional communications guidelines and consistent standards. 

The OGR is the liaison between the Smithsonian Institution and the federal 

Government. This includes members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives 

and the Senate, appropriations and oversight committees and congressional offices, 

the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and various federal 

agencies. This Office supports the Institution’s overall Strategic Plan by explaining 

the accomplishments, relevance, and wealth of the Smithsonian’s offerings to the 

Congress and the Administration. The OGR also works with other Smithsonian 

offices, informing them of federal-sector activities, tracking legislation pertinent to 

them, showcasing their exhibits, programs, and discoveries for interested 

congressional offices, and managing their requests for high-ranking Government 

officials to participate in official Institution events. 

The OVS is the central Office dedicated to understanding, supporting, and 

improving visitors’ experiences across the Smithsonian, both in person and online. 

The Office advances the Smithsonian’s mission as the primary point of contact for 

visitors and volunteers. Office resources support the Strategic Plan by administering 

products and services which broaden visitor access to Smithsonian public programs 

and activities. 

The OSEP engages in strategic decision making to advance the Institution’s 

goals, by identifying event opportunities which help the Smithsonian achieve its 

objectives, and plans special events to extend the reach of the Institution and 

energize its representation. Office staff also coordinate events for the Secretary and 

the senior leadership of the Institution. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The OPA allocates resources for national and international media publicity 

and expands relationships through targeted media outlets. As the Smithsonian 

173 
Office with primary responsibility for communicating with online audiences, the 

OPA manages content on the Institution’s central website, Newsdesk, and on the 

central Smithsonian social media accounts. The OPA works with units throughout 

the Institution to establish and maintain professional communications guidelines 

and standards. The OPA also produces Smithsonian Science, an online blog 

devoted to scientific research, as well as blogs about African American and 

American women’s history, National Air and Space Museum stories, modern 

design, traveling exhibitions, and Smithsonian Folklife magazine, in addition to 

podcasts such as the popular and well-received Sidedoor series of programs. 

In addition, the OPA initiates and responds to all media inquiries in a 

timely manner with accurate, concise information, and generates story ideas for 

the media, featuring Smithsonian experts, exhibitions, research, and programs. 

The OPA also coordinates the Institution’s One Smithsonian: Greater Reach, 

Greater Relevance, Profound Impact Strategic Plan and many other programs, 

as well as appeals for private support. 

The OVS designs and manages systems used by visitors to plan their trips 

to the Smithsonian and supports systems which enable Smithsonian staff to 

better serve visitors both in person and online. The OVS manages content on the 

Smithsonian’s Virtual Visitor Center, the outdoor visitor information kiosks near 

all museums and galleries, World Wide Web applications, and selected 

publications. In addition, the OVS oversees a comprehensive visitor feedback 

system that includes the general Smithsonian email address and call center. 

The OVS also works with relevant units to deliver products and services 

which help their staff understand and meet the needs of their specific audiences. 

The OVS systematically analyzes visitor behavior, trends, and insights, and 

delivers pertinent findings to museum and research center teams whose projects 

will affect how visitors experience the Smithsonian and get the most out of their 

time in our public-facing buildings. The OVS recruits and trains motivated and 

diverse volunteers to engage with visitors and help Smithsonian staff conduct 

research projects. The OVS also increases retention of its best volunteers by 

offering personal enrichment, award, and recognition opportunities. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $120,000 for necessary 

pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and 

benefits of personnel and other related costs. In addition, these funds support 

dissemination of information, outreach, publications, and general operations. 

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INSTITUTION-WIDE PROGRAMS 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 0 15,734 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 0 19,209 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 0 24,084 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 0 5,700 0 7,700 0 2,000

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 0 2,125 0 3,500 0 1,375

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 0 0 0 1,500 0 1,500

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 0 8,197 0 8,197 0 0

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 0 3,187 0 3,187 0 0

Total 0 19,209 0 24,084 0 4,875

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

Beginning in 1993, Congress has approved the creation of the following Institutionwide funding programs for the Smithsonian Institution: 

• Collections Care and Preservation Fund 

• Digital Support Pool 

• Information Resources Management Pool 

• Research Equipment Pool 

• Research Program Initiatives Pool 

• Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool (moved to the Asian Pacific American Center 

line item in FY 2023) 

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• American Women’s History Initiatives Pool (moved to the Smithsonian American 

Women’s History Museum [SAWHM] line item in FY 2022) 

• Latino Initiatives Pool (moved to the National Museum of the American Latino 

[NMAL] line item in FY 2022) 

In FY 2024, the Smithsonian is requesting increases of $2,000,000 for the Research 

Program Initiatives Pool and $1,375,000 for the Digital Support Pool to expand on these 

Institution-wide priorities. Furthermore, the Smithsonian requests $1,500,000 in funding to 

support the establishment of a new Educational Initiatives Pool. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

COLLECTIONS CARE AND PRESERVATION FUND ($8,197,000) 

Collections stewardship is a key component and core priority of the Smithsonian’s 

Strategic Plan. Assembled throughout the Institution’s 176-year history, the national 

collections are fundamental to carrying out the Institution’s mission and serve as the 

intellectual base for scholarship, exhibition, and education. 

Currently, Smithsonian collections total 157.2 million objects and specimens, 

148,200 cubic feet of archives, and 2.2 million library volumes, which include irreplaceable 

national icons, examples of everyday life, and scientific material vital to the study of the 

world’s natural and cultural heritage, covering subjects from art to zoology. The proper 

stewardship of the national collections is essential for America’s artistic, scientific, and

education infrastructure, enabling researchers to address challenges facing society, such 

as the effects of the global pandemic, climate change, racial injustice, and the loss of 

biological and cultural diversity and its impact on the world’s ecosystems and cultures.

To achieve our strategic goals, the Collections Care and preservation Fund (CCPF) 

provides essential resources to make targeted improvements in the accountability, 

documentation, care, preservation, storage, and accessibility of the Institution’s vast and 

diverse collections. With this funding, the Smithsonian continues to strategically address 

important Institution-wide collections care needs in a pragmatic and systematic manner, 

based on sound collections assessment data, innovative collections care methodologies, 

economies of scale, and project-driven activities, including collections moves, re-housing, 

and digitization. Smithsonian senior leadership acknowledges that an effective strategy for 

addressing our collections challenges depends on a coordinated, Institution-wide approach. 

Holistic collections-level management enables comprehensive improvements which benefit 

the greatest number of collection items and collecting units in an efficient, practical, and 

cost-effective way. 

Collections Physical and Digitization Assessments 

As background, since FY 2012, the National Collections Program (NCP) and the 

Office of Digital Transformation (ODT) implemented an Institution-wide assessment tool —

the Collections and Digitization Reporting System (CDRS) — to annually assess the state 

of the collections’ physical condition and their digitization status, establish priorities, identify 

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areas where improvements are needed, measure progress, and provide a practical 

framework for the allocation of limited resources. Based on assessment results, the NCP 

has used centralized CCPF resources to achieve targeted improvements in the 

preservation and accessibility of collections in the most efficient and cost-effective manner 

possible. These funds have enabled staff to correct specific collections management 

deficiencies identified in the Smithsonian’s Inspector General audit recommendations; 

enable collections moves from substandard facilities and conditions; replace obsolete, 

substandard storage equipment; support the management and preservation of the 

Smithsonian’s cryo-collections; improve the preservation and management of time-based 

media, digital art, and audiovisual collections across the Institution; and strengthen 

Institution-wide collections emergency management and professional development. By 

working closely with the Digitization Program Office (DPO), the NCP has also provided 

essential resources to support the collections care activities required for the success, 

efficiency, and completion of many DPO-supported, unit-driven, mass-digitization projects. 

Collections Space Planning 

In FY 2015, the Smithsonian completed a multi-year, Institution-wide collections 

space planning initiative, including a first-of-its-kind survey of existing collections space 

conditions. The initiative culminated in the Collections Space Framework Plan (CSFP), 

which included recommendations and a 30-year implementation plan for addressing current 

and projected Institution-wide collections space requirements in a strategic, integrated, and 

collaborative manner. The plan is a road map that provides renovation and construction 

strategies to address unacceptable collections space conditions, allow for decompression 

of overcrowded collections areas to make them more physically accessible, anticipate 

future collections growth, and reduce the Institution’s need to lease costly space for 

collections storage. 

To address near-term space requirements, the implementation of the CSFP 

includes: (1) the decontamination of collections in Garber Buildings 15, 16, and 18, 

including processing, re-housing, and temporary storage in Building 37; (2) the construction 

of Pod 6 at the Museum Support Center to relocate at-risk collections from the Paul E. 

Garber Facility, and several Mall museums subject to flooding, as well as provide essential 

temporary swing and permanent collections space for the National Museum of American 

History (NMAH) East Wing public renewal project; (3) the construction of two new storage 

modules and a hangar next to the Udvar-Hazy Center to support the continued move of the 

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) collections from substandard conditions at the 

Garber Facility and the immediate need for temporary collections swing space during the 

NASM Mall building renovation; and (4) the completion of the Suitland Collections Center 

(SCC) Master Plan. The CSFP, the SCC Master Plan, and the 2021 Climate Change Action 

Plan support a phased development of the Suitland and Dulles campuses to accommodate 

the Institution’s intermediate and long-term collections space needs. 

The Smithsonian has robust Institution-wide data on the national collections, their 

physical condition, state of digitization, and current collections space conditions. When 

combined, this information provides key tools and direction for improving the management, 

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care, and accessibility of the national collections. In FY 2024, the Smithsonian will continue 

to implement collections initiatives and strategically address the preservation, digitization, 

and storage space needs of collections, based on the results of the Institution-wide physical 

and digitization collections assessments and the collections space survey. 

INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT POOL ($3,187,000) 

The Information Resources Management Pool supports network operations and 

server administration, including the Institution’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 

financial system. Specifically, the requested funds are used for: 

• upgrades and enhancements to the Smithsonian’s information technology (IT) 

infrastructure; 

• contractor support in the Network Operations Center; 

• services of Active Directory and desktop migration technicians; 

• network hardware/software maintenance; and 

• delivery of Smithsonian digital assets to the public. 

RESEARCH EQUIPMENT POOL ($1,300,000) 

The Smithsonian’s ambitious research agenda requires appropriate equipment to 

achieve its strategic goals. This basic equipment infrastructure requires regular 

maintenance, upgrades, and routine replacement. This pool aligns with major initiatives and 

strategic priorities, including: Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past; Life on a 

Sustainable Planet; and My Hometown. The Research Equipment Pool funds have enabled 

Smithsonian museums and research centers to undertake groundbreaking research in 

many areas. For example, genomics is offering new opportunities for exploring biodiversity. 

To be successful, biodiversity genomics requires a set of cutting-edge genetic technologies 

such as next-generation sequencing. Similarly, the Institution’s efforts in materials 

conservation have been greatly enhanced by using highly specialized equipment that has 

enabled conservators to better identify the age and provenance of artifacts as well as 

improve the preservation of fragile materials. Investing in equipment and maintenance 

contracts will allow the Smithsonian to better leverage its collections and expertise in these 

important areas of research. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

In FY 2024, the Smithsonian is requesting increases of $2,000,000 for the Research 

Program Initiatives Pool and $1,375,000 for the Digital Support Pool to expand on these 

Institution-wide priorities. Furthermore, the Smithsonian requests $1,500,000 in funding to 

support the establishment of a new Educational Initiatives Pool. 

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RESEARCH PROGRAM INITIATIVES: $6,400,000 (INCLUDES AN INCREASE OF 

$2,000,000) 

The funding requested will continue to support the innovative research pool that is 

managed by the Under Secretary for Science and Research. The pool fosters a 

research environment conducive to scientific innovation and provides the essential 

financial support necessary to execute world-class science. Priority is given to high-risk, 

high-reward activities that lead to new ways of collecting and analyzing data and build 

technical capabilities within the Smithsonian’s established areas of research. Priority is 

also given to research seeking nature- and community-based solutions to help us live 

sustainably with nature. This program will help the Institution recruit and retain the finest 

scientific talent, support postdoctoral researchers, and build a diverse science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. 

The funding criteria will be flexible enough to respond to unique research 

opportunities that could change our understanding of how Earth systems operate, as 

well as new discoveries beyond Earth. The funds will be distributed through both 

competitive and more targeted efforts. We expect to allocate the funding in several 

tracks; for example, internally competitive seed grants and innovation grants, and startup funds for new researchers. 

The funding would also be used to analyze large datasets produced by 

Smithsonian research in numerous areas, including biodiversity and ecosystems science, 

astronomy and planetary science, and genomics. There is a definite need for expanded 

capabilities to analyze the enormous amounts of data generated by our scientists. This 

request will provide the resources needed to address the Smithsonian’s strategic goals 

for digitization; STEM education through citizen science; and especially drive large, 

visionary interdisciplinary research projects using large datasets. These funds would help 

build and support the data platform that can connect collections, research, and global 

data, making the platform more interoperable and useful for scientists answering complex 

research questions about important issues of our time. The goal is to develop a 

collaborative knowledge platform that connects collections and research data and links it 

to global data resources using the largest natural history collection in the world. Support 

for this would represent a major leap forward in our ability to put all the pieces together 

and identify solutions to many of the challenging problems we face today. 

Other examples of cutting-edge research to be funded include: One Health 

(interactions between human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health); biodiversity 

genomics (answering questions about ecology and evolution); movement of animals 

across landscapes; studying endangered and invasive species; and how climate change 

affects all these areas. In addition, in the areas of astronomy and planetary science, the 

research would include how to find evidence of life on other planets, what conditions lead 

to habitability, and what physical-chemical processes lead to the great diversity among 

planets in our solar system and beyond. We will also use these funds to help 

communicate these results to the public as only the Smithsonian can, through public 

programs, exhibits, and educational materials. 

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DIGITAL SUPPORT POOL: $3,500,000 (INCLUDES AN INCREASE OF $1,375,000) 

The Institution is requesting $3,500,000 overall and a $1,375,000 increase above 

FY 2023 to continue supporting the Digital Support Pool. Three goals from the 

Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan guide these ambitious efforts: (1) ensure every home and 

classroom has access to the Smithsonian’s digital content; (2) be a trusted source that 

explores and grapples with America’s past, present and future; and (3) harness 

Smithsonian expertise to elevate science in the global discourse. These goals are more 

important than ever, because the recent COVID-19 crisis and national reckoning on race 

and identity both demonstrated that our citizens and the educational sector have come to 

depend heavily on the Smithsonian as a trusted source for online content. 

Our focus on digital content is vital to fulfill our responsibilities on all these fronts. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and other digital practitioners across the 

Smithsonian were able to respond quickly, delivering informative and accessible content 

and programming for audiences of all ages. The crisis accelerated some digital initiatives 

already planned or under way and highlighted new opportunities. Offerings that were only 

accessible in person, which limited their reach to local audiences, became virtual and 

available to national and international audiences. 

One of the Institution’s strengths that we want to continue to leverage is our ability 

to engage people in meaningful dialogue right where they live. As a leader in scientific, 

cultural, and educational fields, it is essential for the Smithsonian to serve as a catalyst for 

bringing people together to share big ideas and varying perspectives, especially about 

important topics that touch all aspects of society, such as race relations, a deadly virus, 

the health of our democracy, or sustainability in the face of global climate change. The 

Smithsonian has the special ability and obligation to increase the public’s understanding 

of our universe, our history, and our shared future, and to work for the common good. 

These requested pool funds will support Institution-wide digital platforms and 

programs for sharing our collections and digital content, such as Reckoning with Our 

Racial Past, Life on a Sustainable Planet, and Smithsonian: Where I Live, as well as the 

Open Access Initiative, the digitization program, the central digital transformation function, 

and volunteer programs such as the Transcription Center which attract thousands of 

volunteers nationwide every year. In addition, the funding will expand our data science 

efforts and the information management infrastructure to support the logistics and 

technology for Smithsonian researchers to do their work. This includes continued support 

of the Data Science Lab that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to 

extract information from our digitized collections, perform research, and assist curators 

and researchers in looking at our objects and specimens in ways that are otherwise not 

possible, given the massive scale of the national collections. 

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EDUCATION INITIATIVES POOL (+$1,500,000) 

The Institution is requesting funding of $1,500,000 for a new Education Initiatives 

Pool, which would be administrated by the Office of the Under Secretary for Education, 

to support unit-specific programming, outreach, and projects. Annually, educators 

across the Institution reach approximately four million people through programing and 

outreach and our 300+ educators disseminate more than 10 million publications to 

communities. Smithsonian educators are skilled at curating interdisciplinary learning 

experiences to support teacher professional learning, design relevant instructional 

resources, create student-centered interactives, provide in-person, hands-on 

engagement, and facilitate structured out-of-school-time experiences. 

In 2024, the Education Initiatives Pool will support unit-specific education projects 

and programming and accelerate collaborations with more than 200 affiliate museums 

and cultural institutions across the nation. In addition, the funding will support our 

traveling exhibits, which last year reached 156 communities and 41 states. Pool funds 

are also used to help improve student outcomes and enhance student learning outside 

of the classroom. To do this, the Smithsonian has embarked on new partnerships with 

trusted out-of-school organizations to reach millions of young people across the country. 

The requested pooled funds will support outreach, programming, and engagement with 

these entities. 

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SMITHSONIAN EXHIBITS 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS 

& CONTRACTS 

INTERAGENCY 

AGREEMENTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 25 3,498 18 262 0 0 0 12 0 98 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 25 3,627 18 262 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 25 3,806 18 262 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Exhibitions

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 20 2,814 20 2,953 0 139

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 1 138 1 145 0 7

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative 

infrastructure 4 675 4 708 0 33

Total 25 3,627 25 3,806 0 179

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Institution Exhibits (SIE) office is a full-service exhibit 

planning, design, and production shop supporting Smithsonian public exhibitions that 

connect the American people and international audiences with the richness of the 

Institution’s content and collections. The SIE is the exhibit resource available to all 

Smithsonian museums, research centers, and Affiliates. In partnership with colleagues 

throughout the Institution, the SIE consistently delivers the highest quality exhibit 

design, interpretive writing, editing, project management, graphic production, 

fabrication, installation, and 3D services to help support the Smithsonian’s mission. 

The SIE will continue to focus on planning, designing, and producing 

exhibitions for the Institution. Clients with full, limited, or no design or production 

capabilities can use the SIE for complete or partial exhibition services, including 

exhibit development, design, refurbishing, signage, acrylic casing, cabinetry, model 

making, crating, and artifact mounting. 

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The SIE fosters collaboration among units by providing expert consultation, 

especially in the early stages of exhibition planning. Drawing on their broad array of 

skills, the SIE exhibit specialists work across the Smithsonian, enabling the creation of 

more compelling exhibits that connect the American people to their history as well as 

their cultural and scientific heritages. 

For clients seeking specialized exhibition-related services, the SIE will continue 

to develop digital interactive and multi-media services and expand its expertise in 

computer-controlled production and automated modeling technologies such as 3D 

scanning and printing. In addition, the SIE will provide opportunities for Smithsonian 

colleagues to take advantage of its state-of-the-art facility, allowing trained staff to 

work with the specialized equipment and produce the needed resources. 

The SIE’s Object Storage Facility (OSF) offers secure, climate-controlled 

storage for artifacts during production. The SIE will continue supporting exhibitions in 

the S. Dillon Ripley Center concourse, and throughout the Smithsonian’s many other 

facilities. 

In addition, the SIE conducts forums for exhibit staff throughout the 

Smithsonian to inspire creativity, innovation, and collaborations which result in cuttingedge exhibitions and technological advances. Toward this end, the SIE is expanding 

its skills in exhibit creation, interpretive master planning, and exhibition development 

services to include prototyping and interactive development for diverse design 

projects. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

As the Institution’s most comprehensive producer of exhibits, the SIE provides 

its Smithsonian clients with first-class exhibition design, interpretive writing, editing, 

content development, production, and installation services. Each year, the SIE plans, 

designs, and produces approximately 100 projects, large and small, for almost every 

office and museum in the Smithsonian. 

In FY 2024, most SIE resources will stay focused on: 

• serving as a learning center within the Smithsonian, which shares its expertise 

in exhibit planning, design, and production with community partners, exhibit 

colleagues at the Smithsonian, and at the national/international museum level; 

• cross-training staff within the SIE to share expertise and maximize efficiencies 

while also advancing environmental sustainability in exhibits; 

• demonstrating new exhibition design technologies to Smithsonian units; 

• developing and implementing techniques for greater accessibility and inclusivity 

of exhibition elements across the Smithsonian Institution; 

• promoting exhibition excellence, unit sharing of resources, and advancement of 

exhibitions as an interpretive medium throughout the Smithsonian Institution; and 

183 
• leveraging its expertise in working with electro-mechanical interactive 

components and tactile experiences to deepen audience engagement in all 

Smithsonian exhibits. 

The SIE will accomplish these objectives by focusing exclusively on exhibitrelated work, freeing up SIE staff with specialized experience to concentrate on the 

planning, design, and production of museum exhibits. By building on well-established, 

collaborative relationships with other Smithsonian design and production staff, the SIE 

will continue to play a strong role in sharing its expertise with other Smithsonian units. 

These initiatives will result in a more informed and expert staff that can do more to 

maintain the Institution’s leadership in the field of exhibition design and production. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $179,000 for necessary 

pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded in this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support SIE salaries and 

benefits for project management, design, and exhibit specialists, as well as general 

operations, equipment services, and maintenance requirements. 

184 
 

MUSEUM SUPPORT CENTER 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 13 1,991 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 13 2,044 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 13 2,116 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 13 2,044 13 2,116 0 72

Total 13 2,044 13 2,116 0 72

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Museum Support Center (MSC) is the Smithsonian’s principal off-site 

collections preservation and research facility. Located in Suitland, Maryland, the 

facility houses more than 77 million objects, or 55 percent of the Institution’s 

irreplaceable national collections, primarily from the National Museum of Natural 

History (NMNH). Other Smithsonian museums using the facility include the 

National Museum of American History, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture 

Garden, the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the National Museum of African Art, the 

National Postal Museum, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and 

the National Zoo. External agencies storing collections at the MSC include the 

Walter Reed Biological Unit (WRBU) and the National Institutes of Health. 

Additionally, the MSC and the National Gallery of Art are partners in constructing 

the new collections storage Pod 6 at the Center. 

The collections at the MSC are used to support scientific and cultural 

research for essential Government functions in areas as diverse as climate 

change, environmental disasters, food and transportation safety, border security, 

criminal investigations, forensics, national defense, cancer research, and more. 

The MSC accommodates diverse types of collections with a variety of 

state-of-the-art equipment: collections in cabinets; mobile shelving for biological 

specimens preserved in alcohol; meteorites in a nitrogen atmosphere; film and 

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genetic collections in mechanical and nitrogen-vapor freezers; high-bay storage 

for oversized objects such as totem poles, boats, and large mounted mammals; 

and large mobile racks for storing art works. 

The facility consists of multiple structures, including a laboratory and 

oversized storage areas in addition to the main building. These facilities house 

laboratories for Smithsonian scientists and other federal agencies, such as the 

WRBU. The laboratories focus on molecular systematics, ancient DNA, 

conservation, and other specialized research. The MSC supports contracted 

maintenance services and required calibration for special collections 

preservation, laboratory equipment, and safety systems, such as environmental 

chambers, freezers, nitrogen systems, reverse-osmosis water systems, and 

oxygen-detection systems. The MSC staff provides project planning and 

construction coordination, collections care, safety and emergency management, 

access and logistical support, as well as administrative and shipping services. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The MSC will remain flexible and nimble while improving collections 

storage and services. The Center will focus on pest management and the safe 

storage of collection materials. Additionally, the MSC will prioritize logistical 

support of shipping and collections functions. Shipping and logistics have 

become near-term challenges due to recent issues with the supply chain, 

changes in international requirements, and rapid growth in the shipping industry. 

The MSC will also support other Smithsonian units in navigating these changes 

as well as new challenges to collections management. 

In FY 2024, the Smithsonian will continue construction of the new storage 

Pod 6 in partnership with the National Gallery of Art. MSC Operations will 

implement and coordinate temporary and permanent programmatic changes due 

to the construction of Pod 6. As this project advances, MSC staff will help 

prepare for large movements of collections and integrate new staff and activities 

into the Pod 6 building as the space becomes available. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

This FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $72,000 for 

necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this 

line item. 

186 
MUSEUM CONSERVATION INSTITUTE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 22 3,562 0 10 4 667 0 2 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 22 3,770 0 4 2 433 0 6 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 22 3,951 0 2 1 317 0 3 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 8 1,656 8 1,587 0 -69

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 1 146 1 165 0 19

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse audiences 1 117 1 122 0 5

Public Programs

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information to 

the public 1 175 1 183 0 8

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 8 1,309 8 1,517 0 208

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 3 367 3 377 0 10

Total 22 3,770 22 3,951 0 181

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), located in Suitland, 

Maryland, is the main facility that supports specialized technical collections research 

and conservation for all Smithsonian museums and collections. The MCI combines 

knowledge of materials and the history of technology with state-of-the-art 

instrumentation and scientific techniques to provide technical research studies and 

interpret artistic, anthropological, biological, and historical objects. Through its 

Protecting Cultural Heritage and Preventive Conservation programs, the MCI responds 

187 
to threats facing cultural heritage in multiple and complex ways. This includes analyzing 

and consulting on the most appropriate preservation environments, and developing less 

invasive and more protective storage, display, and conservation techniques. The MCI 

also supports U.S. agencies and the museum community in identifying illicitly trafficked 

cultural heritage artifacts and objects and developing capacity building initiatives for 

international cultural heritage preservation. For example, the MCI works with the U.S. 

Department of State on capacity building programs at the Iraqi Institute for the 

Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, which support the recovery and 

conservation of Iraqi and regional cultural heritage artifacts. 

The MCI, as the only Smithsonian resource for technical studies and scientific 

analyses for most of the Institution’s national collections, brings unique analytical 

capabilities to Smithsonian researchers, including a central mass-spectrometry 

instrument core and advanced technological capabilities for analyzing biomolecules. 

These services are available to Smithsonian units at no charge. In addition to 

responding to internal Smithsonian requests for consultations, the MCI handles 

requests from affiliates and outside organizations such as the White House, the U.S. 

Congress, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security‘s Homeland Security 

Investigations branch, the U.S. Department of State, the FBI, and many other federal, 

museum, and academic agencies and organizations. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The MCI is aligning its operations to support the key focus areas of the 

Institution’s five-year Strategic Plan. As part of this alignment, the MCI will leverage its 

strengths to continue developing processes and procedures as part of a Smithsonianwide transformation. The effort provides the MCI with a path to participate in several of 

the initiatives under each of the five focus areas of the Strategic Plan and supports the 

Institution’s overall goal to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing 

world. 

In support of science, the MCI will harness its expertise to elevate the global 

discourse by collaborating with the Smithsonian’s scientists and research centers and 

providing increased technical and research assistance to Smithsonian arts and 

humanities researchers, collections, and museums. The MCI will initiate, facilitate, and 

support the Smithsonian’s collaborative research projects by using biomolecular massspectroscopy, including biological isotopes and proteomics (i.e., the large-scale study of 

proteins, particularly, their structures and functions). The MCI will also conduct basic 

research into the mechanisms of material degradation and biodeterioration, preserve 

cultural heritage, and harness new technologies. The MCI’s research programs will 

cross boundaries between Smithsonian units as well as support all the Institution’s

signature programs and Institution-wide stakeholders. In addition, the MCI will support 

the conservation and heritage science fields through publications, hosted symposia, 

presentations, invitation-only seminars, lectures, and its website. The Institute will use 

all these means to disseminate the results of its research programs. 

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In FY 2024, the MCI will continue deploying its stable isotope, proteomics, and 

biomolecular mass-spectrometry capabilities as part of the Smithsonian’s central 

research infrastructure. In particular, the Institute will focus on proteomics, an area of 

rapid growth in biological and medical research that is being driven by advances in 

molecular separation and mass-spectrometry technology. Along with genomics, the field 

has the potential to rapidly acquire data that speeds the discovery and identification of 

organisms, the linking of genotypes and phenotypes, and the development of novel 

biomolecular markers. Proteomics, in tandem with genomics, is expanding our 

understanding of biological and ecological functions. Building on this knowledge, the 

MCI is updating its isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) laboratory to continue 

supporting archaeological, paleontological, ecological, and environmental studies by 

comparing the relative abundance of isotopes arising from isotopic fractionation in 

natural systems. In short, these capabilities will allow the MCI to gather more 

information from Smithsonian collections, cultural objects, and biological specimens, 

and learn more about their materials, origins, and causes of their deterioration, as well 

as how to better preserve them. 

In addition, the MCI will support Smithsonian museums and research centers to 

improve stewardship and scholarship of the national collections and disseminate 

collections information to the larger museum community and the public. The MCI will 

pursue collaborative conservation treatment projects with other Smithsonian units to 

provide conservation guidance and technical consultations to the art and history 

museums for their more challenging and endangered objects. This will be done by 

drawing on the MCI’s proven track record of establishing scientifically based 

environmental standards for museum collections, detecting unsafe conditions and 

materials for museum exhibition and storage, and solving biodeterioration problems —

including those that involve buildings and monuments. The Institute is expanding its 

research in preventive conservation by developing new tools and partnerships that aid 

in reducing deterioration caused by environmental factors. For example, the MCI has 

joined IPERION HS, a pan-European research infrastructure on heritage science, and 

contributes to research on digital toolkits and apps for modeling and informing 

preventive conservation. The MCI’s photographic and paper conservation lab will 

continue supporting conservation and research for the Smithsonian’s fragile and at-risk 

photographic collections and assessing and remediating hazards to those collections. 

The MCI will also focus on identifying and using less invasive and damaging 

materials and procedures for collections conservation, reflecting the importance of 

incorporating energy-efficient and “green” materials and practices into the Institute’s 

work. By working closely with museum conservators, the MCI will identify special 

training needs and research projects and develop research and symposia to address 

the most urgent collections preservation needs, such as preventive conservation in 

museum environments (involving light, temperature, humidity, and pollutants), and 

museum hazards (such as pesticides and hazardous components of collections). 

As part of the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan focus on digital initiatives, the MCI 

will help ensure a digitally empowered Institution can expand its virtual reach. The MCI 

189 
will improve digitization support for making Smithsonian research and collections 

accessible in ways that broaden public access to collections, exhibitions, and outreach 

programs. In addition, the Institute will conduct advanced research and develop 

effective and economical digital imaging technologies appropriate for social media 

platforms, mobile applications, and virtual reality. The MCI will support the 

Smithsonian’s goal of reaching one billion people by expanding its webpage to engage 

contemporary audiences and highlight large, visionary, interdisciplinary research and 

scholarly projects. Finally, the MCI will make its research products and records secure 

and accessible by expanding its use of The Museum System (TMS) and repositories 

such as the Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) and Smithsonian Research 

Online. 

The MCI will support the Institution’s Strategic Plan efforts to become a trusted 

source for audiences to explore America’s past, present and future. Accordingly, the 

MCI will provide heritage literature references to professionals and the public and its 

technical information office will continue serving the museum and cultural heritage 

management communities, museum studies students, and the public. In addition, the 

MCI will continue enhancing its social media presence to increase the impact of the 

Institute’s research and outreach programs. The MCI, in collaboration with Smithsonian 

museums and Affiliates, will offer public programs to present the results of MCI 

research, heighten awareness of the problems of preserving cultural heritage, and 

gather data about the nature and scope of problems that the Institute’s clients 

encounter. The MCI will also collaborate with Smithsonian museums and Affiliates to 

offer media events, printed and online materials, presentations, workshops, and 

demonstrations to reach new audiences, especially those targeted by the Institution’s 

newest museums. 

As part of the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan focus on education, the MCI will build 

and enrich a national culture of learning by engaging with educational systems 

nationwide. The Institute will engage and inspire diverse audiences by training highereducation students and professionals. The MCI will also continue to promote career 

development for Smithsonian conservators and other collections care providers through 

colloquia, symposia, and workshops, as well as distance-learning opportunities, 

internships, and Fellowships for students pursuing careers in conservation and 

conservation science. These programs will be grounded in diversity, equity, 

accessibility, and inclusion principles both internal and external to the Institution. 

Through these efforts, the MCI will attract students from a wider variety of backgrounds 

and encourage them to pursue conservation, conservation science, and other museum 

careers. 

To advance this goal, the MCI will continue to support internal Smithsonian 

programs and the Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation, 

stewarded by the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of 

Cultural Heritage, to expand a diverse pool of students considering careers in 

museology, heritage care, and conservation. 

190 
In support of both the Strategic Plan goals on education and to make the 

Smithsonian a trusted source of information, the MCI provides in-kind resources and 

leads a partnership with the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and 

Heritage in Erbil, Iraq to train local communities in the safeguarding, recovery, and 

proactive management of regional cultural heritage. Currently, an interagency 

agreement with the Department of State and other grants support salvage and recovery 

at the important archaeological site of Nimrud and other major cultural heritage sites in 

Iraq as well as development of an online exhibit with the Iraq National Museum in 

Baghdad. All Smithsonian projects in Iraq educate the local population in the 

conservation of their heritage and serve as cultural goodwill ambassadors for the 

American people. 

The MCI will also build a nimble and effective Smithsonian as part of the 

Strategic Plan. In FY 2024, the MCI will revise its own strategic plan to fully reflect the 

goals, initiatives, and metrics of the Institution’s guidance on properly allocating its 

budgetary and human resources and securing additional financial resources for its highpriority programs. To ensure an effective use of funds, resource allocations will be 

tracked against performance metrics in each of the strategic areas, and against the 

needs and goals of the Smithsonian’s museums and research centers. The MCI will 

encourage staff to participate in budget-performance integration, succession 

management, and leadership development programs. In addition, the Institute will 

continue implementing and communicating efficient, rational, and creative operational 

and administrative practices so staff can advance the Smithsonian mission in a 

transparent manner that reflects the Institution’s status as a public trust. 

The MCI will accomplish these goals by maintaining an efficient, collaborative, 

committed, innovative, and accountable workforce through leadership development, 

evaluation, and support of staff, and the recruitment, selection, and development of 

diverse, highly skilled employees. The MCI will promote diversity in working with the 

Institution’s employees, Fellows, interns, volunteers, and vendors while also improving 

communications with internal and external stakeholders in both the public and private 

sectors. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $181,000 for necessary pay 

and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under this line item. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — The MCI receives annual nonappropriated 

resources from gifts and endowments, grants and contracts, discretionary income, and 

business ventures. These sources provide funds for specific programs and projects in 

research, education, and outreach designated by the donor/sponsor, and for general 

activities at the discretion of the director of the MCI. The MCI director’s endowment, 

supported in part by an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation challenge grant, provides the 

salary, benefits, and travel and research funds for the MCI director, with the remaining 

funds going to strengthen conservation science research. 

191 
SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 114 15,956 8 1,418 8 1,417 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 114 16,835 8 1,330 12 2,147 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 116 18,088 13 2,409 12 2,211 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 13 2,035 13 1,648 0 -387

Engage in vital arts and humanities research 32 3,626 32 4,519 0 893

Digital Transformation 

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 14 1,928 15 2,137 1 209

Education 

Provide education support to engage and inspire diverse 

audiences 1 130 1 135 0 5

Public Programs 

Provide relevant reference services and disseminate information 

to the public 4 694 4 721 0 27

Exhibitions 

Offer compelling, first-class exhibitions 1 147 1 153 0 6

Collections 

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 35 6,222 35 6,474 0 252

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 7 990 7 1,034 0 44

Information Technology 

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 7 1,063 8 1,267 1 204

Total 114 16,835 116 18,088 2 1,253

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

192 
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives (SLA) appointed its inaugural director 

in FY 2022. Following orientation, FY 2024 will provide the opportunity to continue 

successful operations and implement new initiatives. Under this new leadership, the 

SLA developed new organizational structures with redefined priorities to better help 

the Smithsonian meet existing and new challenges. 

The SLA serves as the institutional memory of the Smithsonian’s unique 

cultural organization and is responsible for ensuring institutional accountability. The 

SLA’s archival collections document the history of the Smithsonian, from its founding 

in 1846 to the present, and support the Smithsonian community, scholars, and the 

public by acquiring, evaluating, and preserving the records of the Institution and 

related documentary materials. Accordingly, the SLA manages the care, storage, 

and retrieval services for the Institution’s records in a wide variety of analog and 

digital formats. SLA staff develop policies, provide guidance for managing and 

preserving the Institution’s vast archival collections, and offer a range of reference, 

research, and recordkeeping services. Permanent records are safeguarded and 

preserved in leased, specialized environments at facilities in Washington, DC; 

Landover, Maryland (Pennsy); and Iron Mountain in Boyers, Pennsylvania. 

Additionally, research library collections are held in the SLA’s vast network of 

libraries from the Republic of Panama to New York City. 

The SLA’s network of 22 specialized Library and Archives Research Centers 

and the library and archives professionals who select, preserve, and interpret the 

collections for Smithsonian researchers play a dynamic role in advancing scientific 

and cultural understanding. These materials and the staff who select, interpret, and 

preserve them support the Smithsonian’s mission to increase and diffuse knowledge 

by providing the Institution and visiting curators and researchers with print and digital 

scholarly research materials to help advance knowledge in their fields. SLA libraries 

diffuse knowledge to the public by digitizing important holdings and providing access 

to Smithsonian-published research and history on the public websites, 

libraries.si.edu and siarchives.si.edu, and through exhibits, public programming, and 

educational resources. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

In FY 2024, the new SLA director will shape a funding vision for SLA by 

building on the extensive groundwork that has been laid to develop a new integrated 

SLA culture and redeploying staff in an effective and logical organizational structure. 

With this integrated approach, the following key areas will define the SLA 

means and strategy for this budget request. 

193 
Expanding Capacities 

The SLA’s primary goal is to leverage existing capacities and scale staff 

expertise to meet strategic initiatives of the Institution. Providing SLA services and 

collections to help develop the two new Smithsonian museums is a significant 

example in this area. In addition, expanding the Institution-wide Audiovisual Media 

Preservation Initiative (AVMPI), developed by the SLA, and partially supported by 

the National Collections Program (NCP), will provide the Smithsonian with a state-ofthe-art program for the preservation of and access to audiovisual assets. The SLA 

will remain quick to redirect resources to support new Smithsonian initiatives, 

interdisciplinary programs, and research areas, but some activities, such as those 

involving genomics and the larger initiative of Life on a Sustainable Planet (as 

detailed below), require expensive resources and staff skills. 

The following key areas will require an expansion of SLA capacity and resources to 

achieve the Institution’s ambitious goals.

• Digital Strategies and Infrastructure. A sustainable, robust digital 

infrastructure that addresses the core needs of the SLA collections and 

services and improves digital infrastructure will advance our ability to 

deliver more modern and expanded online modes of research, scholarly 

communication, and public engagement. Key areas of focus will include: 

1) a Web portal that integrates content and services from multiple systems 

to provide a seamless experience for SLA patrons, researchers, and 

visitors; and 2) replacing aging collections information systems with digital 

platforms to better support research data management, data science, 

knowledge sharing (such as with Linked Data), and digital preservation. 

Linked data systems and technology will improve the SLA’s ability to 

significantly contribute to the broader national and international knowledge 

communities. As part of this effort, the SLA will continue participating in 

the Smithsonian Open Access Initiative. The SLA will also strategically 

align its digital infrastructure to enhance and broaden engagement 

opportunities with audiences in and outside of the Smithsonian. 

• Collections, Services, and Stewardship. The SLA supports both library 

and archives collections as core components of scholarly research and 

knowledge creation. Toward that end, the Smithsonian is supported in its 

mission for “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” by librarians and 

archivists who maintain the Institution’s official records and select, 

interpret, and guide the staff on leveraging our extensive collections for 

the benefit of research and the public. Scholarly research at the 

Smithsonian requires both physical and digital collections, as well as 

archival research collections. Accordingly, the SLA must be selective to 

effectively balance access needs with the skyrocketing cost of online 

journals and databases, and to assign limited resources in a cost-effective 

manner to provide the staff and equipment required to create digital 

194 
collections. Also, since physical and primary source collections remain 

vital to conduct deeper, complex research, the SLA follows Smithsonian 

Directive 600 for guidance on collections management, adhering to this 

directive for policies on acquisition and accessioning, deaccessioning and 

disposal, preservation, documentation, life-cycle management, inventory, 

risk management, safety and security, access, storage, loans, and 

intellectual property management. SLA staff also refer to SD 600 for help 

with making electronic and print content discoverable and to address legal 

and ethical issues which pertain to collections involving shared 

stewardship and ethical returns, Native American and Native Hawaiian 

human remains, and objects, cultural property, biological material, and 

objects unlawfully appropriated during the Nazi era. 

• Supporting Life on a Sustainable Planet. As an important contributor to 

the Under Secretary for Science and Research’s Life on a Sustainable

Planet initiative, the SLA directly assists scientific researchers with 

projects on biodiversity documentation and loss, conservation of complex 

ecosystems, human/animal disease vectors, understanding marine and 

forest ecosystems, and the climate crisis. Archival collections document 

historic Smithsonian research in these areas as well as uncover previously 

hidden data. SLA staff support Smithsonian researchers in all science 

units. As the leader of the global Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the 

SLA leverages its resources by aggregating biodiversity literature to 

provide Smithsonian researchers and their colleagues with longitudinal 

observational data, species descriptions, and related information. These 

data, accessible via the SLA’s BHL portal and data aggregators such as 

the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), are foundational to 

understating life on our planet. 

• Education and Engagement. Through a new organizational structure for 

strategic initiatives and programs, the SLA will align programmatic 

priorities and goals for education, exhibitions, and engagement 

(internships, Fellowships, and outreach) to create administrative 

efficiencies and more effectively communicate with broader audiences of 

students, scholars, educators, researchers, and the public. The SLA will 

expand its current engagement with the Smithsonian’s broader 

educational initiatives to the unit-level education departments and central 

education programs. Existing SLA internship and Fellowship programs will 

benefit from central SLA program management, and the SLA will expand 

the diversity of the internship and Fellowship communities and aspire to 

fully fund all internship opportunities. 

• Support a Culture of Excellence, Leadership, and Inclusion in the 

Operations of SLA. SLA personnel will communicate better with their 

own technology staff, as well as across the Smithsonian, to build upon the 

Institution’s collaborative environment and introduce colleagues to 

195 
relevant data sets and digital tools and services. The SLA will also renew 

its efforts to streamline more effective communication about the array of 

services offered to different stakeholders. Currently, the SLA is creating a 

workforce plan to prioritize and support its core functions, the 

Smithsonian’s “new normal” conditions, and the Secretary’s goals. These 

efforts will include supporting communications by encouraging staff and 

supervisors to reach out and build community across the SLA, reviewing 

SLA knowledge sharing and determining where SLA information should be 

shared, and providing central training and resources for all staff in 

essential work, software, and workplace knowledge that enhances the 

“new normal” environment. 

• Finance and Administration. The SLA will leverage and extend existing 

financial resources for maximum value to the Smithsonian by streamlining 

financial services and providing administrators with clear spending plans 

and resource needs. The SLA will develop and sustain a skilled and 

engaged workforce that can succeed and thrive in an ever-changing 

environment while also nurturing talented archivists, librarians, and staff, 

as well as foster an organizational culture of innovation, service, and 

collaboration. 

• External Collaborations. The SLA will build on existing national and 

global networks to promote Smithsonian resources for the public and the 

scholarly community. Robust involvement with organizations such as the 

Digital Public Library of America, the Society of American Archivists, the 

SLA partners in the BHL, the Coalition for Networked Information, 

Wikidata information, and others promote SLA collections and services 

and provide a gateway for the Smithsonian to reach a broader community. 

The SLA will build on existing tools (such as Smithsonian Research Online 

and Smithsonian Profiles) and relationships with federal agencies and 

libraries to address topics of mutual interest, including open science and 

public access to federally funded research and data. 

• Other external collaborations focus on the SLA’s expertise in the areas of

museum librarianship and education. A key event for the coming year in 

this area includes a high-profile hosting of the California Rare Books 

School (CalRBS) on the Smithsonian’s campus in Washington, DC. In 

addition, SLA experts and external instructors will teach several sessions 

for postgraduate practitioners working on various issues/topics related to 

rare books and special collections. Finally, the SLA director is exploring 

funding options for symposia to examine the nature, impact, and value of 

museum libraries. These events, to be held at three locations in the United 

States and United Kingdom, will culminate in the final session at the 

Smithsonian. 

196 
EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,253,000 that provides 

$714,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded 

under this line item; $300,000 to cover the cost of library subscription inflation, 

justified in the Fixed Costs section of this budget submission; and a programmatic 

increase of 2 FTEs and $239,000 for digital support. 

Digital Support (+$239,000, +2 FTEs) 

The budget request includes funding for two new positions to support digital 

preservation of libraries and archives materials. Making digitized material open and 

available to the public requires rights management staff with legal expertise to 

determine the copyright status of an item. This is especially challenging for 

unpublished materials and orphaned works, as well as for legacy Smithsonian 

Institution materials (including scholarly output). Currently, the SLA does not have 

available staff to focus on this essential copyright and legal research work and this 

request would provide a dedicated staff member for this task. 

Additionally, the request will support one position for the SLA’s Information 

Technology (IT) and Web staff to provide digital transformation services and 

seamless access to our collections, resources, and infrastructure. The necessary 

growth and modernization of SLA services require a specialist focused on IT 

infrastructure and technology. This additional position will enable the SLA to do the 

systems development and related work necessary to interoperate and integrate 

currently siloed Archives and Libraries collections management systems with core 

Smithsonian technical systems and keep pace with today’s increasingly demanding 

security measures. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds help defray the costs of 

providing archival and information services to Smithsonian units, support outreach 

(including publications, social media, and public programs), and fundraising efforts. 

The funds also support the work of managing and preserving the Institution’s 

collections and efforts to provide professional conservation expertise throughout the 

Smithsonian, to other institutions, and to the public. In FY 2024, the SLA will raise 

funds through its own advancement efforts, which will be supported by even deeper 

cataloguing of collections and the compelling stories provided by combined SLA 

activities. In addition, the SLA will continue to develop its education program and 

include education among its established priorities of acquisitions, conservation, 

digitization, internships, Fellowships, and exhibitions. 

197 
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 107 59,388 13 3,262 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 110 65,035 14 3,249 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 110 69,466 14 3,359 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 4 2,222 4 2,256 0 34

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience engagement 15 5,156 15 5,249 0 93

Collections

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 11 2,837 11 2,895 0 58

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy 

environment 10 2,096 10 2,131 0 35

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative infrastructure 26 14,783 26 15,060 0 277

Information Technology

Improve the Institution's information technology systems and 

infrastructure 44 37,941 44 41,875 0 3,934

Total 110 65,035 110 69,466 0 4,431

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides vision, leadership, policy, 

applications, services, and oversight associated with managing and operating leading-edge 

information technology (IT) solutions for the Institution’s strategic priorities, as well as for 

the Smithsonian’s many museums and research and cultural centers. 

198 
MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The OCIO will continue using best practices in the implementation, management, 

and operations of information technology to enhance the “increase and diffusion of

knowledge”. The OCIO accomplishes its mission by collaborating with industry partners, 

cultural organizations, academia, and the public to develop innovative solutions for 

research and digitization challenges, and to realize the vision of creating a virtual 

Smithsonian to serve 21st century audiences. 

The following strategies are cross-cutting and central to the Smithsonian’s 

Strategic Plan and mission of connecting Americans to their history and heritage, as 

well as to promote innovation, research, and discovery in science: 

• Leverage commercially available and open-source technologies to provide online 

platforms for the Institution to increase public access to digitized collections and 

research data; 

• Use state-of-the-art, secure information systems to modernize financial, human 

resources, facilities management, collections, education, and research 

processes; 

• Replace network equipment, servers, desktop computers, and scientific 

workstations on an industry best practice life cycle to increase reliability and 

improve the security of information systems and the data they contain; 

• Maintain and enhance the Institution’s telecommunications infrastructure to

provide reliable, secure, and cost-effective voice and data communications 

systems in support of the Smithsonian mission; 

• Meet federal requirements for providing timely and accurate financial information; 

• Increase the use of data science and artificial intelligence to drive innovation in 

research and collections management in a cost-effective manner; 

• Invest strategically in creating a standard mass-digitization process that enables 

replicable, cost-effective, high throughput, and high-quality 2D digitization for all 

Smithsonian priority collections. Digitization efforts to implement this process 

have produced digital images for 5.4 million collections objects to date, thereby 

doubling the rate of digitization at the Smithsonian; 

• Develop automation processes to scale up 3D digitization efforts while ensuring 

that 3D data models remain durable over time; 

• Continue to improve and refine the Institution’s IT Security Program; and 

• Expand and refine offerings to support digital content production that addresses 

key Institution priorities such as racial equity and environmental sustainability. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $4,431,000 that provides 

$1,156,000 for necessary pay and other salary-related costs for existing staff, and an 

increase of $2,275,000 to cover higher communications costs, which are both justified in 

the Fixed Costs section of this budget submission. In addition, the request includes a 

programmatic increase of $1,000,000 to support the Smithsonian’s IT Security program, 

which is described below. 

199 
IT Security — FY 2024 Increase: (+$1,000,000) 

The FY 2024 budget request includes a programmatic increase of $1,000,000 for 

the Smithsonian’s essential IT Security program. This funding request supports additional 

resources to enhance security monitoring and response, as well as to implement 

initiatives on zero-trust architecture. The funding also supports implementing initiatives on 

system security and authorization, supply chain risk management, threat intelligence, 

data-loss prevention, and enhancements to the Institution’s security assessment, risk 

management, and compliance processes. 

Specifically, the requested increase will enable the Institution to: (1) improve our 

ability to detect and respond to increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats; (2) expand 

monitoring and investigation of potentially suspicious activities; (3) enhance our ability to 

identify and address risks related to external systems and providers, such as those in the 

supply chain; (4) detect and prevent the inappropriate disclosure or distribution of 

personal and other sensitive information; (5) defend against major security attacks; (6) 

improve the assessment and management of system risk and compliance; (7) enhance 

the security training and awareness of Smithsonian personnel, contractors, volunteers, 

research Fellows, and other affiliated personnel; (8) address Inspector General audit 

recommendations on IT security; and (9) improve the Smithsonian’s compliance with 

payment card industry data security standards. The increased funding will also help 

improve integration between security components for better visibility into enterprise risk. 

These resources are vital for the Smithsonian to effectively detect malicious 

activity; monitor and protect sensitive data; defend the Institution against sophisticated 

threats, investigate suspicious activity; manage risk both internally and from the cybersupply chain; and adapt the Smithsonian’s electronic defenses to the evolving business 

needs of an increasingly remote and widespread work environment. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and 

benefits costs of personnel and other related costs of the OCIO. Donor/sponsordesignated funds cover IT costs related to 3D digitization projects and a portion of the 

biennial Digitization Fair first offered to the public in FY 2017. 

200 
ADMINISTRATION 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 205 39,950 188 23,540 7 3,282 1 227 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 199 41,236 202 28,328 8 7,838 1 206 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 224 49,281 209 31,265 9 9,072 0 50 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

Performance Objective/ 

 Program Category FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Research

Engage in impactful scientific research and discovery 3 852 3 908 0 56

Digital Transformation

Provide improved digitization and audience 

engagement 4 1,468 6 1,921 2 453

Education

Provide education support to engage and inspire 

diverse audiences 3 778 3 801 0 23

Collections 3 544 5 947 2 403

Improve the stewardship of the national collections 

Management Operations

Enable efficient and responsive administrative 

infrastructure 186 37,594 207 44,704 21 7,110

Total 199 41,236 224 49,281 25 8,045

FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Smithsonian Institution Administration program provides vision, leadership, 

policy, and oversight associated with managing and operating the Institution’s museums and 

cultural and research centers. Administration includes executive leadership provided by the 

offices of the Secretary and Board of Regents; the Deputy Secretary/Chief Operating 

Officer; the Under Secretary for Museums and Culture; the Under Secretary for Science and 

Research; the Under Secretary for Education; and the Under Secretary for Administration. 

Other central activities include human resources, diversity, digital transformation, financial 

and contract management, and legal services. 

201 
MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Smithsonian will continue to use best practices in management to advance its 

mission for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge” and achieve the Institution’s goals 

while translating James Smithson’s 19th-century vision into a modern 21st-century reality. 

The following strategies are cross-cutting and central to accomplishing the Smithsonian’s 

mission and help promote innovation, research, and discovery: 

• Ensure the financial strength of the Smithsonian and provide the Institution with 

effective and efficient financial, contracting, and management support services, 

including reliable financial evaluation, auditing, and reporting. 

• Provide oversight of the Smithsonian budget process as it is developed and executed 

to support the operating and Facilities Capital programs of the Institution, establish, 

and enforce budgetary policies and procedures, and ensure that sufficient resources 

are available to allow the Institution to achieve its goals. 

• Establish and maintain a comprehensive enterprise risk-management program to 

identify, monitor, and mitigate risk at all levels. 

• Provide leadership and guidance for Institution-wide collections initiatives, policies, 

and programs to ensure the proper stewardship of the national collections. 

• Support the Institution’s Board of Regents and its committees.

• Develop and implement necessary internal controls as recommended by the Board of 

Regents’ Governance Committee, which involves strengthening non-collections 

property management and meeting increased demands for the acquisition of goods 

and services. 

• Provide legal counsel to the Board of Regents and the Institution on issues such as 

museum administration, intellectual and real property, collections management, 

contracts, privacy and cyber-security, finance, employment, ethics, conflicts of 

interest, international agreements, and requests for information. 

• Manage human resources, foster diversity, hire a skilled workforce in a timely 

manner, and align human capital with the Institution’s goals and performance

objectives. This includes conducting ongoing workforce and performance gap 

analyses, strengthening training and leadership policies and programs, developing 

succession planning, and evaluating and improving assessment tools for better 

human resources performance. 

• Provide leadership and oversight for all policies, programs, and activities of the 

Institution’s museums and cultural and research centers by attracting, recruiting, and 

retaining leaders with superior talent. 

• Provide leadership, support, and resources to enable educators across the Institution 

to share the depth and breadth of the Smithsonian’s collections and research, 

connect with diverse audiences, invite dialogue and exchanges of different 

viewpoints, and build on and contribute to best practices in teaching and learning. 

• Establish and maintain partnerships with the various Administration agencies and 

initiatives related to under-represented groups, such as Asian Americans and Pacific 

Islanders, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 

the American Association of University Women, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, 

202 
and support the necessary public outreach to enhance the Smithsonian’s presence in 

these communities. 

• Coordinate the efforts of the Secretary’s executive diversity committee, the Office of 

the Head Diversity Officer (HDO), the Office of Human Resources (OHR), and the 

Office of Equal Employment and Supplier Diversity to ensure compliance with federal 

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission mandates, promote the Smithsonian’s 

equal employment opportunity (EEO) and workforce diversity policies, and advocate 

for the use of small, disadvantaged, woman- and veteran-owned businesses 

throughout Smithsonian contracting and procurement activities via the Institution’s 

Supplier Diversity Program. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $8,045,000 that provides 

$1,990,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff funded under 

this line item, as justified in the Fixed Costs section of this budget submission. It also 

includes a programmatic increase of 25 FTEs and $6,055,000 for Institution-wide operations 

support as described in detail in the following sections. 

Human Resources Support (+$2,500,000, +11 FTEs) 

The Institution will continue its effort to accomplish the ambitious strategic objectives 

and goals outlined in the Smithsonian’s Strategic Plan. Given the importance of keeping an 

effective talent pipeline and focus on staff retention and employee engagement, it is vital 

that sufficient resources be available to support OHR operations so the Institution can lock 

in progress made to date and ensure continued progress in these areas. The funding 

requested will provide resources to: hire additional full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who will 

be responsible for developing procedures and reinforcing accountability mechanisms to 

ensure that OHR meets and exceeds its workforce targets; establish a performance 

management position tasked with continuing to enhance employee engagement efforts; 

develop and implement business process improvement strategies to reduce the time-to-hire 

while increasing OHR’s capacity to document procedures; streamline knowledge transfers 

among HR specialists; enhance the orientation and training of new specialists for their 

positions; and improve recruitment and retention strategies so the Smithsonian can meet 

our diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals. 

More broadly, these funds will advance the OHR’s strategic goals by: establishing a 

more robust performance management program that includes acquiring a new performance 

management system; implementing an Institution-wide workforce planning program to align 

with its vision for the future of work; expanding our training options to reduce skills gaps and 

support our workforce engagement efforts while improving our recruitment and talent 

acquisition processes; and adding staff to reduce our time to hire. Strengthening OHR is 

especially important because the current ratio for the benefits team is one specialist for 

every 1,090 employees. Adding FTEs to the recruitment and staffing cadre will enable the 

Smithsonian to align with best practices across Government and provide improved customer 

service Institution-wide. 

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New Museums Support (+$2,000,000, +7 FTEs) 

It is essential that the Institution receive funding for operational support of the 

National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) and the Smithsonian American Women’s 

History Museum (SAWHM). The funding required will support centralized functions and 

services, including hiring the initial Museum personnel, budgeting, finance, and accounting, 

contracting services, and other general operational support. This funding is vital to ensure 

an efficient and effective operation in building the two congressionally mandated museums. 

Without these resources, the Smithsonian will not be able to effectively support the ramp up 

of activity anticipated in advance of building these two new museums as ordered by 

Congress. 

Diversity Support (+$800,000, +3 FTEs) 

Funding is requested to support the new Office of the Head Diversity Officer to 

ensure the Smithsonian is fully activating and responding to concerns around diversity, 

equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI). The Secretary created a diversity office at the 

highest level of the organization to lead these efforts, build community, and engage 

throughout the Institution. The requested resources will provide the funding to staff the new 

office and enable it to further develop Institution-wide training and guidelines for staff and 

build the community between the Smithsonian and people with disabilities through targeted 

outreach strategies. The Institution aspires to embody DEAI ideals in equal measure in both 

our workforce and external programs and continues to expand its reach, both within the 

Smithsonian and with external stakeholders, including the disability community, the museum 

field, and disability advocacy and justice organizations. Current staff members’ 

responsibilities and performance elements continue to increase in scope as the 

Smithsonian’s implementation of DEAI initiatives grows. 

The Institution is embedding DEAI practices across our work to make its museums, 

labs, offices, and boardrooms reflect the nation at large. The new NMAL and the SAWHM 

will enable the Institution to take additional steps to address DEAI topics. Accordingly, these 

funds will support the Smithsonian’s own resources to implement equity and diversity action 

plans. The requested resources will also support quarterly reporting to the Secretary on 

progress made with supplier diversity, EEO training, EEO complaints, reasonable 

accommodations, workforce diversity, and advisory board representation. 

Digital Support (+$380,000, +2 FTEs) 

The Institution requests an increase of $380,000 and 2 FTEs to continue 

developing the “Virtual Smithsonian” and leveraging digital capabilities to reach expanded 

audiences. This funding would enable the Office of Digital Transformation to hire new 

staff members for its central data and customer experience teams that will help develop

and implement a Smithsonian-wide, data-informed digital strategy to put people at the 

center of our digital offerings. By adding this capacity, the Smithsonian will be able to 

deliver a connected, seamless experience across our entire Institution that is focused on 

diverse audiences, informed by data, and driven by our new Strategic Plan. 

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The additional resources and staff will also support website modernization and 

digital transformation efforts. It is essential to have the support staff who can better 

leverage data and technology to serve the public with our digital resources. Our physical 

museums and research centers attract tens of thousands of visitors every year, yet a 

strengthened virtual strategy provides an opportunity to reach even more parts of the 

country and expand our offerings for far larger audiences. 

Specifically, the additional funds will enable the Institution to advance its goal of 

ensuring that every household and classroom can access the Smithsonian’s digital 

content. By building a foundation of digital capabilities centered on the customer 

experience, the Smithsonian will develop Web enhancements to meet the needs of the 

public and provide the greatest educational impact in line with the Institution’s mission “for 

the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

The systems supported by this request are the infrastructure that enables the 

Smithsonian’s collections and other content to be made available to our digital audiences.

The funding is therefore crucial to achieve the Institution’s transformation goals and 

strategic priorities. 

Collections Support (+$375,000, +2 FTEs) 

Funds are requested for the National Collections Program (NCP) office to support 

Institution-wide efforts to implement and oversee the Shared Stewardship and Ethical 

Returns Program as well as manage other collections issues. The NCP office provides 

central leadership, policy oversight, strategic planning, and support to Institution-wide 

collections initiatives. The NCP office will have a critical role implementing the Program, 

which authorizes collecting units to return collections, in appropriate circumstances, based 

on ethical considerations. The way a collection was originally acquired, and the context of its 

acquisition are important considerations. Circumstances demonstrating unethical acquisition 

may include items that were stolen, taken under duress, or removed without consent of the 

owner. Additional funding will sustain the NCP office’s leadership, coordination, and support 

of current and future collections initiatives, including focusing on innovative collections 

space planning, collections preservation environments, collections emergency management, 

and sustainable collections care. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — General trust funds support salaries and benefits 

of personnel and other related costs, as well as administrative activities, information 

dissemination, outreach, publications, and fund raising. Donor/sponsor-designated funds 

support costs related to programs and projects such as scientific research, family days, and 

leadership development. 

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OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS 

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 23 4,295 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 23 4,426 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 25 5,507 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

Performance Objective/ FY 2023 FY 2024 Change 

Program Category FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000 

Management Operations 

Enable efficient and responsive administrative 

infrastructure 23 4,426 25 5,507 2 1,081 

Total 23 4,426 25 5,507 2 1,081 

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires the Office of the 

Inspector General (OIG) to conduct and supervise audits and investigations 

relating to programs and operations of the Smithsonian Institution (SI) that are, in 

the judgment of the Inspector General, necessary or desirable. Furthermore, the 

Act requires the Inspector General to transmit a budget submission specifying the 

aggregate amount of funds requested for the operations of the OIG, including the 

amount needed to satisfy training requirements, as well as any resources 

necessary to support the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and 

Efficiency (CIGIE). 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Office of Audits conducts audits of the Smithsonian’s programs and 

operations to help improve their efficiency and effectiveness. To align its oversight 

responsibility with available resources, the Office of Audits develops an annual 

audit plan by conducting a comprehensive risk assessment of the Institution’s

programs and operations and seeking input from Smithsonian stakeholders and 

Congress. The audit plan also includes mandatory audits, such as the annual 

financial statements audits that the OIG oversees. 

The Office of Investigations pursues allegations of waste, fraud, abuse, 

gross mismanagement or misconduct, and violations of law that affect the 

206 
Smithsonian’s programs and operations. It refers matters to federal, state, and 

local prosecutors for action whenever the OIG has reasonable grounds to believe 

there has been a violation of criminal law. The Office of Investigations also 

presents any evidence of administrative misconduct to Smithsonian senior 

management for appropriate disciplinary action. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $1,081,000 to provide 

$181,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing staff, and a 

programmatic increase of 2 FTEs and $900,000 in funding for critical staff and 

contract audits to address information technology (IT) security and construction 

expenditures. 

Management Operations Support (+$900,000, +2 FTEs) 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of 2 FTEs and $900,000 

for two essential positions, a deputy assistant inspector general for audits and a 

GS-13 auditor, along with funding to cover contract audits to address two high-risk 

areas (IT security and construction expenditures). The OIG has been paying for 

the audits of these two high-risk areas with salary-lapsed funds caused by the 

OIG’s chronic staffing shortfalls. However, starting in FY 2023, the OIG will be 

fully staffed and will need additional requested funds to pay for these annual highrisk audits. The OIG does not have in-house expertise to conduct the IT security 

and construction contract audit work. 

NONAPPROPRIATED RESOURCES — The OIG does not receive any 

nonappropriated funds. 

207 
 

FACILITIES MAINTENANCE 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 455 116,917 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 455 119,258 0 0 0 0 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 465 130,954 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Deliver an aggressive and professional maintenance program 440 111,358 450 122,949 10 11,591

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, 

staff, visitors and volunteers 15 7,900 15 8,005 0 105

Total 455 119,258 465 130,954 10 11,696

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Facilities Maintenance program is responsible for the maintenance and 

repair of the Institution’s physical infrastructure and works with Smithsonian 

museums, research centers, and offices to support approximately 14 million 

square feet of owned and leased facilities, including 21 museums, nine research 

centers, three cultural centers, and the National Zoo and Conservation Biology 

Institute. In addition to physical infrastructure, the Institution is responsible for 

more than 25,000 acres of land as well as in excess of 680 buildings and 

structures, ranging from historical, one-of-a-kind landmarks and well-known 

museums to essential state-of-the-art laboratories which support global efforts to 

save endangered species from extinction and ensure the success of long-term and 

cutting-edge ecological research. The primary roles of Facilities Maintenance are 

to provide proper stewardship of the infrastructure required to support the 

Institution’s mission and to mitigate risks which could impede the Institution’s 

operations or the preservation of our national treasures. The program’s focus is to 

provide proper lifecycle asset management to sustain facilities and infrastructure 

and prevent failures which could impact Smithsonian operations, collections and 

visitor experiences. 

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The Facilities Maintenance program maintains all building systems 

(including heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning [HVAC], elevators/escalators, 

electrical and plumbing systems, roofing, interiors, exteriors, and the building 

structure), site infrastructure, and grounds maintenance associated with 

Smithsonian properties. The program also maintains systems related to 

electronic security, including access control and intrusion detection, 

visitor/staffing screening equipment, intercom systems, and perimeter barrier 

equipment. The program’s mission is to provide proper infrastructure stewardship 

by operating and maintaining a safe, secure, and healthy environment to 

enhance the Smithsonian experience for all visitors. 

As new and renovated museum and research center spaces open, 

maintenance requirements rise due to increased square footage, technological 

advances, and the growing number of infrastructure-supporting systems. These 

systems are made up of assets with added functionality, new technology, and a 

new, more complex level of maintenance requirements. 

The Facilities Maintenance Program benchmarks its staffing and service 

levels with other museums and professional organizations to ensure financial and 

personnel resources are being effectively employed. These include meeting 

Association of Physical Plant Administrators standards, which are most 

commonly applied to educational and federal facilities, and the requirements set 

by the International Association of Museum Facility Administrators and the 

International Facility Management Association. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Smithsonian continues to pursue a long-term facilities maintenance 

and repair program, incorporating a cost-effective mix of planned, preventive, 

and predictive maintenance as well as reactive, corrective actions. The 

Smithsonian’s goal is to reduce its deferred maintenance backlog, currently 

estimated at $1.76 billion, through the coordinated efforts of its Facilities 

Maintenance and Facilities Capital programs. Proper maintenance funding 

prevents the accelerated degradation of building systems and components to 

reduce the need and cost for major repairs. Through proper preventive 

maintenance, and by addressing identified deficiencies in a timely manner, the 

Institution can realize the anticipated useful lifespan of facilities systems and 

avoid the accelerated degradation of infrastructure and resulting higher costs. 

The Smithsonian will continue to identify efficiencies in managing existing 

resources to improve its current level of maintenance service in the most costeffective manner possible. In addition, the Smithsonian will make further progress 

to improve electronic security systems and physical security measures which 

protect the Institution’s facilities, collections, staff, visitors, and volunteers. 

209 
EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $11,696,000 that 

provides $3,096,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing 

staff funded under this line item, as well as a programmatic increase of 10 FTEs 

and $8,600,000 to address deferred maintenance, contract cost increases, and 

declining facilities conditions. Details concerning this request are as follows: 

Facilities Maintenance (+$8,600,000, +10 FTEs) 

The Smithsonian requests an additional $8,600,000, including 10 

additional FTEs, to improve facilities management practices, slow the growth of 

deferred maintenance backlog, reverse the decline of facilities conditions, and 

provide acceptable space for Smithsonian exhibits, research, collections, and 

staff. 

The Institution’s facilities conditions have declined, resulting in adverse 

impacts to Smithsonian operations, collections, and visitor experiences. Coupled 

with growing inflationary factors, the deteriorating facilities conditions have 

caused Smithsonian’s deferred maintenance backlog to increase to $1.76 billion. 

The increased funding will support hiring additional building maintenance 

personnel as well as facilities asset management professionals to improve the 

overall facilities management program. This will help the Institution optimally 

schedule and perform preventive maintenance of facilities and systems. It will 

also enable the improved identification, prioritization, programming, and 

execution of facilities repair projects to address the most significant deferred 

maintenance requirements in the most cost-effective manner. As a result, 

facilities conditions will gradually improve to better support the mission and 

reputation of the Institution. 

Specifically, the increased funding and improved facilities maintenance 

program will help ensure that proper environmental conditions are maintained for 

the national collections and the visitor experience. These essential funds will 

enable the Institution to complete additional repairs on life-safety systems; 

elevators and escalators; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems; 

plumbing infrastructure; roofing systems; and exterior hardscapes. It will also 

allow the Institution to address the need for hazardous material abatement in the 

Smithsonian’s many aging facilities. Several of the Institution’s national museums 

have experienced water leaks, sewage system failures, humidity spikes, and 

other adverse impacts resulting from failing infrastructure. With the funds 

requested, the Smithsonian will significantly reduce the incidence of such failures 

and resulting damages and preserve not only the collections but the Institution’s 

world-class reputation as the American public expects. 

210 
FACILITIES OPERATIONS, SECURITY, AND SUPPORT 

APPLICATION OF OPERATING RESOURCES 

FEDERAL 

APPROPRIATIONS 

GENERAL 

TRUST 

DONOR/SPONSOR 

DESIGNATED 

GOV’T GRANTS

& CONTRACTS 

FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 FTE $000 

FY 2022 

ENACTED 1,193 250,537 15 3,658 2 336 0 0 

FY 2023 

ENACTED 1,192 258,332 19 6,789 2 305 0 0 

FY 2024 

REQUEST 1,202 278,374 19 7,123 2 320 0 0 

Federal Resource Summary by Performance Objective and Program Category 

FTEs $000 FTEs $000 FTEs $000

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

Improve facilities operations and provide a safe and healthy environment 547 163,162 555 175,775 8 12,613

Security

Provide world-class protection for Smithsonian facilities, collections, staff, 

visitors and volunteers 645 95,170 647 102,599 2 7,429

Total 1,192 258,332 1,202 278,374 10 20,042

Performance Objective and Program Category FY 2023 FY 2024 Change

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Facilities Operations, Security, and Support program operates, 

secures, and supports the Institution’s physical infrastructure in partnership with 

Smithsonian museums, research centers, and offices. It provides facilities 

services, operational security, and support services for approximately 14 million 

square feet of owned and leased facilities, including 21 museums, nine research 

centers, three cultural centers, and the National Zoo and Conservation Biology 

Institute. This program also stewards 180 acres of garden galleries which are 

free and open to the public 24 hours a day, and a greenhouse facility showcasing 

almost 28,000 living collection items. This funding is required to provide a safe, 

secure, clean, healthy, and welcoming environment for Smithsonian staff and 

about 25 million on-site visitors each year. 

Resources within the Facilities Operations, Security, and Support program 

enable facilities operations, including security services; custodial work; fire 

protection; building system operations; grounds care and landscaping; garden 

exhibits care; snow removal; pest control; refuse collection and disposal; vehicle 

fleet operations and maintenance; and safety, environmental, and health 

services. The program also supports facilities planning, architectural and 

211 
engineering design, and real-estate services, as well as postage, utilities, and 

central rent costs. 

MEANS AND STRATEGY 

The Facilities Operations, Security, and Support program will focus its 

resources on meeting the growing operational requirements of the Institution’s 

property and other programs. The Smithsonian will continue to effectively use its 

resources to operate and secure facilities and grounds, and to provide safe, 

healthy, clean, and appealing spaces to meet program needs and public 

expectations. 

To accomplish these goals, the Smithsonian will further benchmark the 

Institution’s custodial staffing and service levels with other museums and 

professional organizations, which include meeting standards commonly applied 

to educational and federal facilities. The Smithsonian’s Facilities Management 

organization will refine work schedules and practices to improve efficiencies and 

outcomes to the best extent practicable with available resources and staffing. 

The program will assess and apply contract support where clear advantages can 

be achieved. In addition, supervisors will increase their use of information 

technology to better manage cleaning tasks, reporting requirements, and 

otherwise improving efficiencies and outcomes. 

Besides providing an acceptable level of facilities care, the Smithsonian is 

equally committed to maintaining the highest levels of security to protect staff and 

visitors and safeguard the national collections. In support of that goal, the 

Institution is continuing risk management and strategic security staffing analyses 

to determine exactly how many security and law-enforcement personnel are 

needed at each of the Smithsonian’s major facilities. The ongoing analyses 

address pay levels, training/skill requirements, armed versus unarmed coverage, 

and the appropriate mix of Smithsonian officers versus contract security guards. 

Finally, the Smithsonian will continue its commitment to ensure that 

employees have a safe and healthy workplace by embracing a goal of zero 

injuries; providing professional services to promote a culture of health and 

wellness; and keeping all Smithsonian facilities in compliance with local building 

codes, environmental regulations, and best management practices. 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The FY 2024 budget request includes an increase of $20,042,000 that 

provides $6,270,000 for necessary pay and other related salary costs for existing 

staff funded under this line item; a programmatic increase of 10 FTEs and 

$8,600,000 for security, operations, electric vehicles, and support requirements; 

as well as a net increase of $5,172,000 for utilities and other costs, which are 

further justified in the Fixed Costs section of this budget submission. 

212 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Security (+$4,200,000, +2 FTEs) 

The requested resources will fund essential security needs described 

below. The Smithsonian has the solemn obligation and responsibility to provide 

security for our museums, staff, and visitors on the National Mall. Our security 

officers and staff represent the front line of defense, and, with an increase in 

violent crimes and mass shootings, it is more imperative than ever that we 

provide adequate resources to keep our museum visitors and staff safe and the 

museums open to the public. 

The results of a benchmarking study of armed security officers with peer 

agencies in the Washington, DC area indicated the salary structure for the 

Smithsonian’s armed security officers was below those of other agencies. To be 

competitive, the salary level of armed officers would be increased in FY 2024 to 

avoid attrition of those officers to other agencies. 

As the physical footprint of Smithsonian increases and facilities are 

revitalized, the Institution’s security and law-enforcement needs have also grown. 

This has created a vital need to enhance police and security response training, along 

with staff awareness and active shooter training. 

Additional staffing is requested to enhance security around the 

Smithsonian’s employee onboarding process in support for the Personnel 

Security and Identification Office (PSIO). This will ensure that all persons 

appointed to positions are and remain suitable for employment with the 

Institution. 

Furthermore, Smithsonian management has identified an essential need 

to improve access control to our buildings and secure areas, emergency 

response, and accountability of our staff to mitigate the increased climate of 

physical threats, especially insider threats, as well as to raise the wages for 

armed security officers to decrease attrition of the more experienced and 

qualified officers to other agencies. 

In summary, the requested funding will allow the Institution to continue 

enhancing security screening at all Smithsonian facilities, equipping our officers, 

and upgrading our security systems for the protection of staff and visitors. 

Facilities Operations and Support (+$4,400,000, +8 FTEs) 

Operating under a “new normal” in the post-pandemic era, as well as 

recent inflationary pressures, requires additional resources to keep the 

Smithsonian’s staff, volunteers, and visitors safe. This request provides funding 

to cover inflationary cost increases for contracts, supplies, and materials, to cover 

additional cleaning demands, as well as to fill vacant positions that have become 

unaffordable because of increased operating costs. 

213 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funding for facilities operations has not kept pace with increased costs in 

the past decade. Consequently, the Smithsonian no longer has sufficient 

resources to maintain an acceptable standard of cleanliness throughout public 

spaces, which is adversely impacting the visitor experience, staff satisfaction, 

and the reputation of the Institution, as well as the nation the Smithsonian 

represents. As recent inflationary pressures have worsened, they have resulted 

in increased costs for contracts, supplies, and materials. Despite efforts to 

improve efficiencies and outcomes, additional resources are required to achieve 

acceptable standards of service and cleanliness. In addition, the revitalization of 

spaces, including the National Air and Space Museum, with modern and higher 

gloss finishes and exhibits, which get more traffic and require greater time and 

effort for cleaning, has created more cleaning demands as has the increased 

need to keep public areas better sanitized in accordance with post-pandemic 

protocols. The requested funds will also absorb the costs of National Zoo and 

Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) cleaning, snow removal, and trash and 

recycle operations that were once covered by the Friends of the National Zoo 

(FONZ), which dissolved its relationship with the NZCBI. 

The Smithsonian’s goal is to achieve Association of Physical Plant 

Administrators (APPA) cleanliness Level 2, Ordinary Tidiness. Currently, the 

Smithsonian does not have sufficient resources to maintain the lower APPA 

Level 3 Casual Tidiness standard, which is resulting in a lack of cleanliness and 

sanitation in our museums. The funds requested will allow the Smithsonian to 

maintain the APPA Level 3 standard and get closer to our goal of achieving 

APPA Level 2. 

This requested funding also continues efforts to increase the number of 

zero-emission vehicles to the Smithsonian’s fleet. The Smithsonian continues 

prioritizing the procurement of electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrid 

technology) and associated charging infrastructure, transitioning the Institution’s 

motor vehicle fleet to clean and zero-emission vehicles. 

The request will also provide the resources needed to hire a health and 

safety training program administrator and additional contract support to address 

existing gaps in the Smithsonian safety and health training programs. Deficiencies 

have been documented in Minimum Essential Training Requirements (METRs) 

during the last several years, which will require additional resources to address, 

particularly for critical training in areas such as fall protection, permit-confined 

spaces, construction safety, control of hazardous energy, powered industrial 

trucks, and other equipment operation. The contract support will supplement 

existing staff and in-house expertise, enhancing the Institution-wide safety and 

health program by supporting internal Smithsonian customers in numerous 

areas, including: safety plan reviews, construction oversight, safety training 

program administration, and safety training content development and delivery 

(instructor-led and online). 

214 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, the requested funding will be used to develop emergency plans 

and training exercises to enhance the Institution’s security posture related to 

hazards such as active shooters, extreme weather events, and natural/manmade 

and technological hazards. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has a 

small staff and requires dedicated contractor support to conduct additional 

emergency exercises and train staff at a faster pace. Furthermore, with the 

creation of new, comprehensive Smithsonian Emergency Operations Procedures 

(EOP), additional funding will be needed to provide planning, training, and support 

training exercises in a timely manner as the EOP is implemented at and 

customized for the needs of each museum, research center, and the National Zoo. 

The additional funding will also support the dissemination of the new procedures 

throughout the Smithsonian. 

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216
TAB 3 

FACILITIES CAPITAL 
FACILITIES CAPITAL 

FY 2022 Enacted $210,000,000 

FY 2023 Enacted $251,645,000 

FY 2024 Request $265,000,000 

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The Facilities Capital Program supports the Smithsonian’s mission and

represents an investment in the long-term interest of the nation. It provides modern 

facilities, often within our country’s national historic and culturally iconic buildings, to 

satisfy public programming needs, facilitate world-renowned research efforts, and 

house the priceless national collections. 

While funding for the routine maintenance and minor repairs of facilities is 

included in the Institution’s Salaries and Expenses request, the Facilities Capital 

Program’s revitalization projects support major repairs or replace declining or failed 

infrastructure to address the problems of advanced deterioration. Once completed, 

these projects mitigate the failures in building systems which can create potentially 

hazardous conditions for visitors and staff, harm animals, damage collections, or 

cause the loss of precious scientific data. 

The Institution uses the National Research Council’s (NRC) facility condition 

assessments to calculate a Facilities Condition Index (FCI) rating. The FCI is the 

industry standard for analyzing the condition of a facility or group of facilities that may 

vary in terms of age, design, construction methods, and materials. The FCI is 

calculated by dividing the sum of the deferred maintenance (based on the assessed 

condition ratings) of eight building systems (roofs, electrical, plumbing, HVAC [or 

heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning], conveyance — i.e., elevators and 

escalators — interior, exterior, and structure) by the Current Replacement Value 

(CRV) of the facilities. 

The estimated overall CRV for the Smithsonian’s facilities is $10.37 billion. 

Coupled with growing inflationary factors, the deteriorating facilities conditions have 

caused Smithsonian’s deferred maintenance backlog to increase to an estimated $1.76 

billion. This results in an estimated FCI of 83.1 percent, which the NRC would qualify as 

“fair” condition. While facilities await renewal, their condition continues to decline, 

resulting in adverse impacts to Smithsonian operations, collections, and visitor 

experiences. 

Additional Facilities Capital funding is critical to realizing the intended design life 

and full economic value of Smithsonian facilities and to protecting the Institution’s 

investment in revitalizing its physical infrastructure. 

217 
 

 

EXPLANATION OF CHANGE 

The Smithsonian requests $265,000,000 and 53 FTEs for the Facilities Capital 

Program in FY 2024 to improve the FCI of many essential facilities and preserve and 

enhance our national treasures and cultural properties for generations to come. The 

requested funds will enable the Institution to continue the major revitalization project 

at the Smithsonian Institution Building (the “Castle”), as well as continue construction 

of the Museum Support Center’s (MSC) Pod 6 Collections Storage Module developed 

under a special partnership between the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art. 

In addition, other projects include: 

• continuing safety and fire-prevention work at the National Zoo and 

Conservation Biology Institute; 

• renovating the loading dock at the National Air and Space Museum; 

• continuing multiple projects at the National Museum of Natural History, 

including restoration of the building’s exterior envelope and upgrades to 

the fire-alarm panels and mass-notification system; 

• continuing multiple projects at the National Museum of American 

History, including replacement of old air-handling units and renewal of 

the East Wing; 

• revitalizing the garden and connecting tunnel at the Hirshhorn Museum 

and Sculpture Garden; 

• continuing multiple renovation projects at the Smithsonian Tropical 

Research Institute; 

• replacing old air-handling units and continuing the decontamination 

collections project at the Suitland Collections Center; 

• ongoing safety and security projects at the Smithsonian Astrophysical 

Observatory; 

• repairing the stormwater system to prevent water leaks at the Donald 

W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture; 

• mitigating a glass blast hazard at the Freer Gallery of Art; 

• addressing other safety and security hazards as well as collections 

housing risks throughout the Institution; and 

• planning and design for the two new congressionally mandated 

museums: the National Museum of the American Latino and the 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

The following chart summarizes the Institution’s request for the highest priority

FY 2024 Facilities Capital projects. 

218 
INSTITUTION 

Federal Facilities Capital Program Summary 

FY s 2022 - 2024 

Federal Trust Federal Trust Congress Trust 

CA TEGORY Enacted Estimate Enacted Estimate Request Estimate 

$Millions FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 

REVITALIZATION 

Major Projects 

Historic Core: SIB/AIB 9.0 55.0 50.0 65.0 50.0 

Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 18.2 20.4 25.3 

National Air and Space Museum 56.0 50.0 23.0 8.0 

NASM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center 1.0 0.0 2.0 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 0.7 5.7 11 .9 

National Museum of American History 9.6 7.3 7.8 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 8.6 10.8 8.7 11.1 10.0 10.8 

National Museum of Natural History 14.3 15.3 8.3 

Suitland Collections Space and Support Program 11 .0 8.0 6.5 

Donald W. Reynolds Center 3.5 0.5 0.0 0.5 3.0 

Freer Gallery of Art 2.0 0.0 5.3 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatorv 4.1 1.8 4.0 

Quadranqle 1.0 1.0 3.0 

National Museum of the American Indian 4.5 2.0 3.0 

National Museum of African American History and Culture 0.0 1.0 1.3 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 6.8 2.5 5.9 1.0 0.4 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Desian Museum 3.0 3.5 0.0 

Fire-Alarm Panel Replacement and Transfer Switch 2.0 0.0 0.0 

Multiple Site Projects and General Capital Support 22.1 20.8 18.4 

PLANNING AND DESIGN 25.0 36.2 44.8 

SUBTOTAL 202.4 63.8 215.6 62.6 228.0 60.8 

CONSTRUCTION 

MSC Pod 6 Collections Storaqe Module 7.6 36.0 37.0 

SUBTOTAL 7.6 0.0 36.0 0.0 37.0 0.0 

TOTAL PROGRAM 210.0 63.8 251.6 62.6 265.0 60.8 

219 
 

 

 

 

SUMMARY TABLES 

REVITALIZATION 

Investment in revitalization projects provides for the replacement of failing or failed 

major building systems and equipment, and for major renovation projects to sustain existing 

buildings and sites. The Revitalization Program addresses critical deficiencies in the 

exterior envelope, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and other 

utility systems at the Smithsonian’s older buildings. Projects also ensure compliance with 

life-safety regulations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other codecompliance requirements. In addition, this program supports restoration, preservation, 

climate change resiliency, repair of historic features, and modernization of the buildings 

needed to support current programs and sustain the viability of the Institution’s physical 

plant. Projects listed on the Multiple Locations line item cover several facilities or have a 

total cost to the Museum and/or research center of less than $1.0 million. These projects 

usually involve capital repair or replacement of individual systems or components. 

Facility Project $000 

Smithsonian Institution Building Revitalize Building 65,000 

Smithsonian National Zoo and NZCBI-DC (Rock Creek): 

Conservation Biology Institute Renovate Cheetah Conservation Station 4,000 

Provide Accessible Walkway 2,000 

Repair Site-Wide Electrical Distribution 2,000 

Upgrade Chiller Capacity at Seal and Sea Lion 

Exhibit 2,000 

Modify Security Fence/Accessibility 2,000 

Revitalize Steam Tunnels and Piping 2,000 

Upgrade Seal and Sea Lion Shade Structures 600 

Upgrade Electronic Security at Veterinary 500 

Hospital 

NZCBI-VA (Front Royal): 1,100 

Install Fall Protection on Roofs 1,000 

Upgrade Fire Protection 4,100 

Renew Veterinary Hospital 2,000 

Improve Living Collections Habitat Infrastructure 2,000 

Upgrade Post Area Utilities 

Total 25,300 

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Facility Project $000 

National Air and Space Museum Renovate Loading Dock 8,000 

Upgrade Barrier-Mounted, Udvar-Hazy Center 

Lighting 

2,000 

Total 10,000 

National Museum of Natural History Restore Main Building Exterior Envelope 

Upgrade Fire-Alarm Panels and Mass2,000 

Notification Systems 3,200 

Replace Rotunda Copper Roof 1,000 

Modernize West Court Elevators 1,800 

Upgrade Electronic Security, Fort Pierce, FL 300 

Total 8,300 

National Museum of American History Replace Collection Storage Air Handling Units 5,000 

Renovate East Wing, Floors 2–4 2,500 

Mitigate Water Infiltration on First Floor 300 

Total 7,800 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Revitalize Sculpture Garden and Tunnel 10,000 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Revitalize Naos Laboratory Buildings 2,500 

Replace and Improve Galeta Facilities 3,400 

Renovate Tupper Laboratory 1,700 

Revitalize Gamboa Building 56 3,300 

Improve Fire-Alarm and Life-Safety Systems 1,000 

Total 11,900 

Suitland Collections Center (multiple Replace Lab and Storage Pod AHUs 4,500 

facilities) Decontaminate Collections Objects in Building 1,000 

16 

Upgrade MSC Campus Electrical Systems 1,000 

Total 6,500 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Improve Water System, Fred Lawrence Whipple 

Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona 

2,000 

Remediate Pests and Security Threats at Base 

Camp Administration Building, FLWO 

Improve Safety on Mt. Hopkins Road, FLWO 

500 

Install Site-wide Fall Protection, FLWO 

400 

Construct Energy-Efficiency Improvements at 

350 

Summit and Base Camp in Hawaii 800 

Total 4,050 

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Facility Project $000 

National Museum of African American 

History and Culture 

Install Additional Chiller and Controls 

Mitigate Groundwater Infiltration 

Total 

500 

750 

1,250 

National Museum of the American Indian Improve Kitchen Exhaust Ductwork Access 3,000 

Quadrangle Replace Steam Humidification System 

Replace Track Lighting at International Gallery 

Improve Technology Infrastructure 

Total 

2,000 

500 

500 

3,000 

Donald W. Reynolds Center for American 

Art and Portraiture 

Repair Combined Sanitary/Storm Sewer 

Replace North Basement Collections Space 

Humidity System 

Total 

2,500 

500 

3,000 

Freer Gallery of Art Mitigate Glass Blast Hazard 

Repair Stone Façade, Phase 2 

Total 

3,500 

1,800 

5,300 

Smithsonian Environmental Research 

Center 

Construct Water Turbidity Filter System 400 

Multiple Locations Building Projects Less than $1,000,000 and 

Miscellaneous Repairs 

Construction Supervision and Administration 

(Multiple Projects), includes $1.0 million for the 

new museums 

Total 

8,900 

9,500 

18,400 

TOTAL, REVITALIZATION PROJECTS $183,200 

TOTAL, FACILITIES PLANNING AND DESIGN, includes $2.0 million for the new 

museums 

$44,800 

Construction 

Suitland — Museum Support Center Construct Pod 6 37,000 

TOTAL, CONSTRUCTION $37,000 

FY 2024 TOTAL REQUEST $265,000 

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REVITALIZATION PROJECTS 

PROJECT TITLE: Revitalize Historic Core 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Institution Building (SIB) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $65,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $78,800* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $256,000* 

Total $399,800* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The SIB, often referred to as the “Castle,” is the Institution’s first home and its 

symbolic heart. The Arts and Industries Building (AIB) opened in 1881 as the first home of 

the National Museum. Together, these two buildings make up the Smithsonian’s Historic 

Core. The Castle has historic architectural and institutional significance and is the public’s 

doorway to, and the symbol of, the Smithsonian Institution. Both buildings are listed by the 

Department of the Interior as National Historic Landmarks. Plans for revitalization of the AIB 

have been put on hold pending a decision whether to use the building as the home of a new 

museum. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Castle needs major revitalization work that will include new heating, airconditioning, ventilation, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as telecommunications, 

security, and life-safety systems. A major goal of the revitalization will be to provide efficient 

and accessible space for visitors and staff. Public spaces will be restored after years of 

piecemeal remodeling that has diminished their original proportions and appearance. The last 

comprehensive refurbishment of the Castle occurred more than 50 years ago. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Budget provides $65.0 million in FY 2024 to award the construction management 

contract for foundation work that includes excavation below the building, underpinning the 

existing foundations, and installing a seismic base isolation system at the Castle to protect 

against future earthquake activity. Future work will include replacing or restoring all the 

building’s elements and systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life-safety, 

security, telephone, and data systems, as well as refurbishing the Castle’s windows, roof, 

and exterior stonework. The building’s life-safety and infrastructure systems will be updated 

for code compliance. Blast and seismic vulnerability issues will be augmented. A newly 

expanded loading dock will improve the efficiency and safety of materials handling. 

223 
PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Programming was completed in FYs 2019 and 2020. Design was initiated in FY 2020. 

The concept design was submitted in FY 2021 and the schematic design was completed in 

FY 2022. Design work will continue through FY 2023. Early construction activities were 

initiated in FYs 2022 and 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If this project does not move forward, construction on the project will stop and the 

Castle will remain at increasing risk of catastrophic electrical, mechanical, and plumbing 

systems failures, which would require permanently relocating all staff from the building and 

closing the facility to visitors. It is essential to continue construction to ensure that 

construction activity visible by the public is completed before the semi-quincentennial 

celebrations on the National Mall in FY 2026. 

224 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Renovate Cheetah Conservation Station (CCS) 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $4,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $9,700* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $5,000* 

Total $18,700* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the National 

Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on displaying caged 

animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the care and 

conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this purpose, 

landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park fame) was 

chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, verdant park. 

Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the early animal 

houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These buildings, made of 

rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock Creek Park and were 

meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

The National Zoo’s 2008 Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan (CFMP) calls for a 

series of major capital renewal projects to be executed in order of priority during the next 

six to 11 years the plan is in effect. Much progress has been made with renewing the 

failing buildings, but there are several facilities which remain a priority for renewal, 

including the Cheetah Conservation Station. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Much of the CCS area has old and failing infrastructure. The site’s failing 

stormwater and sanitary utilities are negatively impacting animal welfare, with standing 

water and sanitary water backups. Over time, these conditions have damaged adjacent 

systems and structures, requiring a full building and site revitalization, including 

replacement of sidewalks and shelters. The mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems 

can no longer be repaired, and their dilapidated condition is causing significant issues with 

plumbing backups and insufficient heating, cooling, and humidification. In addition, the 

public and staff areas are deteriorating, causing unsafe working conditions. The animal 

habitats and housing are also inadequate, causing animal welfare and safety concerns 

and not allowing for appropriate behaviors and reproduction of the living collection. In 

many areas, erosion has caused tripping hazards and unsafe working conditions. This 

work is necessary to keep the facilities code-compliant with the constantly evolving animal 

care standards required to maintain accreditation by the Association of Zoos and 

Aquariums (AZA) and by the United States’ Department of Agriculture (USDA).

225 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $4.0 million in FY 2024 to continue renovating the CCS 

to include mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) system upgrades, along with related 

building infrastructure improvements, stormwater management and yard renovations, 

added containment fencing, and pedestrian surface repairs. As part of this project, nearly 

all site and building infrastructure will be revitalized, which will restore operational 

functionality and support animal care needs. In addition, due to erosion caused by intense 

storm run-off, the structural foundation for the station must be replaced and raised up to 

prevent future deterioration. The containment fence, visitor barriers, and security systems 

will be replaced in response to AZA inspections and recommendations, and to reduce the 

deferred maintenance backlog. Structural improvements will be made to address the 

safety of maintenance workers and support best practices in animal welfare and 

management of their habitats and housing. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The initial design report was completed in November of 2021. Work on the full 

design package has begun, with the 100 percent design submittal expected in the third 

quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in renovating the CCS could threaten the National Zoo’s AZA accreditation 

and damage the Institution’s reputation and mission. System failures will result in

unnecessary operational emergency responses which are costly, disruptive, and 

preventable. Conditions for animal welfare and safety in yards are currently unacceptable 

and, if left at current standards, the CCS will have to be shut down. The impact of design 

delays would prevent the project from staying coordinated with the animal moves and 

negatively affect the guest experience. 

226 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Provide Accessible Walkway at Great Flight Aviary 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $3,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $5,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. The Great 

Flight Aviary project was completed in the 1960s and consists of six parabolic steel 

arches that formed a circle approximately 130 feet in diameter, with a central mast 

height of nearly 90 feet. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

As constructed in the 1960s, a concrete bridge connects the Bird House and the 

Great Flight Aviary (GFA) above ground level. Egress to grade is only available using a 

staircase. Modifying access to the bridge is required for compliance with current 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. The natural flow of the exhibit directs 

visitors to the GFA bridge. However, currently, the GFA bridge has no universally 

accessible walkway for guests with disabilities and people with strollers. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to begin the project for an 

accessible, ADA-compliant egress from the walkway connecting the GFA and the Bird 

House exhibit. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Contract award for preliminary design is expected in the third quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying this project pushes back the Zoo’s ability to meet code-compliance and 

ADA regulations that require a safe, accessible means of travel for all patrons of this 

facility. 

227 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Repair Site-Wide Electrical Distribution 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $2,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Zoo has undergone modest growth in recent years that has resulted in a few 

changes and modifications to the campus electrical distribution system. The facilities have 

significant limitations in power capacity for the 15kV distribution system, specifically with 

the ”Red” and ”Blue” feeders. In addition, the Zoo has campus-wide lack of power capacity 

issues. This project will support the power requirements for upcoming projects planned at 

various locations throughout the Rock Creek campus. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to begin the process of repairing 

the site’s electrical distribution systems. A few of the electrical components of the building 

distribution system have been updated, such as the switchgears, but many of the building 

distribution components still need replacing and are at the end of their expected service 

life. Replacement components are very scarce, and refurbished components are hard to 

find and expensive, creating a major problem with keeping the system in operation. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design contract award is anticipated in the fourth quarter of FY 2023. Currently, 

electrical meters are being installed at the Veterinary Hospital so that peak loads can be 

identified prior to designing new equipment 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying this project could result in areas of the Zoo being closed permanently to 

conserve power for other areas. If an external event due to weather or unseasonably 

warm conditions were to occur, the Zoo would have to close to the public to provide the 

proper safety to visitors, living collections, and infrastructure. 

228 
 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Chiller Capacity at Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $2,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The two Trane chillers that make up the Life Support System (LSS) were installed 

in 2003, are at the end of their life expectancy, and require replacement. The chillers have 

difficulty meeting the water temperature requirements and do not provide the redundancy 

required. The LSS chiller system serves four pools: the gray seal exhibit, gray seal holding 

area, the sea lion exhibit, and the sea lion holding area. This equipment is essential to 

meet animal welfare requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which specify that water temperatures for 

marine mammals must be maintained at or below 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The Zoo has no 

alternative location to place the marine mammals in the event of a chiller failure. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to replace the existing chillers. 

In addition, the existing emergency generator does not have the capacity to support the 

existing chiller system and must be replaced. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Preliminary design assessment is complete, with the final design submission 

expected during the fourth quarter of FY 2023. Construction award is anticipated for the 

second quarter of FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the chiller replacement places the seals and sea lions at risk and puts the 

Zoo at risk of losing AZA accreditation for failing to meet the temperature requirements 

needed to maintain these living collections if the existing chillers were to fail. 

229 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Modify Security Fence and Accessibility — Phase 3 (Bus Lot) 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design 

Total $2,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Access for visitors arriving by private vehicles is unsafe, confusing, and has 

security vulnerabilities. Currently, visitors are provided with no visual clues on how to 

maneuver from their parked vehicles into the main Zoo campus. A permanent structure 

is needed to house staff to minimize security risks and safely manage the screening 

process by funneling visitors to entry points where they can be screened. Also, a new 

middle-access point will have to be built for a connection to a raised asphalt crosswalk 

that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and is painted with standard 

crosswalk markings and leads to a new path into the main walkway. Additional security 

elements, new ornamental fencing, and gates are also required. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to modernize security and 

improve pedestrian access to the National Zoo. This project will improve ticketing, 

visitor flow, wayfinding signage, screening options, visitor counting, and video 

surveillance, enhance information technology (IT) infrastructure, and create a search 

and recovery space, as well as build a new weather-controlled structure for staff and 

access for Zoo maintenance security carts. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The Statement of Work for design is complete and the design contract award is 

anticipated to occur by the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the project would hamper the Zoo’s ability to provide safe, efficient, 

and reliable access for visitors and staff who manage large crowds every day. 

230 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Revitalize Steam Tunnels and Piping 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $6,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $8,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone, or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

The steam tunnel system serves the following “Middle Zoo” facilities: the Think 

Tank, Reptile Discovery Center, Lemur exhibit, Great Ape House, Small Mammal 

exhibit, Wallaby exhibit, and Elephant House, as well as parts of the Lower Zoo. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The National Zoo is served by a central Boiler Plant that pipes steam throughout 

the campus on two separate, direct, buried distribution lines. The original steam tunnel 

distribution system was constructed in the 1920s and is now past its useful service life. 

The system is failing and requires constant replacing of segments and components to 

keep it functioning. Various segments have failed completely and sprung leaks due to 

settlement cracks, connection point failures, and corrosion which has resulted in 

inadequate heat supply for animals that cannot tolerate the cold during winter. The system 

requires constant maintenance and extensive and constant patching of leaks and other 

emergency temporary repairs to keep it functioning, which adds to the Zoo’s operating 

expenses. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to revitalize/replace the steam 

distribution systems at the National Zoo. The steam distribution serves 12 buildings 

throughout the campus. This project replaces the steam supply to the Propagation 

Building. Replacement requires the open excavation and removal of failed concrete 

supply lines and replacement with modern materials. This project will also mitigate 

HAZMAT-containing materials used in the original construction. 

231 
 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design for the next phase of work is complete. The construction contract for the 

steam tunnel revitalization is anticipated to be awarded in the first quarter of FY 2024. 

Design scope and contracting for subsequent phases of work will be developed in FY 

2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in completing the upgrades to the steam distribution system could cause 

serious harm to staff and living collections as well as the need for emergency responses 

which are costly, disruptive, and preventable. 

232 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Seal and Sea Lion Shade Structures 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $600* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $600* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,200* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Since 1891, various architects, including Olmsted Associates, created the 

National Zoo as we know it today. In contrast to earlier zoos which focused on 

displaying caged animals to the public, the Zoo in Rock Creek Park was formed for the 

care and conservation of endangered species in a more naturalistic habitat. For this 

purpose, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (of New York City’s Central Park 

fame) was chosen to plan a system of paths winding gently through the steeply sloped, 

verdant park. Fellow Boston architect William Ralph Emerson designed a few of the 

early animal houses, such as the Buffalo Barn and the first Lion House. These 

buildings, made of rustic, local stone or wood, reflect the natural features of Rock 

Creek Park and were meant to evoke images of the American wilderness. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Eye problems have been an issue with seals and sea lions at zoological parks 

across the country, including at the National Zoo. Animal health experts suspect a 

contributing factor is ultraviolet (UV) light from direct sunlight and that a simple remedy is 

to provide shady spots for the animals. Expanding the shade panel system at the Zoo is 

the next phase in improving animal habitat and yards throughout the facility. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $600,000 in FY 2024 to continue upgrading the shade 

structures in the habitat to protect the animals from excessive solar glare that is causing 

harm to the seals and sea lions. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design contract award is anticipated for the first quarter of FY 2024. The shade 

structure mock-ups were constructed in FY 2021 as a proof of concept for addressing the 

FY 2020 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recommendations before continuing 

with the project. This phase will complete compliance with the AZA requirements. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying these improvements and repairs could harm the animals as well as 

threaten AZA accreditation and result in the need for emergency responses which are 

costly, disruptive, and preventable. 

233 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Electronic Security at the Veterinary Hospital 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $500* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 and 40 endangered species at any given time and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, stables, and a racetrack on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by 

the U.S. Army, the complex was quite active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war 

camp for captured German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have 

been repurposed to support the research of animal life. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Veterinary Hospital requires electronic and physical security modernization 

due to antiquated or non-existent security systems which do not comply with current 

Smithsonian security standards and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 

requirements. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to modernize electronic and 

physical security features, including cameras, access controls, door-badge readers, 

electronic lock interfaces, glass-break sensors, door and window sensors, motion 

detectors, control equipment, wiring, conduits, and security panels at the Veterinary 

Hospital’s quarantine and necropsy units. This modernization will help the campus 

comply with Office of Protection Services (OPS) security standards for Smithsonian 

facilities, as well as federal DEA regulations. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The Statement of Work for design is complete and the design contract award is 

anticipated in the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the project puts the Veterinary Hospital at risk for theft and loss of DEA 

accreditation. 

234 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Install Fall Protection on Roofs 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Front Royal, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,100* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,100* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 to 40 endangered species at any given time, and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, and stables on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by the U.S. 

Army, the complex was active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured 

German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have been repurposed to 

support the research in rare and endangered animals. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

To comply with Occupational and Safety Administration standards, the SCBI 

requires the installation of interior and exterior anchor fall-protection systems at various 

buildings within the campus. Fall-protection systems are required for maintenance and 

repair operations on building exterior surfaces and in building interiors. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.1 million in FY 2024 for the installation of fallprotection devices at various buildings at the SCBI to allow for safe access on 

maintenance projects campus-wide. Phase 1 will focus on the Veterinary Hospital. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design work started in FY 2021 and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 

FY 2023, with construction completed in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the installation of fall-protection anchors prevents timely maintenance at 

locations that are out of normal reach, resulting in potential equipment failure. Failure to 

maintain equipment could result in the need for emergency repairs, which are costly, 

disruptive, and preventable. 

235 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Fire Protection 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Front Royal, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 to 40 endangered species at any given time, and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, and stables on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by the U.S. 

Army, the complex was active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured 

German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have been repurposed to 

support the research in rare and endangered animals. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Several SCBI buildings do not have adequate fire protection that meets current 

safety codes. Complete sprinkler coverage throughout buildings is essential for 

controlling fires early before they can overtax the sprinkler system. According to the 

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidance that sets the standards for the 

installation of sprinkler systems, building sprinkler systems must extend to the entire 

building and be upgraded as necessary to provide complete coverage. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.0 million in FY 2024 to upgrade fire protection for 

offices and support areas. This project is part of an SCBI-wide initiative to bring older 

buildings into compliance with new codes and standards. Phase 1 will upgrade sprinkler 

systems at the Veterinary Hospital. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design work began in FY 2022 and will be completed in the fourth quarter of 

FY 2023, with the construction expected to be complete in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying fire-protection upgrades at SCBI risks the loss of life and/or property due 

to fires and having an inadequate system to contain them. 

236 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Renew Veterinary Hospital 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Front Royal, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $4,100* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $3,100* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $5,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $12,200* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 to 40 endangered species at any given time, and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, and stables on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by the U.S. 

Army, the complex was active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured 

German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have been repurposed to 

accommodate the research in rare and endangered animals. The Veterinary Hospital 

supports research and care for various species of zebras, onagers, Przewalski’s horses, 

maned wolves, cheetahs, red pandas, and clouded leopards. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Veterinary Hospital has not been renovated since it was constructed in 

1985 and lacks adequate fire protection, compliance with Americans with Disabilities 

Act (ADA) requirements, and modern electrical and mechanical distribution systems. 

The rehabilitation of the Veterinary Hospital at the SCBI is an integral part of the 2008 

Front Royal Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan and will provide optimal operation of 

laboratory space, operating theaters, office space, animal quarantine area(s), and the 

pharmacy. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $4.1 million in FY 2024 for the rehabilitation of the 

13,250-square-foot Veterinary Hospital at the SCBI to support a modern facility that will 

allow state-of-the-art veterinary care for the animals. This project creates an exterior 

fenced animal enclosure to facilitate observation of the animals after being treated. In 

addition, the existing ambulance discharge area will be covered to protect animal care 

staff from snow and rain, which is needed when they must maneuver large, hooved 

animals from the transportation unit into the facility. 

237 
PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design work began in the fourth quarter of FY 2022 and will be completed in 

phases. Phase 1 design for the endocrine relocation will be complete in the third quarter of 

FY 2023. Phase 2 design is for the temporary surgical space and may be included in the 

construction contract for phase 1. Final design for the renewal will be completed for 

construction planned to start in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the renewal and rehabilitation of the Veterinary Hospital at the SCBI 

could result in lack of proper care to the animals, along with the loss of vital scientific 

research essential to the survival of rare and endangered species, as well as the 

potential emergency situations that could harm the animals in the care of the 

Smithsonian. Such emergency situations would incur additional, preventable, and 

unnecessary higher costs. 

238 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Improve Living Collections Habitat Infrastructure 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Front Royal, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $1,200* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,400* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $5,600* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 and 40 endangered species at any given time and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, stables, and a racetrack on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by 

the U.S. Army, the complex was quite active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war 

camp for captured German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have 

been repurposed to support the research of animal life. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Improve Living Collections Infrastructure Program is a multi-year, phased 

implementation of relatively small projects that have been identified, ranked, and 

prioritized to support the requirements of park management, animal care, and science 

staff. Dozens of deficiencies will be corrected by this project. 

This project is required to resolve an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) 

accreditation inspection that discovered deficiencies and animal life and safety concerns. 

Remediation work will fix weather-related deficiencies for various animal holding buildings 

that require removal of hazardous materials and demolition of failing structures to mitigate 

unsafe conditions for both staff and animals. This includes animal pools and containment 

fences, which keep out wild predators such as bears, coyotes, and foxes. Required 

improvements to the animal-containment facilities include taller fences, hot wires, and 

electrical infrastructure, as well as dig barriers, animal-shift gates, human-access safety 

gates, and climbing structures for animal exercise. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to upgrade various systems 

which do not meet current codes and standards for animal holding, as well as to protect 

the structures from further deterioration. The project will renew utilities, roads, and 

containment fencing; provide access to fresh water; and install proper sanitary waste 

drainage and stormwater management systems. Environmentally sustainable designs will 

239 
 

 

create natural protection systems that vastly improve the welfare of living collections 

placed in the NZCBI’s care. In addition, work will include improvements to animal habitats 

and yards; refurbishment of perimeter and interior separation/containment fences and 

barriers; human/animal safety separation barriers, which include shift gates, chutes, 

ladders, and dig barriers; predation and invasive species exclusion systems; replacement 

of pools/water systems; and quality improvements and controls required for the humane 

and responsible stewardship of captive and endangered animals. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The project is in the planning and design phase, with a construction award planned 

for FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying these improvements and repairs could threaten the Institute’s AZA 

accreditation, leave highly endangered species vulnerable to wild animal predation and 

escape, as well as cause harm to visitors, staff, and animals. In addition, failure to upgrade 

the living collections infrastructure could result in the need for emergency repairs, which 

are costly, disruptive, and preventable. 

240 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Post Area Utilities 

INSTALLATION: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) 

LOCATION: Front Royal, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $4,800* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $6,800* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is a 3,200-acre facility 

located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia. This facility 

houses between 30 and 40 endangered species at any given time, and includes a 

Geographic Information System (GIS), endocrine and gamete labs, veterinary clinic, radio 

tracking lab, 14 field stations, and biodiversity monitoring plots, as well as a conference 

center, dormitories, and education offices. The SCBI was originally an army remount 

station. Construction began in 1911 and by 1916 the complex contained officers’ quarters, 

barns, stables, and a racetrack on vast acreage. Primarily used to breed horses for use by 

the U.S. Army, the complex was quite active during World War II as a prisoner-of-war 

camp for captured German soldiers. Many of the original structures still stand and have 

been repurposed to support the research of animal life. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The SCBI prepared a comprehensive utilities master plan in 2008 to serve as the 

basis for designing an upgraded utility infrastructure to support the entire campus for 

water, sewer, electric, and telecommunications systems and storm drains. The existing 

electrical, sewer, water supply, and telecommunications distribution systems have 

reached the end of their useful service lives. The utility infrastructure systems are prone 

to failure and unreliable service, which include unexpected power loss and mission 

interruption. The on-site sewer system is made of terra cotta or vitrified clay construction 

that is between 60 and 100 years old and contributing to recent problems with sewer 

breaks at various locations on campus. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to continue utility upgrades that 

will improve sanitary sewer, electrical, communications, and water utilities along the Long 

Hill Road and Meade Road portions of the campus. Approximately 3,400 feet of new 4- or 

6-inch lateral and submain sewers and 18 sanitary manholes are required to replace the 

existing on-site collection system and extend the sewer collection system along the crane 

yards from the main campus. Based on the age and condition of the existing on-site 

overhead electric distribution system, and the numerous code-related deficiencies, most 

of the system will need to be replaced, including the overhead electric distribution system. 

Additionally, a new underground electric distribution system will need to be installed. 

241 
PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Procurement documents are being prepared for award in FY 2023. The 2008 

comprehensive utilities master plan detailed the scope of work for water, sewer, 

stormwater management, electrical distribution, and telecommunications systems. 

Concurrently, in April of 2008, the Smithsonian included a zero-energy Zoo study 

sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Energy Management Program.

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The utility infrastructure systems have reached the end of their useful service life 

and are prone to systematic failures. Large-scale utility disruptions could occur if this 

comprehensive overhaul is not completed soon, potentially creating risks for staff and 

the many animals in their care. 

242 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Renovate Loading Dock 

INSTALLATION: National Air and Space Museum (NASM) — National Mall Building 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $8,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $10,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $18,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The NASM was built in 1976 to commemorate the national development of aviation 

and space flight. The 747,877-gross-square-foot building (including approximately 161,145 

square feet of exhibit galleries) preserves and displays artifacts, aeronautical and space 

flight equipment, significant historical data, and related technologies. The exhibit galleries

hold the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. Before the COVID-19 

pandemic, the Museum received an average of more than seven million visitors annually. 

The original loading dock built in 1976 was reconfigured in the 1980s as part of the East 

End restaurant addition. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The loading dock does not meet current blast, life-safety, and fire-protection codes. 

In addition, the loading dock and its access ramp provide limited overhead clearance, 

forcing delivery trucks to unload on the ramp to the basement or park illegally on the street 

or sidewalk, creating a safety hazard. 

A revitalization project at the NASM-National Mall Building (NMB) is well under way. 

The construction effort is occurring in two main phases to allow continual, partial operation 

of the Museum throughout the project. During the second main phase of the major 

revitalization project, which started in April of 2022, access to areas in and around the 

restaurant were closed off to allow for safe construction and renovation efforts within and 

around the eastern sections of the Museum. These closures enable the Museum to 

renovate the loading dock and make code-related updates identified in the 2013 NASM 

Facilities Master Plan. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $8.0 million in FY 2024 to begin this project. The multiyear project will update life-safety and fire-protection equipment systems, including the 

infrastructure to bring the loading dock up to current life-safety and blast requirements. In 

addition, this project will improve height clearance, where possible, to allow for access by 

larger trucks, and create separate areas for restaurant deliveries, trash disposal and pickup, and for movement of Museum collections. This upgrade will also allow for code 

compliance, greater security, increased safety, and efficiency of Museum operations. 

243 
PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A feasibility study report completed in October of 2022 will form the basis of design. 

The request for proposal from Architect/Engineering (A/E) design services was issued in 

the first quarter of FY 2023, with award of the design contract and work on the full design 

package expected to begin by the third quarter of FY 2023. Construction is anticipated to 

start in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in renovating the NASM loading dock would increase the risk to its safe and 

efficient operations in support of the Museum. Any system failures will result in unnecessary 

operational emergency responses which are costly, disruptive, and preventable. 

244 
PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Floor Barrier-Mounted Exhibit Lighting 

INSTALLATION: National Air and Space Museum (NASM) — Udvar-Hazy Center 

LOCATION: Chantilly, Virginia 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,000* 

Total $4,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Udvar-Hazy Center (UHC) in Chantilly, Virginia is the companion facility to the 

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Opened 

in 2003, the 760,000-square-foot building consists of two large hangers — the Boeing 

Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. The facility displays 

thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and the 

space shuttle Discovery, and before the COVID-19 pandemic received more than 1.5 

million visitors annually. When construction was complete in 2003, the facility included 

exhibit barriers which incorporated exhibit lighting fixtures and track lighting mounted to 

the barriers. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

In 2014, safety issues required the track lighting system to be removed. The lighting 

track was short-circuiting, and the barriers were found to be unsecure. In 2017, a study 

was completed to analyze possible improvements to the barrier-mounted exhibit lighting. 

The study determined the original track system used at the exhibit barriers was not codecompliant, was unsafe, and susceptible to wear and tear that ultimately resulted in the 

short-circuiting. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to begin upgrading the exhibit 

barrier-mounted lighting system, bringing it to code-compliance, adding greater security, 

increasing safety, and providing greater energy efficiency. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design started in October of 2022 and is expected to be complete by the fourth 

quarter of FY 2023. Construction is anticipated to start sometime in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Since the previous barrier-mounted exhibit lighting system was removed, the 

NASM-UHC has been operating with insufficient exhibit illumination. A delay in upgrading 

the floor barrier-mounted exhibit lighting greatly reduces the quality of the visitor 

experience, impacts visitation, and impairs the Museum’s mission to “Commemorate, 

Educate, [and] Inspire” both the history of aviation and spaceflight and the public.

245 
 

PROJECT TITLE: Restore Main Building Exterior Envelope, East and West Sides 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $4,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The NMNH building was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall, with 

contributions by Charles McKim, and opened to the public in 1910. The East and West 

Wings were added in the early 1960s. Two infill buildings were constructed in the 

original building’s East and West courtyards in the late 1990s. In addition to its wide 

array of public exhibits, the 1.3-million-square-foot-building houses more than 147 

million specimens and artifacts in its collections (used by both resident and visiting 

researchers), and educational, scientific, and administrative facilities serving 

approximately 1,200 people. The NMNH is one of the most visited museums in the 

world and typically hosts between seven and eight million visitors annually. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The east and west sides of the main building have experienced leaks throughout 

the years. For example, during a driving rainstorm in October of 2021, the East Wing of 

the main building experienced serious leaks, with water intrusion into office spaces and 

corridors. An internal survey noted deficiencies to the exterior building envelope that 

allowed for the water intrusion, including cracked and broken stones, missing caulking, 

and windows that require repairing. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to begin restoring the building’s 

exterior. The project will repair the damaged granite panels and replace the panels that 

are beyond repair, as well as repair and tighten windows and fix the ledge on the sixth 

floor. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A contract to survey the extent of the damage and provide project design was 

awarded in early FY 2022. The design will be completed by the summer of 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in repairing the exterior of the east and west sides of the main building will 

cause continued damage to the main building infrastructure, equipment, collections, and 

artifacts. 

246 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Fire-Alarm Panels and Mass-Notification Systems 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $3,200* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $18,200* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $21,400* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The NMNH building was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall, with 

contributions by Charles McKim, and opened to the public in 1910. The East and West 

Wings were added in the early 1960s. Two infill buildings were constructed in the 

original building’s East and West courtyards in the late 1990s. In addition to its wide 

array of public exhibits, the 1.3-million-square-foot-building houses more than 147 

million specimens and artifacts in its collections (used by both resident and visiting 

researchers), and educational, scientific, and administrative facilities serving 

approximately 1,200 people. The NMNH is one of the most visited museums in the 

world and typically hosts between seven and eight million visitors annually. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The current NMNH fire-alarm panels are out of date and became obsolete when 

their production ended in September of 2018. Over time, parts will become difficult or 

impossible to find and eventually they will be incompatible with newer equipment. A 

simultaneous upgrade to the mass-notification system is well-timed because the two 

systems are integrated. Currently, the NMNH has no comprehensive way to notify the 

public and staff during emergencies. The speakers installed as part of the fire-alarm 

upgrade would provide that mass-notification capability. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $3.2 million in FY 2024 to continue upgrading the firealarm panels and components and installing a new mass-notification system. The 

Museum’s existing Siemens MXL panels must be upgraded to the new Siemens XLS

panels, and a comprehensive mass-notification system needs to be designed and 

implemented as well. There is economy and efficiency in combining the fire-alarm 

system upgrade and replacement with the new speaker installation. The speaker layout 

for the mass-notification system will account for the Museum’s acoustic issues, which are 

significant due to the grand and historic nature of the building with its many echoing high 

ceilings and large galleries. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The final feasibility report, completed in March of 2019, provided the basis for the 

design contract scope, which was awarded in July of 2019, and completed in January of 

2022. The initial construction contract was awarded in the fourth quarter of FY 2022 with 

a continuation of contracting through FY 2024. 

247 
IMPACT OF DELAY: 

An aging, outdated life-safety system runs the risk of failure and endangering 

collections, visitors, and staff. In the worst-case scenario, a malfunctioning fire-alarm 

system could put lives at risk, as well as delay notification of an active fire, possibly 

causing severe damage to the Museum and the national collections. In addition, 

mass-notification systems are rapidly becoming an essential feature in public buildings 

because they are necessary to quickly broadcast life-saving information in the event of 

natural or man-made emergencies ranging from severe storms to active shooter incidents. 

248 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Replace Rotunda Copper Roof 

National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) 

Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The NMNH building was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall, with 

contributions by Charles McKim, and opened to the public in 1910. The East and West 

Wings were added in the early 1960s. Two infill buildings were constructed in the 

original building’s East and West courtyards in the late 1990s. In addition to its vast 

array of public exhibits, the 1.3-million-square-foot-building houses more than 147 

million specimens and artifacts in its collections (used by both resident and visiting 

researchers), and educational, scientific, and administrative facilities serving 

approximately 1,200 people. The NMNH is one of the most visited museums in the 

world and typically hosts between seven and eight million visitors a year. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The slate dome of NMNH’s Rotunda is surrounded by large areas of a flat copper 

roof. This flat-seam copper roof is in very poor condition. It has a lot of broken solder 

seams which have led to multiple water leaks throughout the Museum, endangering the 

priceless collections and sensitive equipment below. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.0 million in FY 2024 to begin removing and 

replacing the existing copper roof, and existing flashing, and to repair other roof leaks 

around pipes and drains. Additionally, the project will include removal and 

repair/replacement of the first three rows of slate on the Rotunda dome to install the 

new copper and waterproofing sub-layers to continue up under the slate — a best 

practice for avoiding future water infiltration. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A feasibility report for the Rotunda copper roof replacement was recently 

completed and formed the basis for a scope of work and cost estimate for the project, 

which have also been completed. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If the corroded copper roof is not replaced in a timely manner, water leaks will 

continue to damage the building fabric, sensitive equipment, and collections, as well as 

pose a danger to staff and the visiting public. 

249 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Modernize West Court Elevators 

National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) 

Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,800* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,800* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The NMNH building was designed by architects Hornblower and Marshall, with 

contributions by Charles McKim, and opened to the public in 1910. The East and West 

Wings were added in the early 1960s. Two infill buildings were constructed in the 

original building’s East and West courtyards in the late 1990s. In addition to its wide 

array of public exhibits, the 1.3-million-square-foot-building houses more than 147 

million specimens and artifacts in its collections. The NMNH is one of the most visited 

museums in the world. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Elevators 32, 33, 35, and 36 were installed when the West Court of the 

Museum was newly constructed in 1996 and are overdue for an upgrade because of 

their high usage and age. Many of the elevator door operators and controllers require 

constant maintenance and are always at risk of failure. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.8 million in FY 2024 to begin the modernization of 

four elevators that are more than 25 years old. Elevators 32 and 33 provide access to 

food service areas and therefore have had high usage since their installation. The 

door operators, controllers, and other door components have developed many 

problems and should be replaced with modern parts. The elevator door upgrade will 

provide an opportunity to address the other numerous deficiencies of these two 

elevators. Elevator 35 is a passenger/freight elevator that requires new counter rollers. 

Elevator 36 is a freight elevator that is used more often than any other elevator in the 

West Court and therefore requires complete modernization. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

By working with vertical transportation experts, the Smithsonian has identified 

the new parts and equipment required to bring the four elevators up to modern code 

standards, including life-safety compliance. Detailed scopes of work are being 

developed for each of the deficient elevators. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If any of the elevators were to fail, it would have a significant impact on 

operations in the West Court area of the Museum. Due to the advanced age of the 

equipment, it takes a long time to locate replacement parts, keeping the elevators out 

of service. Without reliable elevators, food service and trash removal into the 

basement would be very difficult, which would negatively affect the visitors’ experience 

to a great extent. 

250 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade Electronic Security System 

INSTALLATION: Fort Pierce Research Station 

LOCATION: Fort Pierce, Florida 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $300* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $200* 

Total $500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Created in 1969, the Smithsonian Marine Science Station in Fort Pierce, Florida is 

dedicated to studying south Florida’s ecosystems and biodiversity. It has evolved from its 

first home on a World War II-vintage floating barge to a campus with structures designed 

in a simple tropical style. The Tyson House is a modern version of tropical vernacular 

architecture prevalent at the Station. Designed by Florida architect Peter Jefferson in 

1977 for Peter and Jeanne Tyson, it was relocated from Vero Beach, Florida to the 

research Station as a gift from the owners. Today it is used as a residence for visiting 

scientists. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The building’s electronic security systems are reaching the end of their useful life 

expectancy and need to be upgraded to meet current Smithsonian security standards. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $300,000 in FY 2024 to upgrade electronic security 

systems to meet current security standards. The Fort Pierce Research Station’s 

electronic security systems modernization project will include installation of fiber-optic 

infrastructure, data-gathering panels, network video recorders, access readers, cameras, 

intercoms, and intrusion-detection devices. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design for the system has been delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic travel 

restrictions which have prevented Smithsonian personnel, who are responsible for 

inspections and surveys, from being on site. Survey work is expected to commence by 

the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the project will leave the Fort Pierce Scientific Research Station with 

security devices which are near the end of their useful life, making them more prone to 

failure. It will also leave the building out of compliance with current Smithsonian and 

industry best-practice security standards, posing a potential risk to on-site staff and their 

data and work. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Replace Collection Storage Air-Handling Units, Floors 4 and 5 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

National Museum of American History (NMAH) 

Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $5,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $6,300* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,500* 

Total 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

$13,800* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The National Museum of American History (NMAH), Kenneth E. Behring Center, 

opened to the public in 1964 and is one of the Smithsonian’s most visited museums. This 

classic modern building (752,000 gross square feet) contains various exhibitions that 

explore America’s technological, scientific, cultural, and political history. A 2006 master 

plan generated a series of public space renewal projects, clarifying circulation, 

modernizing building systems and finishes, and incorporating innovative black-box 

galleries for exhibit installations. To date, renewal of public floors one, two, and three, 

totaling approximately 240,000 square feet in the center core and West Wing of the 

Museum, is complete. The future East Wing public space renewal project will begin in 

FY 2026. An updated master plan, completed in 2018, provides recommendations for 

continued modernization of building systems, revitalizations of the spaces on the 

remaining floors of the building, primarily containing workspaces, collections storage and 

food service, and improvements to the extensive grounds surrounding the Museum, 

including better flood protection. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The current air-conditioning units (ACUs) 1–4 serve the fourth and fifth floor 

collections storage areas. The ACUs are about 25 years old and are at or past most 

estimates of useful ACU service life. Even with constant maintenance, the equipment 

cannot meet the need for environmental protection of the diverse collections at this 

Museum. The NMAH should benefit from a significant improvement to its energy use 

profile, and see reduced energy costs, after the total air-handling unit (AHU) system 

project is completed. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $5.0 million in FY 2024 to continue the project that is 

slated to start in FY 2023. This project will replace all aging, major ACUs with new AHUs 

serving collection storage spaces on the fourth and fifth floors. These new units will 

improve the collection storage environment on the fourth and fifth floors. Two types of airhandling systems will be used. The first type will be a constant volume reheat system, and 

the second type will be a constant volume reheat system with a desiccant dehumidification 

wheel. The second type of air-handling system will be deployed for areas which require a 

cooler, drier climate. All air-handling equipment will produce a minimum of six air changes 

per hour, as specified for collection storage spaces in the 2019 American Society of 

252 
Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ HVAC Applications Handbook. 

The project will also include installing new hot-water converters to generate hot water, 

which will replace aging steam reheat coils within the fourth-floor mechanical rooms. Also, 

temporary cooling will need to be provided for collections storage spaces during 

construction, when the air-handling systems are not yet operational. The area of work will 

be confined to the mechanical rooms on the fourth floor and penthouse level. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The construction documents are complete and will be issued for bid in March of 

FY 2023. The construction contract is expected to be awarded later in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Air-conditioning equipment will continue to degrade, and increased maintenance will 

be required if this work is not done soon. Collections in the storage spaces will be at higher 

risk of damage due to potential failures and emergency shutdowns. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Renovate East Wing, Floors 2–4 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of American History (NMAH) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,500* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $123,000* 

Total $126,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The National Museum of American History (NMAH), Kenneth E. Behring Center, 

opened to the public in 1964 and is one of the Smithsonian’s most visited museums. This 

classic modern building (752,000 gross square feet) contains various exhibitions that 

explore America’s technological, scientific, cultural, and political history. A 2006 master 

plan generated a series of public space renewal projects, clarifying circulation, 

modernizing building systems and finishes, and incorporating innovative black-box 

galleries for exhibit installations. To date, renewal of public floors one, two, and three, 

totaling approximately 240,000 square feet in the center core and West Wing of the 

Museum, is complete. The future East Wing public space renewal project will begin in FY 

2026. An updated master plan, completed in 2018, provides recommendations for 

continued modernization of building systems, revitalization of the spaces on the remaining 

floors of the building, primarily containing workspaces, collections storage, and food 

service, and improvements to the extensive grounds surrounding the Museum, including 

better flood protection. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The 2006 master plan (updated in 2018) noted that the East Wing requires major 

revitalization of its exhibit galleries and public spaces, as well as expansions of 

educational, interactive, and multimedia offerings. Currently the East Wing’s infrastructure

does not meet the needs of the Museum staff or the public. The exterior ribbon windows 

and center core window curtain walls are failing, allowing water to infiltrate, and in some 

instances the ribbon windows have become detached. The escalators also require the 

same type of refurbishing as was done in the West Wing renovation. In addition, the 

heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) and fire-protection systems require 

upgrading to accommodate this revitalization. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.5 million in FY 2024 to continue moving collections to 

storage facilities to make way for the revitalization. The Public Space Renewal Program IV 

(PSRP IV) is the major revitalization of the three public floors on the east side of the 

building. Most of the revitalization will be on the second and third floors, which are the 

major public floors. Major systems, including HVAC, vertical transportation, and lighting, 

will be updated to support the modern exhibit experience for educational, interactive, and 

multimedia offerings. In addition, space currently used for collections storage and offices 

254 
will be converted to gallery shells ready for future exhibits. Elements of the building’s 

perimeter enclosure, including the four stories of ribbon windows and center core curtain 

window walls, will be replaced. There will be additional work to replace the perimeter heat 

convection units on the non-public fourth floor. When this work is completed, it will create 

the perception of the entire building being one cohesive space. The East Wing will 

complement the revitalized West Wing (PSRP III); however, the East Wing will focus on a 

cleaner aesthetic with fewer visual interruptions in the exhibit spaces, as requested by the 

Pre-Project Planning Steering Committee. Funds permitting, the lower levels will be 

revitalized in FY 2031. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The construction documents for the PSRP IV collections swing space were 

completed in January of 2023 and the construction contract is expected to be awarded 

later in FY 2023. The Architect/Engineer for the revitalization project has been selected 

and the initial design contract is expected to be awarded later in FY 2023. The 

construction is planned between FYs 2026 and 2028. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delays will increase the Smithsonian Institution’s exposure to risks associated with 

infrastructure failure, which poses a safety hazard for visitors and staff, as well as a 

security risk to the national collections. While mitigation strategies are being implemented, 

they are not permanent. An example is the Museum’s façade window that fell in 2019. The 

NMAH’s relevance, ease of operations, and capacity to generate revenue could be further 

negatively affected by the delay. 

255 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Mitigate Water Infiltration on First Floor 

National Museum of American History (NMAH) 

Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $300* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $300* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The National Museum of American History (NMAH), Kenneth E. Behring Center, 

opened to the public in 1964 and is one of the Smithsonian’s most visited museums. This 

classic modern building (752,000 gross square feet) contains various exhibitions that 

explore America’s technological, scientific, cultural, and political history. A 2006 master 

plan generated a series of public space renewal projects, clarifying circulation, 

modernizing building systems and finishes, and incorporating innovative black-box 

galleries for exhibit installations. To date, renewal of public floors one, two, and three, 

totaling approximately 240,000 square feet in the center core and West Wing of the 

Museum, is complete. The future East Wing public space renewal project will begin in FY 

2026. An updated master plan, completed in 2018, provides recommendations for 

continued modernization of building systems, revitalizations of the spaces on the 

remaining floors of the building, primarily containing workspaces, collections storage and 

food service, and improvements to the extensive grounds surrounding the Museum, 

including better flood protection. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Recently, water infiltration has been observed on the first floor, in multiple locations, 

including in the On the Water exhibit, the Lemelson Center, the Records Room (that 

contains valuable collections), training rooms, and offices. It is imperative to start 

remediating the issue before it becomes more extensive and damages the national 

collections. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $300,000 in FY 2024 to fix the most critical problems on 

the terrace. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Construction documents will be completed in FY 2023, with the contract award 

expected in early FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Unless the leaks on the terrace level are repaired soon, valuable collections will 

continue to be at risk for damage and water infiltration could result in closing the America on 

the Move exhibit. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Revitalize Sculpture Garden and Tunnel 

INSTALLATION: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $10,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $11,700* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $9,460* 

Total $31,160* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (HMSG), the Smithsonian 

Institution’s Museum of modern and contemporary art, was designed by architect Gordon 

Bunshaft, FAIA, of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, and opened to the public in 1974. The 

Museum is located at the northwest corner of 7th Street and Independence Avenue, SW, 

and the Sculpture Garden is north of the Museum across Jefferson Drive. The building is 

cylindrical in shape, 231 feet in diameter, and raised 14 feet above a paved plaza, on four 

concrete piers. The building is clad with precast concrete panels with crushed pink granite 

aggregate. The center of the drum is a circular courtyard with a large, shallow, bronze 

fountain. The Museum building has four above-ground stories and a lower level below the 

plaza that surrounds the building. The Sculpture Garden occupies 1.56 acres on the north 

side of Jefferson Drive and is connected to the Museum plaza by a tunnel below the 

street. Between 1977 and 1981, Lester Collins was charged with transforming Bunshaft’s 

original design for the Sculpture Garden into the current blended plan, which focused on 

improved functionality and accessibility. Around the same time, the tunnel below Jefferson 

Drive was closed to pedestrians and fitted out to house the Museum’s art education 

center. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The exposed aggregate walls of the Sculpture Garden are degrading due to 

“concrete disease” caused by additives commonly used in concrete during the period of 

construction. The garden floods after significant rainfall due to a lack of adequate 

stormwater drainage. The tunnel below Jefferson Drive lacks adequate waterproofing and 

is prone to leaks. In addition, the current configuration of the garden does not suit the 

programmatic needs of the Museum for the display of large-scale artworks or for 

performance art. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $10.0 million in FY 2024 to revitalize the Sculpture Garden. 

The concrete perimeter retaining walls will be reconstructed and new walls will be built along 

the garden’s interior. Accessible entries to the garden will be provided from both the Mall and 

Jefferson Drive. The structure of the tunnel below Jefferson Drive will be properly 

waterproofed and reopened to pedestrian traffic between the Sculpture Garden and the 

Museum’s plaza. Improved stormwater management will alleviate the flooding problem. 

257 
 

The HMSG has commissioned the world-renowned artist Hiroshi Sugimoto as the 

“Design Architect” to reimagine the HMSG Sculpture Garden. The revitalized Sculpture 

Garden will incorporate design characteristics from both Gordon Bunshaft’s original design 

and Lester Collins’s revision. There will be more flexible and responsive exhibition spaces 

for contemporary art installations, site-specific installations, and live performances. An 

enlarged pool in the central space will incorporate a stage for performance art, and an 

enlarged gallery area in the west section of the garden will enable the Museum to display 

larger works of art for which space is not currently available. On the east side of the 

garden, the renovated walls will create intimate gallery areas more suitable for the display 

of the Museum’s significant collection of bronze sculptures.

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Final construction documents are complete, with construction award expected in 

the third quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the revitalization of the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden will allow the concrete 

walls to continue to decay and leave the art in the garden at risk of repeated flooding. It 

would also leave the tunnel walls and roof prone to further damage from water leaks. 

Longer term, the Museum building is slated for revitalization, and postponing the garden 

revitalization project would put the start of that project in jeopardy because the limited size 

of the whole HMSG site prevents both projects from being done simultaneously. 

258 
 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Revitalize Naos Laboratory Buildings 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (S

Naos Site, Panama 

TRI) 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,500* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $4,500* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $17,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $24,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Located in Panama City, the Naos Marine and Molecular Laboratory site provides 

facilities for Pacific Ocean marine research, intertidal zones behavioral research, 

archaeology, and evolutionary speciation of terrestrial plants and animals. The laboratories 

house a seawater system that uses molecular biology tools to study marine organisms, 

their behaviors, ecology, and physiology, and their interaction with invasive species. 

Among many other research activities, environmental monitoring programs study the 

impact of human activities on coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

With the renewal of the Contract with the Nation of Panama, STRI will continue to 

occupy the current Naos Laboratories well into the future, allowing it to continue focusing 

research on the biological diversity and wonders of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. To 

continue to fulfill its mission, STRI needs to modernize and reconfigure spaces as well as 

update the electrical and mechanical systems of its buildings, which will house essential 

and long-term experiments, along with several marine biology and archeological 

collections assembled by STRI scientists through the years. 

Additionally, with the requested funds, unoccupied structures will be repurposed 

and rebuilt to serve new functions, including housing for an enhanced seawater 

processing system. Finally, the reconstruction and repurposing of old buildings will fully 

enable the modernization of the site for current and future research, an efficient use of 

space, and the overall renovation of the Smithsonian presence in the prime Panama City 

location where Naos is located. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.5 million in FY 2024 to start the project with the 

demolition of Building 332, which will be replaced by the new seawater system within this 

footprint, including the wing of the New Building Complex that will replace the existing 

laboratories. Conceptual studies of the new laboratory building complex call for phasing it 

into two modules, with one of them working as swing space to allow the project to be built 

without relocating the program. Additionally, this project will include allocation of dedicated 

spaces for the storage of STRI ́s marine biology and archaeology collections. After the 

conclusion of the project, laboratory buildings 359 and 352 will be demolished and 

permanently replaced with the new building. 

259 
PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The concept design for the Naos site was completed in February of 2022. Currently, 

the design is in its schematic phase to determine the final layout of the building’s 

floorplans. The design is projected to be complete in December of 2023. The construction 

contract award is targeted for mid-2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The planned long-term presence of STRI at the Naos site demands proper 

revitalization and modernization of the existing buildings’ spaces and electrical and 

mechanical systems, and the reconfiguration and repurposing of existing science program 

spaces to fit current needs. Additionally, much of Building 332 has deteriorated and 

requires renovation and reconstruction. Although this building’s roof and exterior siding 

were recently repaired to keep the structure from becoming hazardous to occupy, a full 

renovation is required to use these spaces to their full potential and for specific scientific 

functions. This major revitalization project will bring STRI’s essential research site up to

required standards for a new generation of scientists who are continuing to provide 

broader research diversity. STRI plans to base its long-term Eastern Tropical Pacific 

Ocean research at the revitalized Naos site facilities. 

260 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Replace and Improve Galeta Facilities 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (S

Galeta Site, Panama 

TRI) 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $3,400* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $2,300* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $12,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $17,700* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Galeta Marine Station is located near the Caribbean terminal of the Panama Canal 

and the city of Colon. It serves as a laboratory and marine and wetland environmental 

monitoring station, as well as an education and outreach center for STRI. The site includes 

several small dormitories, a laboratory building, a small administration structure, and support 

buildings. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The buildings at Galeta Marine Station are located directly on an eroding shoreline and 

are experiencing seawater infiltration during high tides and windy conditions. In addition, the 

existing laboratory and dormitories are located in old, outdated buildings which do not comply 

with current building safety codes. Among the many deficiencies, they do not have a 

fire-suppression system and the current sanitary and potable water systems are substandard. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $3.4 million in FY 2024 to begin Phase 2 of this project, 

which includes a new wastewater system, upgrades to the existing main electrical and 

communication systems, and new shoreline barriers to protect the land and buildings from 

sea erosion. As part of STRI’s Facilities Master Plan, the existing dormitories and laboratory 

will be replaced with code-compliant structures to safely host the research, education, and 

outreach activities. Subsequent phases of this project will incorporate a replacement 

laboratory/administration building (Phase 3) and a replacement dormitory building (Phase 4). 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design is complete and construction contract award for Phase 1 is expected in the 

fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The Galeta Marine Station requires major renovations at many essential facilities, 

including the laboratory, administration building, and dormitories. Basic infrastructure systems 

for sanitary and potable water urgently need upgrades. Delaying this project will increase 

maintenance costs and impair STRI’s ability to conduct research and educational programs at 

the Galeta site, and potentially endanger visitors and staff. In addition, the potable water 

installation at the site is not big enough to meet future demands and needs to be upgraded 

and modernized. 

261 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Renovate Tupper Laboratory 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) 

Tupper Site, Panama 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,700* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $3,200* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s administrative base is the Earl 

S. Tupper Research and Conference Center located on Ancon Hill. This complex 

includes a library, lecture hall, laboratories, and offices, and was designed by the 

Panamanian architect Octavio Mendez Guardia, and dedicated in 1990. It was built 

on the site of the historic 1906 Tivoli Hotel, which was demolished in 1975, where 

visitors came to view the construction of the Panama Canal. The main structure is 

the Tupper Building, which houses several administrative and research programs, as 

well as the main offices for STRI’s director.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

While the Tupper Building continues to be operational through maintenance 

actions and programs that have helped preserve the building through the years, 

there are areas, systems, and finishes which have deteriorated over time and need 

modernizing to ensure the building can remain functional. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.7 million in FY 2024 to continue making 

improvements to the laboratory spaces, bathrooms, ceilings, and other 

refurbishments in nearby structures such as the Maintenance Shop and the SF 

Building (also known as the Pastor House), as well as improvements to the Tupper 

campus driveway. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design contract has been awarded. Completion of the first phase of 

design documents is expected by the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying this project will increase the deterioration of laboratory spaces, 

eventually rendering them unusable. Refurbishing the shops and engineering 

buildings will allow users to operate in safer, more adequate facilities for their current 

and future needs. 

262 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Revitalize Gamboa Building 56 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) 

LOCATION: Gamboa, Panama 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $3,300* 

Total $3,300* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) has used the Old Gamboa 

Schoolhouse Building (Bldg. 56) for the academic program’s housing and classrooms for 

courses provided by STRI for Gamboa and surrounding area field studies. Building 56 is 

an old concrete and wooden structure that was built in the 1930s, and was originally the 

elementary school building of the town of Gamboa during the Panama Canal 

Commission years. Academic programs will continue to be one of the Institute’s flagship 

operations so the need for a permanent space to host overseas science students makes 

this building essential for STRI’s operations at Gamboa.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Building 56 is a 90-year-old structure that has been damaged by the weather, 

insects, and the use of air-conditioning units running constantly in non-insulated spaces 

that has created excessive condensation throughout the wooden elements of structure, 

including the ceilings, flooring, and wooden supports. The deterioration level has 

reached a point that a reconstruction is required. All the wooden and natural building 

elements need to be replaced with more appropriate building materials for the hot and 

humid environment the building must endure. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $3.3 million in FY 2024 for the reconstruction of 

Building 56. The project will eliminate the wooden supporting elements, ceilings and 

partitions, that are susceptible to deterioration in the tropical weather, and replace them 

with concrete, steel, and synthetic materials to make the building weather and termite 

resistant in Gamboa’s harsh climate. In addition, to bring the building into codecompliance, new electrical and mechanical systems will be installed and the building will 

be reconfigured to meet Americans with Disabilities Act compliance standards as well 

as to accommodate lodging researchers and students and to provide lab spaces for 

academic groups. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design phase is currently in progress, and completion of the 65 percent 

design documents is expected in March of 2023. The design is expected to be fully 

completed by the end of calendar year 2023. Construction is targeted to be 

contracted by mid-2024. 

263 
IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying this much-needed refurbishment will continue to place an excessive 

burden on maintenance to fix a deteriorating building as well as put research staff at 

risk due to the delay in bringing the structure and systems into code-compliance. 

264 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Improve Fire-Alarm and Life-Safety Systems 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) 

LOCATION: Gamboa, Panama 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $800* 

Total $1,800* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

STRI has a research facility at Gamboa, which is located on the east bank of the 

Panama Canal, 17 miles north of Panama City and 13 miles south of Barro Colorado 

Island (BCI), is midway between both sites, and provides an excellent location for 

terrestrial scientific investigations. The buildings at STRI must endure harsh tropical 

weather environments with high temperature and high humidity in nearby dense forests 

and/or by sea-front locations. These conditions have caused the deterioration of the 

existing fire-alarm systems, including a high rate of false alarms. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The current fire-alarm systems need to be reconfigured. The fire-alarm 

panels, and associated electronic devices, are placed in undesirable locations where 

they are directly exposed to the high temperature and humidity that are eroding the 

panels at a faster rate than expected. In addition, the panels and remote alarms are 

not placed where first responders can receive signals and provide adequate 

response times. Reconfiguring the fire-detection system will provide longer life 

expectancy of the equipment, reduce the number of calls, decrease maintenance 

costs, and provide staff with a safe and less troublesome fire-alarm system. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.0 million in FY 2024 to begin improving the firealarm system. The project will move the fire-detection equipment out of harsh 

weather environments, place the fire-alarm panels in climate-controlled spaces, and 

move the remote alarms closer to the first responders. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design phase is in development. The design of the first phase will be 

complete by the end of calendar year 2023. The construction contract for this first 

phase should be awarded by mid-2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Modernizing the fire-alarm systems is a high priority and will also reduce 

maintenance costs as well as improve workplace safety, so a delay of this project 

would prevent STRI from realizing these benefits. 

265 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Replace Laboratory and Storage Pod Air Handling Units 

INSTALLATION: Museum Support Center (MSC) 

LOCATION: Suitland Collections Center (SCC), Suitland, Maryland 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $4,500* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $19,700* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $10,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $34,700* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Museum Support Center (MSC) at the Smithsonian Institution’s SCC is the 

Smithsonian’s largest collections storage facility. Opened in 1983, the three-story structure 

has five separate storage areas (pods), as well as laboratories and office areas to support 

the care and analysis of the Institution’s valuable collections of objects and documents.

The storage pods and labs/offices are separated by an access corridor (known as the 

“Street”) that allows movement of objects within the building.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Eleven of the air-handling units (AHUs) supporting the heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (HVAC) system in Pods 1, 2, and 4, the “Street,” and the lab/office areas are 

original to the building and have exceeded their useful lives. They urgently require 

replacement. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $4.5 million in FY 2024 to replace AHUs in Pod 1 and 

the “Street” circulation corridor. The AHU replacements will occur in four sequenced 

projects. Each multi-year project will be funded for two years. This is the third of the four 

sequenced projects. The AHUs will be replaced one at a time to ensure that the controlled 

collections environment is maintained in the facility throughout the process. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design for the pod AHU replacement was completed in June of 2017 and 

designs for the lab/office and “Street” AHU replacements were completed in January of 

2020. The contract for construction of the first project (in Labs 3 and 4), funded in FYs 

2020 and 2021, was awarded in September of 2020 and is now complete. Phase 2 in the 

sequence was awarded in FY 2022. This project (Phase 3) specifically replaces the AHUs 

in Pods 1 and 2, with funding in FYs 2024 and 2025. The fourth and last project (Phase 4) 

will follow in FYs 2026 and 2027. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Failure to continue replacing the AHUs in a timely manner will put the facility’s

collections environment, and the priceless objects contained in the pods, at risk. 

266 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Decontaminate Objects in Building 16 

INSTALLATION: Building 16, Silver Hill Facility (SHF) 

LOCATION: Suitland Collections Center (SCC), Suitland, Maryland 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $3,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

A study of the Smithsonian’s collections storage space has identified the Suitland 

Collections Center, specifically, the Garber collections storage site, as having almost half 

of the Smithsonian’s below-acceptable collections space. Much of the more than 230,000 

square feet of space, including Building 16, is compromised by hazardous materials in and 

around the collections. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Building 16 contains collections which have been contaminated with asbestos from 

the interior building insulation. Encapsulation systems to shield the objects from the 

asbestos have failed and only a few highly trained and qualified Smithsonian staff are 

permitted in the building. The collections within the building are not available for research, 

exhibition, display, or loan, and are off limits to academia and the public. Funds received in 

FY 2017 and earlier were used to build temporary collections storage swing space and to 

decontaminate collections in other buildings. Building 16 is the next logical phase in this 

sequence. This project will decontaminate the collections objects in Building 16 and move 

them to a suitable storage location at the recently decontaminated and renovated Building 

15. The collections will then be accessible for inventory, condition assessment, and 

research and exhibition. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.0 million in FY 2024 to decontaminate the collections 

in Phase 3. This labor-intensive process includes accounting and inventory assessments, 

stabilizing the collection, and moving cleaned collections into a temporary swing space 

(Building 15) at the Garber facility. This swing space will serve as the staging area for 

emergency conservation and treatment, as well as packing and crating, until the items can 

be permanently moved into the Museum Support Center’s new Pod 6 when that facility is 

completed. Phases 3 and 4 of the project will continue to decontaminate and re-locate 

objects on the shelves of Building 16 and in various storage trailers adjacent to the building. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The contract for Phase 1 of the project was awarded in FY 2021, and site work 

began in February of 2022 and was completed in June of 2022. Phase 2 of the project was 

awarded in June of 2022 and work continues to decontaminate objects in Aisles A and C of 

Building 16. 

267 
IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Given that Building 16 was constructed as a 10- to 15-year temporary building in 

1959, a delay in decontaminating the collections objects and moving them to a suitable 

storage facility will perpetuate the poor care and inaccessibility of important objects and 

slow implementation of the Institution’s Collection Space Framework Plan and the SCC 

master plan. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Upgrade MSC Campus Electrical Systems 

INSTALLATION: Museum Support Center (MSC) 

LOCATION: Suitland Collections Center (SCC), Suitland, Maryland 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $5,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $6,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Museum Support Center (MSC) at the Smithsonian’s SCC is the Institution’s

largest collections storage facility. Opened in 1983, the three-story structure has five 

separate storage areas (pods), as well as laboratories and office areas to support the 

care and analysis of the valuable collections of objects and documents. The storage pods 

and labs/offices are separated by an access corridor (known as the “Street”) that allows 

movement of objects within the building. Multiple utility/electric services serve the MSC 

facility. The electrical systems are mostly original to the 1983 building and are now old 

and at or near the end of their useful life and need upgrading or replacement. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Electrical life-safety deficiencies, some related to arc flash, are a major concern at 

the MSC. This project will address and correct those safety issues and provide a safe 

work environment as well as replace outdated and inefficient electrical equipment. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.0 million in FY 2024 to begin a multi-year 

revitalization of the electrical system at the MSC, which will include replacing circuit 

breakers and panel boards with proper ampere-interrupting capacity (AIC) rating and 

circuit-breaker settings; connecting all direct digital control (DDC) panels in Pod 5 to 

emergency power; fully modernizing the MSC main electrical system by replacing all 

the equipment except Switchgear H; mitigating the arc flash safety concerns; and 

bringing the whole system into code-compliance. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A comprehensive electrical study of the MSC was completed in FY 2021 to identify 

deficiencies, provide recommendations, and act as basis for the design to remedy the 

identified deficiencies and safety concerns. Design is planned to begin in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay will continue to put MSC staff and collections at risk due to aging and failing 

electrical equipment. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Improve Water System, Fred L. Whipple Observatory (Phase 3) 

INSTALLATION: 

LOCATION: 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 

Amado, Arizona 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $600* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

Total $3,600* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The SAO’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona conducts 

world-renowned astrophysical research from the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) 

building on the summit of Mt. Hopkins as well as many other telescope sites on the peaks 

around the FLWO campus. The water system (above the Base Camp) that serves all the 

FLWO buildings was constructed over the course of several decades as the facility grew 

in response to the expanding SAO mission. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The water system has experienced service failures in recent years and is almost 40 

years old. The water system draws on sources of spring, well, and runoff water but the 

automated system failed several years ago and currently does not treat the water. Recent 

tests indicate a water quality issue that is creating a hazard to personnel health and safety. 

In addition, the staff must manually control pumps to refill tanks and keep the tanks tied to 

the fire-protection system full. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to complete Phase 2 and 

begin Phase 3 of this project to replace all water, power, and communication 

infrastructure between the water source spring and the residence tanks. This will 

augment the pumping units installed within the buildings in the previous Phase 2. 

These pumping units will be designed based on pumping to the Ridge Site and a local 

tank. The local tank is the existing 2,500‐gallon Water Tank 4. At the Ridge site, a 

pumping station shall be designed and constructed to pump water to the Aspen site. 

Two existing 20,000‐gallon tanks are located at the Aspen site. The addition of the 

water, power, and communication infrastructure will automate the safety of water 

potability and support a water source for fire protection. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design for phases 1 and 2 of this project are completed. The design work 

for Phase 3 is in progress and will be completed in FY 2023. Phase 1 construction is 

complete. Phase 2 construction has started and is expected to continue into FYs 2023 

and 2024. 

270 
IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in Phase 3 would raise staff life-safety issues and impair fire protection at 

the property. The SAO currently provides bottled water to all facilities on the mountain as a 

safety precaution, and this will need to continue until repairs are made. In addition, the 

staff must now manually control pumps to refill tanks and keep critical tanks tied to the fireprotection system full, due to the failed system that wastes considerable staff time 

monitoring and adjusting the chlorine levels in the storage tanks. Despite SAO’s best 

efforts and the dedication of significant staff time, the water quality is often questionable 

and continues to risk the health and safety of on-site personnel. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Remediate Pests and Security Threats at Base Camp 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) FLWO 

LOCATION: Amado, Arizona 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,500* 

Total 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

$3,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The SAO’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona conducts 

world-renowned astrophysical research from the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) 

building on the summit of Mt. Hopkins as well as many other telescope sites on the peaks 

around the FLWO campus. The Base Camp serves as the administrative and operational 

headquarters for the entire campus. It is located at the entrance to the SAO facility and 

serves as the interface location with the general public. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Due to its proximity to the Mexican border, there are increasing security threats 

from drug traffickers who often use the campus grounds as a smuggling route. In addition, 

the remote area in the mountain is home to many rodents who have infested and nested in 

the buildings, leaving behind feces in ceilings and walls that could pose a health risk from 

the Hanta virus, which poses a safety hazard to humans. The increased security risk from 

the narcotics smuggling requires extra security infrastructure, however installing the 

security systems requires accessing the dropped ceilings and walls of the buildings and 

those areas are infested with rodents and cannot be safely accessed until the pest 

infestation issue is remediated. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to begin Phase 1 of the project 

at the Base Camp, which is the remediation of the pest infestation, by removing the 

dropped ceilings and eliminating entrance points into and within the building. This 

phase will remediate the lower-level staff areas at the Base Camp’s Administration 

Building as well as at the adjacent Visitor Center and gift shop. The project will also 

include adding and/or updating security systems at the buildings in the Base Camp. 

Subsequent phases will address similar issues at other facilities on the campus. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design for Phase 1 of this project (Base Camp) will begin in FY 2023 and be 

completed early in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in the project would elevate staff life-safety issues from both the security 

and health perspectives. 

272 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Improve Safety on Mt. Hopkins Road 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 

LOCATION: Amado, Arizona 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $400* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,200* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,600* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) Fred Lawrence Whipple 

Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona conducts world-renowned astrophysical research from 

the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) building on the summit of Mt. Hopkins as well as 

many other telescope sites around the FLWO campus. The SAO is located at the summit 

of Mt. Hopkins, at an elevation of 8,550 feet, reachable only by Mt. Hopkins Road, a 12-

mile-long, unimproved, single-lane access road. The Smithsonian built the road more 

than 50 years ago to accommodate traffic by SAO research faculty, staff, and students, 

as well as contractors and some members of the public. Telescopes are located on the 

summit peaks. SAO activities on Mt. Hopkins require access between its facilities at the 

Base Camp (located at 4,500 feet) and the summit to conduct basic operations, research, 

and educational activities which form its core mission. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The surface of the single-lane road is largely unpaved, out-sloped to the canyons 

1,300 feet below, and is uneven with numerous switchbacks. Several sections are sloped 

at a 24-percent grade, which is well beyond the capability of most drivers, standard 

vehicles, and pedestrians. A driver can easily lose control of a vehicle in wet or icy 

conditions and these types of conditions are frequent at the altitudes where the road is 

located. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $400,000 in FY 2024 to continue improving road safety 

issues by adding safety guard rails where none currently exist. This is imperative for safe 

travel of Smithsonian staff, contractors, and visitors on the roads between the various 

sites of the FWLO. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Installation of the new guard rails will begin in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If this project is delayed, SAO staff, visitors, and scientists will continue to face 

increased life-safety risks when driving to and from the Observatory, especially during 

nightly science operations when vehicles must dim their lights to ensure optimal 

conditions for using the telescopes or driving when the road is slippery due to adverse 

weather conditions. 

273 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Install Site-wide Fall Protection, Fred L. Whipple Observatory 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) 

LOCATION: Amado, Arizona 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $350* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $300* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,200* 

Total $1,850* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The SAO’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory (FLWO) in Arizona conducts 

world-renowned astrophysical research from the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) 

building on the summit of Mt. Hopkins as well as many other telescope sites around the 

FLWO campus. SAO activities on Mt. Hopkins require access to and from its facilities at 

the Base Camp and the summit to conduct basic operations, research, and educational 

activities which form its core mission. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Presently, there is no safe access to the equipment on the high-pitched roof of 

the MMT Control Building directly over the maintenance hangar. The MMT building, 

located at over 8,500 feet above sea level, is subject to very extreme and suddenly 

changing climate conditions, which include gale-force winds and heavy ice. Personnel 

attempting to service this equipment are at a significant risk to their personal safety. In 

addition, there are numerous other life-safety deficiencies related to fall protection that 

are located throughout the campus and require remediation. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $350,000 in FY 2024 to create a safe walkway and 

platform on the MMT Control Building roof, which will include railings and codecompliant harness attachment points. Improvements will also be made to the horizontal 

lifeline system (HLL) on the roof of the Veritas building as well as at other site-wide 

locations where employees and contractors are exposed to the risks of hazardous falls. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The FLWO performed a fall hazard risk assessment in June of 2014. A study was 

awarded in FY 2021 that provided a concept design for the Base Camp buildings, Ridge 

buildings, Summit MMT (interior and exterior), and support buildings and Ridge water 

tanks. Concept design was completed in June of 2022 and the final design will be 

completed in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay will continue to put SAO staff and contractors who maintain the equipment 

on the roofs at risk of falls when doing their essential work to support the Observatory’s 

mission. 

274 
 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Construct Energy Efficiency Improvements at Summit and Base Camp 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) Submillimeter Array 

LOCATION: Island of Hawaii at Hilo and Maunakea 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $800* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,800* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Submillimeter Array (SMA) is the world’s first imaging interferometric telescope 

to operate in the major atmospheric windows from 0.3 mm to 1.3 mm. The Observatory is 

located at the summit of Maunakea, 13,368 feet above sea level, which puts it above more 

than 90 percent of the water vapor in the atmosphere that absorbs much of the light at the 

wavelengths observed by the SMA. The array consists of eight 6-meter-diameter movable 

antennas that can be positioned in different locations to provide resolution equivalent to a 

huge single antenna with a diameter of 0.5 km (0.3 miles) across. The SMA control building 

was constructed in 1997 with a gross area of 7,500 square feet. Adjacent to the control 

building is the SMA Antenna Maintenance Building, commonly referred to as the SMA 

Hanger. At the Hilo site there is a 16,000-square-foot office and lab building (Base Camp) 

to support SMA operations. Together, these structures support scientific investigations of 

stars, the solar system, and exoplanets. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

Electric power for SMA operations is provided by the Hawaii Electric Light Company 

(HELCO). For backup power, the SMA has a diesel generator that starts within 45 

seconds. There is sufficient fuel on site to only run the generator for a day or longer. By 

installing energy-efficient measures at both the summit (Maunakea) and Base Camp 

(Hilo), significant energy savings will be realized. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $800,000 in FY 2024 to begin Phase 1 of a two-phase, 

multi-year funded installation of photo-voltaic (PV) panels at both the summit and Base 

Camp facilities. The first phase will address requirements at the SMA Control Building at 

the summit, and the second phase will install PV panels at the Base Camp facility at Hilo, 

Hawaii. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Preliminary design is complete for Phase 1 and final design and bid documents will 

be completed in FY 2023. Design work for Phase 2 will begin in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay will continue the loss of potential energy savings at both the summit and 

Base Camp facilities. 

275 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Install Additional Chiller and Controls 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

Total 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

$1,500* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s exhibits cover 

more than 400 years of African American history and culture. The architectural and 

engineering team of Freelon Adjaye Bond SmithGroup began work on the design in 

November of 2009. The design concept leverages the image of the Corona by placing this 

singular building element within the landscape. Reaching toward the sky, the Corona 

expresses faith, hope, and resiliency. Internal to the building, the Corona forms a 

perimeter zone that surrounds the primary galleries. Daylight enters through openings in 

the screen panels and skylights — bringing in light while providing views upward and 

outward. The Corona rests on a base of clear glass panels which afford generous views 

into and through the building as well as outward into the surrounding landscape and the 

Washington Monument grounds. The landscape design is an essential component of the 

visitor experience. A reflecting pool at the south entrance includes both turbulent and still 

waters to symbolize the African American experience in the United States. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The redundant chiller was deferred from the initial construction of the building for 

budget reasons. Reliability concerns for the other chillers during peak loads now support 

the installation of this redundant chiller. In addition, fluctuating HVAC setpoints during 

extreme temperatures, and increased maintenance due to the existing chillers’ age, have

caused problems with the operation of the chillers. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to continue installing a fourth chiller 

and connecting it to the existing infrastructure. Additionally, operating controls will be 

updated to work with the existing Building Automated System (BAS). 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design services were completed in the fourth quarter of FY 2022 and construction 

submittals are in progress. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The current situation is no longer sustainable. Existing equipment is stressed to its 

limits during extreme weather conditions. If one of the three chillers fails, it would 

jeopardize the NMAAHC’s collections and negatively impact both Museum staff and the 

public’s visitor experience.

276 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Mitigate Groundwater Infiltration 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $750* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $750* 

Total $1,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s exhibits cover 

more than 400 years of African American history and culture. The architectural and 

engineering team of Freelon Adjaye Bond SmithGroup began work on the design in 

November of 2009 after the Smithsonian Institution selected the firm through a design 

competition process. The design concept leverages the image of the Corona by placing 

this singular building element within the landscape. Reaching toward the sky, the Corona 

expresses faith, hope, and resiliency. Internal to the building, the Corona forms a 

perimeter zone that surrounds the primary galleries. Daylight enters this zone through 

openings in the screen panels and skylights — bringing in light while providing views 

upward and outward. The Corona rests on a base of clear glass panels which afford 

generous views into and through the building as well as outward from the interior into the 

surrounding landscape and the Washington Monument grounds. The design of the porch 

reinforces its importance in African American culture as a gathering and welcoming space. 

The landscape design is an essential component of the visitor experience. A reflecting 

pool at the south entrance includes both turbulent and still waters to symbolize the African 

American experience in the United States. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The Museum’s waterproofing systems are keeping a substantial portion of the 

groundwater out of the building and serving their intended purpose as designed. However, 

additional measures need to be considered for managing both the current and future 

expected nuisance water infiltration. The Museum is situated on the grounds of the 

Washington Monument. The northern part of the building is the lowest portion and rests on 

decomposed bedrock. The southern part of the building is significantly higher, and the 

foundation walls and slab sit in sandy soil. The Museum is severely restricted in its ability 

to dewater the site, because the adjacent Washington Monument relies on the 

groundwater to remain level. During the design and construction project, robust 

waterproofing systems were implemented to keep the site water sources out of the 

underground portions of the building. Since construction began, the building has 

experienced nuisance water infiltration from various locations. For example, water has 

damaged tile finishes in restrooms on the concourse level. Grouting has been used to fill 

microcracks in concrete walls and floors as needed. 

277 
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $750,000 in FY 2024 to implement water mitigation 

strategies at the NMAAHC. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design services contract was awarded in the fourth quarter of FY 2022 and the 

design work will begin in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Not implementing water mitigation repairs in a timely manner will increase the risk 

of extensive damage to property, equipment, and collections at the Museum. 

278 
 

 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Improve Kitchen Exhaust Ductwork Access 

INSTALLATION: National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI-DC) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $3,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $2,000* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $6,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The curvilinear asymmetry of the National Museum of the American Indian provides 

a strong visual contrast to the regularity of the rest of the National Mall. Designed through 

consultations with the diverse Native groups and tribes of the Americas, the building 

reflects the broad commonalities in Indian tradition which emerged from those meetings. 

The incorporation of nature is seen throughout the structure of the Museum, which was 

designed by Douglas Cardinal of the Canadian Blackfoot tribe and the Philadelphia-based 

architectural firm GBQC and Polshek Partnership. In its sculptural form, the building 

illustrates the force of nature’s energy through its effect upon the Kasota sandstone. In 

addition, the exterior of the building reflects traditional Indian culture. The landscaping 

contains indigenous plants from areas where Indians once lived. Water flows around three 

sides of the building, adding to the illusion of water-worn limestone on the curved exterior. 

More than 40 boulders surround the Museum, representing ancestors of the Native 

Americans. The building faces east toward the rising sun, reflecting Native American 

tradition. The Museum opened to the public in 2004 and was launched with a week of 

festivities attended by more than 20,000 Indians from tribes across the Americas. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The kitchen exhaust system requires improvements to ensure the facility complies 

with life and safety requirements, and to reduce repair and maintenance costs. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $3.0 million in FY 2024 to improve the kitchen exhaust 

system. Specifically, the project will improve kitchen exhaust duct maintenance access, 

replace critical mechanical components, including hoods and fans, and reconfigure duct 

work as necessary to improve efficiency. The project will make it easier to maintain the 

kitchen exhaust system and reduce repair and maintenance costs, as well as provide a 

better visitor experience by reducing fumes emanating from the current, inadequate 

system. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A study was completed in May of 2020 to recommend improvements to the kitchen 

exhaust system. Concept design began in early FY 2022. Construction documents were 

completed in the first quarter of FY 2023 and the construction contract is expected to be 

awarded in the fourth quarter of FY 2023 as a multi-year-funded project. 

279 
IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The kitchen exhaust ductwork and fans are difficult to maintain properly due to lack 

of access into exhaust ductwork for cleaning, causing more frequent repair and 

replacement of mechanical components. Buildup of grease within exhaust ductwork due to 

poor drainage also poses a fire hazard and impairs compliance with life-safety code 

requirements. In addition, the deficiency also negatively impacts the visitor experience 

because strong grease odors spread to the second-floor gallery due to poorly sealed 

exhaust ductwork from the Mitsitam Cafe below. This project will correct those 

deficiencies. 

280 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Replace Steam Humidification System 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Quadrangle 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,000* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $1,000* 

Total $3,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Quadrangle Building, which includes the National Museum of 

African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the Ripley Education Center, is a threestory, underground building that opened to the public in 1987. There are pavilion 

entrances to the three facilities located in the Haupt Garden, the structure’s green roof. 

The 389,000-square-foot building was designed by the architectural firm of Shepley, 

Bullfinch, and Abbott. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The building’s steam humidification systems are reaching the end of their useful 

life expectancy, have experienced leaks, and need to be upgraded to meet current 

performance standards and provide a comfortable environment for staff and visitors and 

to prevent damage to the national collections. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.0 million in FY 2024 to continue upgrading the 

steam humidification systems to meet current standards for collections stewardship and 

the comfort of staff and the visiting public. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design study was completed in FY 2022. The first phase of humidification 

upgrades started in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying this project will leave the Quadrangle with steam humidification systems 

that are near the end of their useful life, making them more prone to malfunction and 

failure. It will also leave the building out of compliance with current standards for 

collections protection, visitor comfort, and systems performance and reliability. 

281 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Replace Track Lighting at International Gallery 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Quadrangle 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

Total $500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Quadrangle Building, which includes the National Museum of 

African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the Ripley Education Center, is a threestory, underground building that opened to the public in 1987. There are pavilion 

entrances to the three facilities located in the Haupt Garden, the structure’s green roof. 

The 389,000-square-foot building was designed by the architectural firm of Shepley, 

Bullfinch, and Abbott. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The track lighting system at the International Gallery, on the third level of the 

Quadrangle, is original to the building’s construction more than 35 years ago. The old 

system is failing and presents a risk of electrical shocks to the staff when lighting fixtures 

are relocated and refocused. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to replace these track lighting 

systems to meet current code standards for the safety of Smithsonian staff. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design work is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 

FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the project will leave the International Gallery at the Quadrangle with 

track lighting systems that are at the end of their useful life, making them more prone to 

malfunction and failure, as well as risk the safety of Smithsonian staff. 

282 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Improve Technology Infrastructure 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Quadrangle 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

Total $500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Smithsonian Quadrangle Building, which includes the National Museum of 

African Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the Ripley Education Center, is a threestory, underground building that opened to the public in 1987. There are pavilion 

entrances to the three facilities located in the Haupt Garden, the structure’s green roof. 

The 389,000-square-foot building was designed by the architectural firm of Shepley, 

Bullfinch, and Abbott. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The education technologies at the Ripley Center classrooms have not been 

substantially improved since the spaces were first created. Modern teaching practices, 

including distance learning, require the installation of contemporary systems for online 

instruction and computer-aided lessons. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to install information technology 

systems that meet current standards for public education programs. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The design work was initiated in FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

Delaying the project will leave the Ripley Center classrooms with education 

technology systems that are significantly out of date and at the end of their useful life. 

283 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Repair Combined Sanitary/Storm Sewer 

INSTALLATION: Donald W. Reynolds Center (DWRC) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $2,500* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $2,000* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $4,500* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Originally constructed as the Patent Office Building in 1840, the Donald W. 

Reynolds Center is an excellent example of a Greek Revival public office building. The

South Wing is the original building and is distinguished by a monumental Greek Doric-style 

portico. The East, West, and North Wings, added between 1852 and 1867, expanded the 

building to occupy two entire blocks between 7th and 9th Streets and between F and G

Streets, NW, in Washington, DC. The total gross square footage is 669,931 square feet. A

major renovation of the building was completed in 2006 by Hartman Cox. In 2007, the 

center courtyard was enclosed by a glass canopy designed by Norman Foster. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The basement of the DWRC, specifically the auditorium, has experienced flooding 

in the past several years. The leak most likely came from the canopy columns, with the 

second column in the northwest corner being the most problematic. Smithsonian Facilities 

staff suspect the water that backed up into the column came from the city’s combined

sanitary and storm sewer system. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $2.5 million in FY 2024 to begin repairing the stormwater 

system. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design is expected to be awarded by the third quarter of FY 2023, with the 

construction award expected in FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay in this project would cause the flooding in the basement to continue, which 

will further damage the infrastructure’s walls, floors, carpets, furniture, and auditorium 

stage and make the space unusable. The cost for repairs will only escalate to 

repair/replace these collateral damages. 

284 
 

 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Replace North Basement Collections Space Humidity System 

INSTALLATION: Donald W. Reynolds Center (DWRC) 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $500* 

ESTIMATED FUTURE-YEAR FUNDING: $1,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $2,000* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Originally constructed as the Patent Office Building in 1840, the Donald W. 

Reynolds Center is an excellent example of a Greek Revival public office building. The

South Wing is the original building and is distinguished by a monumental Greek Doric-style 

portico. The East, West, and North Wings, added between 1852 and 1867, expanded the 

building to occupy two entire blocks between 7th and 9th Streets and between F and G

Streets, NW, in Washington, DC. The total gross square footage is 669,931 square feet. A

major renovation of the building was completed in 2006 by Hartman Cox. In 2007, the 

center courtyard was enclosed by a glass canopy designed by Norman Foster. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The collections storage space in the basement of the DWRC requires temperature 

and humidity controls to protect the valuable artwork and collections. The aging airhandling unit (AHU) supporting this storage is unable to provide adequate humidity control 

for the collection spaces, especially during the winter months when the air can be quite 

dry. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $500,000 in FY 2024 to initiate the repairs/replacement 

to the humidity system, AHU, and associated components. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Temporary fixes were done in-house to resolve the humidity problem in the 

basement, yet the humidity remains below the optimal level for collections storage. The 

construction contract package will be developed in FY 2023, with the award to follow in 

FY 2024. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay of the project will put valuable collections and artwork in jeopardy. The 

artwork must be stored in a well-ventilated and controlled environment to preserve it for 

archival purposes. 

285 
 

 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Mitigate Glass Blast Hazard 

INSTALLATION: Freer Gallery of Art 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $3,500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $3,500* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The 225,000-square-foot Freer Gallery of Art was constructed between 1916 and 

1923 on the National Mall to house the art collections of Charles Lang Freer. It was the first 

Smithsonian Museum devoted to the fine arts. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The building’s original bronze double-hung windows, to which aluminum storm 

windows have been added, do not meet contemporary standards for blast protection, 

putting the building occupants and collections at risk. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $3.5 million in FY 2024 to replace the existing windows with 

new, blast-rated aluminum sashes. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design specifications for the window replacement project are expected to be 

completed by the end of the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If not funded, the existing windows will not be replaced, putting the public, staff, and 

collections at risk in the event of a blast attack. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Repair Stone Façade, Phase 2 

INSTALLATION: Freer Gallery of Art 

LOCATION: Washington, DC 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $1,800* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $1,800* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The 225,000-square-foot Freer Gallery of Art was constructed between 1916 and 

1923 on the National Mall to house the art collections of Charles Lang Freer. It was the first 

Smithsonian Museum devoted to the fine arts. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The building’s outward-facing stone façade requires refurbishment. The stonework 

is soiled, chipped, and in need of selective repointing, which could lead to potential water 

infiltration and interior damage. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $1.8 million in FY 2024 to refurbish the stone façade. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

Design is expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

If not funded, the required repairs will be further postponed, resulting in the 

continued deterioration of these character-defining elements of the building, loss of original 

building masonry material, and potential water infiltration and interior damage, possibly 

including the priceless collections housed within the building. 

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PROJECT TITLE: Construct Turbidity Filter System 

INSTALLATION: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) 

LOCATION: Edgewater, Maryland 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $400* 

PRIOR-YEAR FUNDING: $500* 

* Does not include funding in Facilities Planning and Design. 

Total $900* 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

As part of its sustainable practices, SERC plans to use a water reclamation 

system to provide a non-potable water source for the main campus. Reclaimed water 

would be processed through a treatment system located at the core campus. The intent is 

to be able to pump this reclaimed water to a 300,000-gallon water storage tower located 

on the northern hillside. This non-potable water will be used for fire protection and other 

purposes. Construction of the SERC fire-protection water-distribution system, which 

included the non-potable water tower, was competed in 2015 and a turbidity filter was 

added to the treatment system in 2018. Since that time, the performance of the turbidity 

filter has been insufficient for the reclaimed water to be used as intended. Because of 

these problems, and SERC’s continued inability to use the system with the turbidity filter 

as currently installed, a study completed in October of 2019 assessed the existing water 

reclamation system and recommended improvements to the turbidity filter as part of the 

overall wastewater reuse system. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $400,000 in FY 2024 to finish installing a new clothdisk filter facility next to the existing ultraviolet (UV) disinfection building. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

A study to review the current water reclamation system and provide phasedapproach recommendations was completed in October of 2019. Repairs to the primary 

wastewater treatment system are complete. The design is expected to be completed in 

the fourth quarter of FY 2023. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

The existing infrastructure is in place for non-potable use of reclaimed water. 

Delaying the installation of the new filtration system will require SERC to continue using 

potable water unnecessarily while the existing reclamation system remains idle, thus 

wasting resources and incurring additional costs 

288 
 

 

PROJECT TITLE: Building Projects Less than $1,000,000 and Miscellaneous Repairs 

INSTALLATION: Multiple Locations 

LOCATION: Institution-wide 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $8,900 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

This request includes smaller individual projects of less than $1 million each, which 

usually involve replacement of individual systems or components and miscellaneous 

capital repairs needed for unplanned emergencies. In addition, this funding supports other 

Smithsonian operations, such as library support and security guard services, collections 

upgrades, electronic security system modernizations, swing space for one of our two new 

museums, and conservation and related studies. 

PROJECT TITLE: Construction Supervision and Administration 

INSTALLATION: Multiple Locations 

LOCATION: Institution-wide 

FY 2024 COST ESTIMATE (Thousands of Dollars): $9,500 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

This request supports the essential specialized work associated with Facilities Capital 

Program projects. A total of 53 FTEs will be funded from the $9.5 million. These positions will 

consist of permanent and temporary construction management and cost-engineering staff, 

program managers in branch offices, five contract specialists, a historic preservation 

specialist, and term and temporary staff required to perform the specialized work associated 

with Facilities Capital Program projects. Included in this request is $1.0 million to hire 

additional staff necessary to begin creating the congressionally mandated National Museum 

of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. These 

personnel will assist with planning, design, site selection, programming, cost estimating, and 

environmental assessments for the two new museums. 

Construction management staff supervise and administer construction contracts. 

They directly supervise construction contractors to ensure that quality work is performed 

safely, resolve issues that arise during construction, negotiate change orders, approve 

payments, and perform other administrative functions as contracting officers’ technical 

representatives. A central construction management administration section coordinates all 

funding, contract changes, technical issues, and project physical and financial closeouts. 

Cost engineers develop Independent Government Estimates for every stage of project 

development, as well as analyze consultant-prepared construction cost estimates and 

contractor cost proposals for construction contract awards and change orders. On-site 

program managers ensure adequate oversight of projects in branch offices by using scope, 

schedule, and budget controls to directly lead major construction projects, as well as many 

smaller projects. Contract specialists help procure contract services to obtain the essential 

289 
expertise required to execute the Facilities Capital Program, thereby ensuring the timely 

award of planning, design, and construction contracts. 

The historic preservation specialist supports capital projects for five National Historic 

Landmarks, as well as all the historic Smithsonian buildings on the National Mall, thus 

fulfilling the federal requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This 

includes working with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; guiding the Section 106 

federal program working with the Washington, DC Historic Preservation Officer; managing 

consultants who help prepare Historic Structures Reports and assist in the conservation of 

building materials; and providing general in-house architectural history research, technical 

reviews, and consultations. 

290 
FACILITIES PLANNING AND DESIGN 

Feasibility studies, needs assessments, and design for capital projects are required 

before site work can take place. This category includes all costs for contract facility master 

planning, preliminary and final designs for all revitalization and construction projects, 

special studies, and a small amount for facility engineering, capital leveraging, and 

research activities, such as those functions performed at the Department of Defense and 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This funding will enable development 

of project baselines, including costs, scopes, and schedules, prior to receiving funds to 

perform the work. 

To plan and design ahead of Capital Program execution, funding of approximately 

15 to 20 percent of the following year’s program is required each year. The Planning and

Design funding requested for FY 2024 will complete designs for projects planned for 

FY 2025 and provide necessary planning and design to the 35 percent stage for most 

projects included in the planned FY 2026 program. This will move the Institution closer to 

meeting the National Academy of Public Administration’s (NAPA) recommendation that 

firm baselines be established before preparation of funding requests so budgets 

submitted provide more accurate cost estimates and enable timely award of construction 

contracts upon receipt of future-year funding. 

The Institution requests a total of $44,800,000 for planning and design in FY 2024. 

These funds will be used for site evaluations, early planning, and support for two new 

museums established by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021: the 

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and the National Museum of the 

American Latino ($2.0 million). These funds will continue design work for the Hirshhorn 

Museum and Sculpture Garden major revitalization ($6.0 million); major revitalization of 

the National Museum of American History, including renovation of the East Wing 

($9.7 million) and other projects ($1.8 million); the National Zoo and Conservation Biology 

Institute ($10.0 million); major revitalization projects at the National Museum of Natural 

History ($3.2 million); the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center projects 

($0.4 million); the Donald W. Reynolds Center projects ($0.3 million); security-related 

projects, including electronic security system modernizations at various facilities 

($1.4 million); the National Postal Museum projects ($1.2 million); the Cooper Hewitt, 

Smithsonian Design Museum projects ($0.5 million); and various collections storage 

improvement projects ($0.6 million). These funds will also be used to design many smaller 

revitalization projects and security upgrades, and for space utilization studies and smaller 

master planning initiatives ($7.7 million), which will help guide the Smithsonian’s future 

facilities decisions and ensure more effective use of existing space. 

291 
 

CONSTRUCTION 

PROJECT TITLE: Construct Pod 6 

INSTALLATION: Suitland Collections Center (SCC) 

LOCATION: Suitland, Maryland 

(Dollars in $000s) 

Smithsonian 

Institution 

National Gallery 

of Art 

FY 2024 Cost Estimate Design $0 $0 

FY 2024 Cost Estimate Construction $37,000 $24,574 

Prior-Year Funding Design $6,850 $2,610 

Prior-Year Funding Construction $43,600 $38,670 

Estimated Future-Year Funding Construction $13,800 $5,646 

TOTAL $101,250 $71,500 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Paul E. Garber Facility in Suitland, Maryland is one of the first off-site storage 

spaces for the Smithsonian Institution’s collections. The structures were originally built as 10–

15-year temporary buildings in the 1950s but have been in use ever since and still serve as 

one of the primary off-site collections storage spaces for the Smithsonian. An evaluation of SI 

collections storage space identified the Garber collections storage site as containing almost 

50 percent of the Smithsonian’s unacceptable collections space. Much of the more than 

384,700 square feet of space at Garber does not meet current building code requirements for 

structural support, is compromised by hazardous materials, and does not provide the proper 

environmental conditions to adequately preserve the nation’s priceless artifacts stored there. 

Construction of Pod 6 is the last phase of the Museum Support Center (MSC) complex 

project that began years ago at the Suitland Collections Center (SCC) campus and was one 

of the first projects identified in the SCC master plan. It is a three-story collections storage 

module to be built next to the Pod 4 storage module and will be shared with the National 

Gallery of Art (NGA) under a special partnership agreement. Approximately 58 percent of the 

building will be occupied by the Smithsonian and 42 percent will be occupied by the NGA. 

Accordingly, the Smithsonian will fund 58 percent of the total construction costs and 42 

percent will be funded by the NGA. 

The completion of Pod 6 will allow Phase 1 of the 40-year SCC master plan to begin 

and will enable the Smithsonian to move a significant number of its remaining collections out of 

the aging buildings of the Paul E. Garber Facility while also providing permanent, state-of-theart collections storage facilities for both the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art. 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 

The 2014 Collection Space Framework Plan identified increasing collections storage 

capacity as a primary goal for the Smithsonian to address unacceptable conditions, allow 

decompression, anticipate future growth, and reduce the Institution’s reliance on and recurring 

costs for leased collections storage space. Concurrently, the NGA identified a similar need for 

a permanent, non-leased, climate-controlled facility to properly house, process, and conserve 

their priceless works of art. Their existing off-site storage, leased from a third party, is not 

292 
adequate in terms of quality or quantity, and can no longer accommodate the NGA’s 

collections growth. Constructing the Pod 6 collections storage module will be a cost-effective 

first step in meeting these goals for both cultural institutions. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

The Smithsonian requests $37.0 million in FY 2024 to continue construction of Pod 6. 

A feasibility study completed in FY 2016 envisioned a 130,000-square-foot addition on the 

west side of the MSC. The module will include space for collections from the National 

Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Postal 

Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the NGA. This custom-designed 

module will give the Smithsonian Institution and the NGA a well-planned and executed 

structure that will provide conservation and preservation for some the most significant 

historical artifacts and prestigious works of art in the world. When built, the module will 

maintain these national treasures under strict and efficient humidity and temperature controls, 

thus ensuring their preservation for generations to come. Pod 6 will provide 145,538 net 

square feet of storage space, which includes 84,214 net square feet for the Smithsonian and 

61,324 net square feet for the NGA. Project design was completed in the second quarter of 

FY 2022, with the construction contract awarded in the last week of September of 2022. 

PROGRESS TO DATE: 

The schematic design phase is complete. A Project Definition Rating Index meeting 

was held in June of 2020, ensuring that the design is moving forward in accordance with 

the Construction Industry Institute standards. Thirty-five (35) percent design was submitted 

in September of 2020 and a Value Engineering study was completed in late 2020 to 

identify where cost savings and efficiencies can be realized. Sixty-five (65) percent design 

was received in April of 2021 and final design and construction documents were submitted 

in January of 2022. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding for the design, 

construction, and use of Pod 6 has been signed by the senior leaders of both the 

Smithsonian Institution and the NGA. The construction contract solicitation occurred in 

June of 2022 and was awarded in September of 2022. 

IMPACT OF DELAY: 

A delay of the Pod 6 project will require both the Smithsonian and the NGA to continue 

storing precious artifacts in areas with substandard conditions, such as the basements of the 

Mall museums which are often subject to flooding. In addition, without this new module, the 

NGA will need to continue leasing substandard collections storage space at a substantial 

cost. A delay would also set back other museum renovation projects because part of the 

intended use of Pod 6 is to provide swing space for collections which need to be stored during 

other essential construction projects. Finally, such a delay would impair the Smithsonian’s 

private-sector fund raising because benefactors and donors are more likely to endow 

museums and galleries when they know there will be permanent safekeeping of their gifts for 

the public good. 

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294
TAB 4 

APPENDIX 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

PROPOSED – FEBRUARY 2023 

Board of Regents

Secretary

Chief of Staff

General Counsel

Office of the Regents

Inspector General

Assistant Secretary

Communications and 

External Affairs

and

Chief Marketing Officer

Assistant Secretary

Advancement

Director, Equal Emp. 

& Supplier Diversity

Contracting & Pers. Prop. Mgmt.

Facilities Management

Finance & Accounting

Human Resources

Information Technology

Investments

Planning, Design, & Construction

Planning, Mgmt. & Budget

Protection Services

Safety, Health, & Env. Mgmt.

Sponsored Projects

Deputy Secretary

and

Chief Operating Officer

Under Secretary

for

Finance and

Administration/Chief

Financial Officer

Anacostia Community Museum

Archives of American Art

Arts and Industries Building

Asian Pacific American Center

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of African Art

National Museum of American History

National Museum of Asian Art

National Museum of the American Indian

National Museum of the American Latino

National Portrait Gallery

National Postal Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

Smithsonian Exhibits

Museum Conservation Institute

National Air and Space Museum

National Museum of Natural History

National Zoological Park/Smithsonian 

Conservation Biology Institute

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Smithsonian Environmental Research 

Center

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Educational Technology

Smithsonian Associates

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition 

Service and Smithsonian Affiliations

Smithsonian Science Education 

Center

Under Secretary 

for 

Education

Under Secretary 

for

Museums and Culture

Under Secretary

for

Science and Research

President

Smithsonian Enterprises

Head of Digital

Transformation Head of Diversity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- I I -

- I I I I 

s-1 

I 

I_J LI 

I 

I I 

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VISITS TO THE SMITHSONIAN 

FYs 2018–2022 

MALL FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 

SI Castle 1,082,016 955,949 298,325 75,191 842,367 

A&I Building1/5 18,329 27,514 1,599 0 493,768 

Natural History 5,177,357 4,228,940 1,465,253 502,222 3,519,054 

Air and Space 6,382,500 3,869,046 749,475 197,575 284,290 

American Indian 1,109,424 985,781 358,732 133,712 481,562 

Freer Gallery 294,866 300,066 110,412 38,297 226,723 

Sackler Gallery 142,548 153,213 57,339 0 110,865 

African Art 144,175 130,414 51,270 17,697 84,062 

Ripley Center 127,850 150,663 60,799 0 1,273 

American History 4,026,325 3,061,396 741,281 352,052 1,803,656 

Hirshhorn 808,498 982,816 299,090 95,030 751,476 

African American History and 

Culture 2,039,364 1,923,563 836,768 244,887 1,061,730 

OFF MALL FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 

DW Reynolds Center (AA/PG) 2,118,434 1,819,355 706,155 198,986 838,214 

Anacostia 37,562 11,038 10,064 956 6,853 

Cooper Hewitt 316,732 267,948 99,284 33,124 111,346 

American Indian2 

(Heye Center/CRC) 417,829 357,554 147,234 30,014 191,733 

Renwick 795,523 430,101 134,210 56,921 174,856 

National Zoo 1,664,579 1,885,116 816,703 793,702 1,518,238 

Postal 525,168 489,120 189,021 5,629 104,871 

Udvar-Hazy Center 1,546,780 1,317,082 589,120 396,730 1,137,358 

TOTAL3/4 28,775,859 23,346,675 7,722,134 3,172,725 13,744,295 

1. The Arts and Industries (A&I) Building closed to the public in January of 2004 and hosts special events only. 

2. Includes the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City and the Cultural Resources Center (CRC) in Suitland, Maryland. 

3. The drop in visits in FY 2019 is due to the federal Government shutdown (in January of 2019), the partial closure of the National Air and Space Museum for a 

major renovation project, and a revised counting methodology. 

4. The drop in visits in FYs 2020–2022 is due to the COVID-19 pandemic closures in March of 2020 and thereafter. 

5. The AIB increase in visitation in FY 2022 is due to the opening of the FUTURES exhibit. 

296 
TRUST FUNDS 

In addition to support provided by federal appropriations, the Smithsonian 

Institution receives and generates trust funds to expand and enrich its programs. 

Trust funds are used to leverage the Smithsonian’s research capacity through 

partnerships with federal agencies, universities, non-Governmental 

organizations, industry, and other private organizations, both national and 

international. Trust funds are also raised to renovate and modernize exhibits 

throughout the Institution. The following summary provides an overview of the 

current sources of trust funds. 

The Institution’s trust funds include general trust funds with limited or no 

restrictions on their use, funds restricted by the donor or sponsor, and 

Government grants and contracts. Projections are subject to the uncertainty of 

the size of donations, grants, and contracts; to fluctuations in visitor attendance; 

and to the volatility of the economy, which together directly affect the return on 

the endowment, short-term interest income, and donor giving, as well as 

restaurant, magazine, catalogue, and museum shop revenues, memberships, 

and other business activities. The Institution’s gross operating revenue, less the 

expenses of the auxiliary activities, represents the net operating revenue 

available for programmatic and related purposes. The following table 

summarizes the sources of trust operating funds. 

(Dollars in Millions) 

FY 2022 

Actuals 

FY 2023 

Estimates 

General Trust 86.5 82.0 

Donor/Sponsor-Designated 321.6 342.3 

Government Grants and Contracts 118.1 117.5 

Total Available for Operations $526.2 $541.8 

SOURCE AND APPLICATION OF TRUST FUNDS — The following sections 

describe the sources of each category of trust funds as well as a general account 

of how they are used. 

General Trust Funds — The sources of general trust funds are 

investment income; payout from unrestricted endowments; net proceeds from the 

museum shops, catalogues, and food service concessions; sales of Smithsonian 

books, records, and other products based on designs and objects in the national 

collections; theater/planetarium operations at the National Air and Space 

Museum; student travel programs; rental of exhibitions of the Smithsonian 

Institution Traveling Exhibition Service; membership programs (including 

subscriptions to Smithsonian and Air and Space magazines); the sale of posters, 

exhibition brochures, catalogues, and other publications; and admission fees for 

special events. Projected sources of FY 2023 general trust funds total 

297 
$82,000,000. These funds are used to support administrative programs such as 

central management, legal counsel, accounting, personnel, contracting, and 

budget, as well as fund raising, education, research, and public programs, and 

scholarly studies and exhibitions. 

Donor/Sponsor-Designated Funds — Designated trust funds include 

gifts, grants, and earnings on endowments from individuals, foundations, 

organizations, and corporations, which specify the purpose of the funds. 

Designated funds in FY 2023 are projected to total $342,300,000. Generally, 

these funds support a particular exhibition or program or are used to manage the 

Smithsonian’s collections and/or support research projects in accordance with 

the Institution’s mission. 

Government Grants and Contracts — Various Government agencies 

and departments provide grants and contracts for specific projects that align with 

the Smithsonian’s expertise in a particular area of science, history, art, or 

education. For FY 2023, Government grants and contracts are projected to total 

$117,500,000. Of this amount, $99,700,000 is planned for astrophysical research 

and development programs conducted by the Smithsonian Astrophysical 

Observatory. 

298 
FY 2023 APPROPRIATIONS LANGUAGE 

SALARIES AND EXPENSES 

For necessary expenses of the Smithsonian Institution, as authorized by law, including 

research in the fields of art, science, and history; development, preservation, and 

documentation of the National Collections; presentation of public exhibits and 

performances; collection, preparation, dissemination, and exchange of information and 

publications; conduct of education, training, and museum assistance programs; 

maintenance, alteration, operation, lease agreements of no more than 30 years, and 

protection of buildings, facilities, and approaches; not to exceed $100,000 for services 

as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; and purchase, rental, repair, and cleaning of uniforms 

for employees, $892,855,000, to remain available until September 30, 2024, except as 

otherwise provided herein; of which not to exceed $26,974,000 for the instrumentation 

program, collections acquisition, exhibition reinstallation, Smithsonian American 

Women’s History Museum, National Museum of the American Latino, and the 

repatriation of skeletal remains program shall remain available until expended; and 

including such funds as may be necessary to support American overseas research 

centers: Provided, That funds appropriated herein are available for advance payments 

to independent contractors performing research services or participating in official 

Smithsonian presentations: Provided further, That the Smithsonian Institution may 

expend Federal appropriations designated in this Act for lease or rent payments, as 

rent payable to the Smithsonian Institution, and such rent payments may be deposited 

into the general trust funds of the Institution to be available as trust funds for expenses 

associated with the purchase of a portion of the building at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, 

Washington, DC, to the extent that federally supported activities will be housed there: 

Provided further, That the use of such amounts in the general trust funds of the 

Institution for such purpose shall not be construed as Federal debt service for, a 

Federal guarantee of, a transfer of risk to, or an obligation of the Federal Government: 

Provided further, That no appropriated funds may be used directly to service debt 

which is incurred to finance the costs of acquiring a portion of the building at 600 

Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, or of planning, designing, and constructing 

improvements to such building: Provided further, That any agreement entered into by 

the Smithsonian Institution for the sale of its ownership interest, or any portion thereof, 

in such building so acquired may not take effect until the expiration of a 30 day period 

which begins on the date on which the Secretary of the Smithsonian submits to the 

Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Senate, the 

Committees on House Administration and Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

House of Representatives, and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the 

Senate a report, as outlined in the explanatory statement described in section 4 of the 

Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–94; 133 Stat. 2536) 

on the intended sale. 

299 
 

FACILITIES CAPITAL 

For necessary expenses of repair, revitalization, and alteration of facilities owned 

or occupied by the Smithsonian Institution, by contract or otherwise, as 

authorized by section 2 of the Act of August 22, 1949 (63 Stat. 623), and for 

construction, including necessary personnel, $251,645,000, to remain available 

until expended, of which not to exceed $10,000 shall be for services as 

authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109. 

APPROPRIATION LANGUAGE AND CITATIONS 

The Act of August 10, 1846, codified within 20 U.S.C. §§ 41–70, established 

the Smithsonian Institution “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge,” and provided 

the organizational structure for the Institution’s administration. The mission of the 

Smithsonian Institution has remained unchanged throughout its 177-year history, 

although additional authority for many of the Institution’s programs and operations has 

been enacted over the years. Selected provisions of those statutes, along with 

selected provisions of the Smithsonian charter and prior-year appropriations acts, are 

cited below as authority for the Smithsonian Institution’s FY 2023 appropriations 

language included in the Department of Interior, Environment and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2023, Division G, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 

(H.R. 2617, PL 117-328). 

Appropriation: Salaries and Expenses 

1. For necessary expenses of the Smithsonian Institution, as authorized by law, 

including research in the fields of art, science, and history; 

20 U.S.C. § 50 provides that “...all objects of art and of foreign and 

curious research, and all objects of natural history, plants, and geological 

and mineralogical specimens...shall be so arranged and classified...as 

best to facilitate the examination and study of them...” 

20 U.S.C. § 53a provides that “Appropriations are hereby authorized 

for...the making of solar observations at high altitudes...” 

20 U.S.C. § 69 provides that “The Secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution is hereby authorized...to continue independently or in 

cooperation anthropological researches among the American Indians 

and the natives of lands under the jurisdiction or protection of the United 

States...” 

20 U.S.C. § 75b(b) provides that “The [National Portrait] Gallery shall 

function as a free public museum for the exhibition and study of 

portraiture and statuary depicting men and women who have made 

significant contributions to the history, development, and culture of the 

300 
 

people of the United States and of the artists who created such 

portraiture and statuary.” 

20 U.S.C. § 76bb(c) provides that “The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum 

and Sculpture Garden...shall be used for the storage, exhibition, and 

study of works of art...”

20 U.S.C. § 77a provides that “Said national air and space museum 

shall...provide educational material for the historical study of aviation and 

space flight.”

20 U.S.C. § 78 provides that “The Secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution is hereby authorized to cooperate with any State, educational 

institution, or scientific organization in the United States, for continuing 

paleontological investigations...” 

20 U.S.C. § 80m(a)(3) provides that “(a)...the Board [of Regents] may--

...(3) conduct programs of research and education [in the Museum of 

African Art]...”

20 U.S.C. §§ 80q-1(b)(1) & (3) provide that “(b)The purposes of the 

National Museum [of the American Indian] are to-- (1) advance the study 

of Native Americans, including the study of language, literature, history, 

art, anthropology, and life;...(3) provide for Native American research 

and study programs...”

20 U.S.C. § 80r-2(b)(1) provides that “(b) The purpose of the [National] 

Museum [of African American History and Culture] shall be to provide 

for-- (1) the collection, study and establishment of programs relating to 

African American life, art, history and culture that encompass [certain 

periods of the African American diaspora]...”

2. development, preservation, and documentation of the National Collections; 

20 U.S.C. § 50 provides that “...all objects of art and of foreign and 

curious research, and all objects of natural history, plants, and geological 

and mineralogical specimens...shall be delivered to such persons as 

may be authorized by the Board of Regents to receive them, and shall 

be so arranged and classified...as best to facilitate the examination and 

study of them...” 

20 U.S.C. § 50a provides that “The Smithsonian Institution is . . . 

authorized to include in its estimates of appropriations such sums as 

may be needful for the preservation and maintenance of the [John 

Gellatly art] collection.” 

301 
20 U.S.C. § 59 provides that “All collections of rocks, minerals, soils, 

fossils, and objects of natural history, archaeology, and ethnology...when 

no longer needed for investigations in progress shall be deposited in the 

National Museum.”

20 U.S.C. § 69 provides that “The Secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution is hereby authorized...to continue independently or in 

cooperation...the excavation and preservation of archaeological 

remains.”

20 U.S.C. § 75e(1) provides that “...the Board [of Regents] may-- (1) 

purchase, accept, borrow, or otherwise acquire portraiture, statuary, and 

other items for preservation, exhibition, or study.”

20 U.S.C. § 76c(b) provides that “...the Regents are hereby 

authorized...to acquire (by purchase or otherwise) and sell contemporary 

works of art or copies thereof...”

20 U.S.C. § 76cc(a) provides that “There is established in the 

Smithsonian Institution a Board of Trustees...which shall have the sole 

authority (i) to purchase or otherwise acquire (whether by gift, exchange, 

or other means) works of art for the Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum and 

Sculpture Garden...” 

20 U.S.C. § 77a provides that “Said national air and space museum 

shall...collect, preserve, and display aeronautical and space flight 

equipment of historical interest and significance...”

20 U.S.C. § 80a(a) provides that “...the Smithsonian Institution shall 

collect, preserve, and exhibit military objects of historical interest and 

significance.”

20 U.S.C. §§ 80m(a)(1) & (2) provide that “(a)...the Board [of Regents] 

may-- (1) purchase, accept, borrow or otherwise acquire additional 

works of art or any other real or personal property for the Museum [of 

African Art]; (2) preserve, maintain, restore...or otherwise hold any 

property of whatsoever nature acquired...”

20 U.S.C. § 80q-1(b)(2) provides that “(b) The purposes of the National 

Museum [of the American Indian] are to--...(2) collect, preserve, and 

exhibit Native American objects of artistic, historical, literary, 

anthropological, and scientific interest...”

20 U.S.C. § 80r-2(b)(3) provides that “(b) The purpose of the [National] 

Museum [of African American History and Culture] shall be to provide 

for-- ...(3) the collection and study of artifacts and documents relating to 

African American life, art, history, and culture...”

302 
 

20 U.S.C. § 81 provides that “The National Zoological Park is placed 

under the direction of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, who 

are authorized to transfer to it any living specimens, whether of animals 

or plants, in their charge, to accept gifts for the park...[and] to make 

exchanges of specimens...” 

Section 104(a)(2), Division T, Title I, of Public Law 116-260 (December 

27, 2020), provides that the Council of the Smithsonian American 

Women’s History Museum shall have the sole authority to “purchase, 

accept, borrow, and otherwise acquire artifacts for addition to the 

collections of the museum...”

Section 201(d)(2)(B)(i), Division T, Title II, of Public Law 116-260 

(December 27, 2020), provides that the Board of Trustees of the 

National Museum of the American Latino shall have the sole authority to 

“purchase, accept, borrow, or otherwise acquire artifacts and other 

objects for addition to the collections of the museum...”

3. presentation of public exhibits and performances; 

20 U.S.C. § 75b(b) provides that “The [National Portrait] Gallery shall 

function as a free public museum for the exhibition and study of 

portraiture and statuary...” 

20 U.S.C. § 76c(b) provides that “In order to encourage the development 

of contemporary art and to effect the widest distribution and cultivation in 

matters of such art, the Regents are hereby authorized to...conduct 

exhibitions...” 

20 U.S.C. § 76bb(c) provides that “The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Museum 

and Sculpture Garden...shall be used for the storage, exhibition, and 

study of works of art...”

20 U.S.C. § 77a provides that “Said national air and space museum 

shall...collect, preserve, and display aeronautical and space flight 

equipment of historical interest and significance...” 

20 U.S.C. § 80a(a) provides that “...the Smithsonian Institution shall 

collect, preserve, and exhibit military objects of historical interest and 

significance.”

20 U.S.C. § 80m(a)(2) provides that “(a)...the Board [of Regents] may--

...(2)...display...any property of whatsoever nature acquired [for the 

Museum of African Art]...” 

20 U.S.C. § 80q-1(b)(2) provides that “(b) The purposes of the National 

Museum [of the American Indian] are to--...(2) collect, preserve, and 

303 
exhibit Native American objects of artistic, historical, literary, 

anthropological, and scientific interest...”

20 U.S.C. § 80r-2(b)(3) provides that “(b) The purpose of the [National] 

Museum [of African American History and Culture] shall be to provide 

for-- ...(3) the collection and study of artifacts and documents relating to 

African American life, art, history, and culture...”

4. collection, preparation, dissemination, and exchange of information and 

publications. 

20 U.S.C. § 53a provides that “Appropriations are hereby authorized 

for...preparation of manuscripts, drawings, and illustrations for 

publications.”

5. conduct of education, training, and museum assistance programs; 

20 U.S.C. §§ 65a(a)(1),(3) & (4) provide that “(a)The Director of the 

National Museum under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution shall-- (1) cooperate with museums and their professional 

organizations in a continuing study of museum problems and 

opportunities, both in the United States and abroad;... (3) prepare and 

distribute significant museum publications; (4) perform research on, and 

otherwise contribute to, the [development of] museum techniques....”

20 U.S.C. § 77a provides that “Said national air and space museum 

shall...provide educational material for the historical study of aviation and 

space flight.”

20 U.S.C. § 79a provides that “The purpose of setting aside such an 

area [Barro Colorado Island] is to preserve and conserve its natural 

features...thus providing a place where duly qualified students can make 

observations and scientific investigations for increase of knowledge, 

under such conditions and regulations as may be prescribed by the 

[Smithsonian Institution].”

20 U.S.C. § 79e provides that “There are authorized to be appropriated 

annually...such sums as are necessary for the administration of [the 

Canal Zone Biological Area] ... and for the maintenance of laboratory or 

other facilities...”

20 U.S.C. § 80m(a)(3) provides that “(a)...the Board [of Regents] may--

...(3) conduct programs of research and education [in the Museum of 

African Art]....”

Section 2 of Public Law 114-151 (May 9, 2016), to protect and preserve 

international cultural property, provides that the Smithson Institution 

304 
 

should be included in an interagency coordinating committee 

to...”consult with governmental and nongovernmental organizations, 

including... museums, educational institutions, and research institutions, 

and participants in the international art and cultural property market on 

efforts to protect and preserve international cultural property.”

6. maintenance, alteration, operation, lease agreements of no more than 30 

years, and protection of buildings, facilities, and approaches; 

20 U.S.C. § 53a provides that “Appropriations are hereby authorized for 

the maintenance of the Astrophysical Observatory and...for repairs and 

alterations of buildings and grounds occupied by the Smithsonian 

Institution in the District of Columbia and elsewhere...”

20 U.S.C. § 76ee provides that “There is authorized to be 

appropriated...such additional sums as may be necessary for the 

maintenance and operation of such [Hirshhorn] museum and sculpture 

garden.” 

20 U.S.C. § 79b(c) provides that “The ...[Smithsonian Institution] 

shall...(c) be responsible for the construction and maintenance of 

laboratory and other facilities on the area provided for the use of 

students authorized to carry on studies within the confines of the area...” 

20 U.S.C. § 80m(a)(2) provides that “(a)...the Board [of Regents] may--

...(2) preserve, maintain...any property of whatsoever nature acquired 

[for the Museum of African Art]...”

20 U.S.C. § 81 provides that “The National Zoological Park is placed 

under the direction of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, who 

are authorized...to administer and improve the said Zoological Park for 

the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the 

people.” Public Law 101-512 making appropriations for the Department 

of the Interior and Related Agencies for the fiscal year 1991 extended 

the maximum term for federal leases from ten years to thirty. 

7. not to exceed $ for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; 

5 U.S.C. § 3109(b) provides that “When authorized by an appropriation 

or other statute, the head of an agency may procure by contract the 

temporary (not in excess of 1 year) or intermittent services of experts or 

consultants or an organization thereof, including stenographic reporting 

services.”

8. and purchase, rental, repair, and cleaning of uniforms for employees, 

305 
5 U.S.C. § 5901(a) provides that “There is authorized to be appropriated 

annually to each agency of the Government of the United States...on a 

showing of necessity or desirability, such sums as may be necessary to 

carry out this subchapter. 

40 U.S.C. § 6306(c) provides that “The employees designated as special 

police under subsection (a) [covering the Smithsonian Institution] may be 

provided, without charge, with uniforms and other equipment as may be 

necessary for the proper performance of their duties...”

9. $_______, to remain available until September 30, 20__, except as otherwise 

provided herein; 

Wording added by the Congress in Public Law 111-88 making 

appropriations for the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

for fiscal year 2010 to extend the availability for the Salaries and 

Expenses account from one year to two years unless otherwise provided 

herein; 

10. of which not to exceed $________ for the instrumentation program, collections 

acquisition, exhibition reinstallation, Smithsonian American Women’s History 

Museum, National Museum of the American Latino, and the repatriation of 

skeletal remains program shall remain available until expended; 

Wording added by the Congress in Public Law 100-446 making 

appropriations for the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 

for fiscal year 1989 to permit the Institution to establish no-year funding 

within the Salaries and Expenses account for the development of major 

scientific instrumentation. Public Law 101-512, making appropriations for 

the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies for fiscal year 1991, 

allowed no-year funding to be used for the instrumentation program as 

well as purchases for museum collections; reinstallation of museum 

exhibitions; and the repatriation of skeletal remains. 

31 U.S.C. § 1301(c)(2) provides that “(c) An appropriation in a regular, 

annual appropriation law may be construed to be permanent or available 

continuously only if the appropriation--... (2) expressly provides that it is 

available after the fiscal year covered by the law in which it appears.”

11. and including such funds as may be necessary to support American overseas 

research centers: 

Wording added by the Congress in Public Law 99-190 making 

appropriations for Other Related Agencies for fiscal year 1986. 

306 
 

12. Provided, That funds appropriated herein are available for advance payments 

to independent contractors performing research services or participating in 

official Smithsonian presentations: 

31 U.S.C. § 3324(b)(1) provides that (b) “An advance of public money 

may be made only if it is authorized by-- (1) a specific appropriation or 

other law...”

13. Provided further, That the Smithsonian Institution may expend Federal 

appropriations designated in this Act for lease or rent payments, as rent 

payable to the Smithsonian Institution, and such rent payments may be 

deposited into the general trust funds of the Institution to be available as trust 

funds for expenses associated with the purchase of a portion of the building at 

600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington D.C. to the extent that Federally 

supported activities will be housed there: Provided further, That the use of 

such amounts in the general trust funds of the Institution for such purpose shall 

not be construed as Federal debt service for, a Federal guarantee of, a transfer 

of risk to, or an obligation of the Federal Government: Provided further, That 

no appropriated funds may be used directly to service debt which is incurred to 

finance the costs of acquiring a portion of the building at 600 Maryland Avenue, 

SW, Washington DC, or of planning, designing, and constructing improvements 

to such building: Provided further, That any agreement entered into by the 

Smithsonian Institution for the sale of its ownership interest, or any portion 

thereof, in such building so acquired may not take effect until the expiration of a 

30 day period which begins on the date on which the Secretary of the 

Smithsonian submits to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of 

Representatives and Senate, the Committees on House Administration and 

Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, and the 

Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate a report, as outlined in 

the explanatory statement described in section 4 of the Further Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94; 133 Stat. 2536) on the intended 

sale. 

Wording added by the Congress in Department of Interior, Environment and 

Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020, as enacted by Division D of the 

Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94, approved 

December 20, 2019). 

Appropriation: Facilities Capital 

1. For necessary expenses of repair, revitalization, and alteration of facilities 

owned or occupied by the Smithsonian Institution, by contract or otherwise, as 

authorized by section 2 of the Act of August 22, 1949 (63 Stat. 623), 

20 U.S.C. § 53a provides that “Appropriations are hereby authorized...for

repairs and alterations of buildings and grounds occupied by the 

Smithsonian Institution in the District of Columbia and elsewhere...”

307 
20 U.S.C. § 81 provides that “The National Zoological Park is placed 

under the direction of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, who 

are authorized...to administer and improve the said Zoological Park for 

the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the 

people.”

Public Law 108-108, making appropriations for the Department of the 

Interior and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2004, established the 

Facilities Capital appropriation. The appropriation includes activities 

formerly financed through the Repair, Restoration and Alteration of 

Facilities appropriation and the Construction appropriation. 

2. and for construction, 

Section 107(c), Division T, Title I, of Public Law 116-260 (December 27, 

2020) provides that: “The Board of Regents,...may plan, design, and

construct a building for the [Smithsonian American Women’s History] 

Museum, which shall be located at the site designated by the Board of 

Regents...”

Section 201(g)(1)(C), Division T, Title II, of Public Law 116-260 

(December 27, 2020) provides that: “The Board of Regents,...is 

authorized to prepare plans, design, and construct a building or modify 

an existing building for the [National] Museum [of the American Latino], 

which shall be located at the site designated by the Board of Regents...”

20 U.S.C. § 53a provides that “Appropriations are hereby authorized...for

repairs and alterations of buildings and grounds occupied by the 

Smithsonian Institution in the District of Columbia and elsewhere...” 

3. including necessary personnel, 

Wording added by Congress for clarification in Public Law 108-7 making 

appropriations for the Department of Interior and Related Agencies for 

fiscal year 2003. 

4. $ _________ to remain available until expended, 

31 U.S.C. § 1301(c)(2) provides that “(c) An appropriation in a regular, 

annual appropriation law may be construed to be permanent or available 

continuously only if the appropriation--... (2) expressly provides that it is 

available after the fiscal year covered by the law in which it appears.”

308 
5. of which not to exceed $ shall be for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 

3109. 

5 U.S.C. § 3109(b) provides that “When authorized by an appropriation 

or other statute, the head of an agency may procure by contract the temporary (not in excess of 1 year) or intermittent services of experts or 

consultants or an organization thereof, including stenographic reporting 

services.”

309 
 

 

 

 

Adjustments for FY 2023 

(Dollars in Thousands) 

Unit 

FY 2023 

Enacted 

$000s 

Adjustments 

$000s 

FY 2023 

Revised 

Estimate 

$000s 

MUSEUMS AND RESEARCH CENTERS 

National Air and Space Museum 22,380 0 22,380 

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 26,412 0 26,412 

Major Scientific Instrumentation 4,118 0 4,118 

Universe Center 184 0 184 

National Museum of Natural History 55,239 0 55,239 

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 35,388 0 35,388 

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 4,934 0 4,934 

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 16,176 0 16,176 

Biodiversity Center 1,563 0 1,563 

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Freer Gallery of Art 6,918 0 6,918 

Asian Pacific American Center 2,560 0 2,560 

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 3,938 0 3,938 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum 5,587 115 \1 5,702 

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden 5,559 0 5,559 

National Museum of African Art 5,439 0 5,439 

World Cultures Center 1,292 0 1,292 

Anacostia Community Museum 2,949 0 2,949 

310 Archives of American Art 2,097 0 2,097 

National Museum of the American Latino 10,392 0 10,392 

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum 9,568 0 9,568 

National Museum of African American History & Culture 35,767 0 35,767 

National Museum of American History, Behring Center 28,382 -202 \2 28,180 

National Postal Museum 2,160 120 \3 2,280 

National Museum of the American Indian 36,762 0 36,762 

National Portrait Gallery 7,473 0 7,473 

Smithsonian American Art Museum 11,711 202 \2 11,913 

American Experience Center 600 0 600 

TOTAL, MUSEUMS AND RESEARCH CENTERS 345,548 235 345,783 
 

Adjustments for FY 2023 

(Dollars in Thousands) 

FY 2023 FY 2023 Adjustments Revised Enacted Estimate 

Unit $000s $000s $000s 

MISSION ENABLING 

Outreach 10,225 0 10,225 

Communications 3,075 0 3,075 

Institution-wide Programs 20,084 -875 \1,4 19,209 

Smithsonian Exhibits 3,627 0 3,627 

Museum Support Center 2,044 0 2,044 

Museum Conservation Institute 3,770 0 3,770 

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 16,835 0 16,835 

Office of the Chief Information Officer 65,895 -860 \5 65,035 

Administration 39,418 1,818 \4,5,6 41,236 

Office of the Inspector General 4,426 0 4,426 

Facilities Maintenance 119,258 0 119,258 

Facilities Operations, Security, and Support 258,650 -318 \3,6 258,332 

TOTAL, MISSION ENABLING 547,307 -235 547,072 

311 GRAND TOTAL, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 892,855 0 892,855 

Footnotes for FY 2023 Estimate: 

Redirection of $115,000 from Institution-wide Programs (Digital Transformation) to Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design 

Museum for digital support. The Explanatory Statement Report that accompanied the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations \1 Act provided "$3,000,000 to support digital transformation efforts across the Institution ensuring access to the Smithsonian's 

digital content." As such, we do not deem this transfer to be a departure from how the program was appropriated. 

FTE transfer of $202,000 from National Museum of American History to Smithsonian American Art Museum for operational \2 support. 

\3 Transfer of $120,000 from Facilities Operations, Security, and Support to National Postal Museum for unit rent. 

Redirection of $760,000 from Institution-wide Programs (Digital Transformation) to Administration (Office of Digital 

Transformation) for digital support. The Explanatory Statement Report that accompanied the FY 2023 Consolidated 

\4 Appropriations Act provided "$3,000,000 to support digital transformation efforts across the Institution ensuring access to 

the Smithsonian's digital content." As such, we do not deem this transfer to be a departure from how the program was 

appropriated. 

Transfer of $860,000 from Office of the Chief Information Officer to Administration to address the unspecified reduction in \5 the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act. 

FTE redirection of $198,000 from Facilities Operations, Security, and Support to Administration (Office of the Under 

Secretary for Administration) to support a Senior Advisor position reporting to the Under Secretary for Administration to, \6 among other duties, assist in the planning and implementation of the proposed reorganization of Smithsonian Facilities, if 

approved. As such, we do not deem this transfer to be a departure from how the program was appropriated.