“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Palwasha, a young mother of three and recent immigrant from Pakistan with tears in her eyes as she hugged me after she visited The Nat for free through the Museums for All program.

Museums for All, a signature access program of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), encourages families of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build a lifelong affinity for arts and culture. The Nat is a proud participant of this program, which serves low-income families by offering free admission to the Museum year-round with the presentation of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or Women, Infants & Children (WIC) card.

Working with various communities has allowed us to reach new audiences who may have never visited the Museum if this program didn’t exist. It’s exciting to see new, and in many cases first-time, visitors come to The Nat to experience our exhibitions, films, and programs. If they leave with a fresh outlook on the natural history of our region and view us as a trusted resource of scientific information and culture, then we know we’ve done our job.

The Museums for All program at The Nat continues to grow. We served 160 individuals in the first quarter of 2018 and 337 from April to June. We continue to discover new ways to promote the program so that more visitors can develop new skills and interests, ignite their creativity, and enrich their social connections. By removing the financial barrier, Museums for All also removes the social and academic barrier families face when they are not exposed to high-quality museum experiences. 

And Palwasha wasn’t the only one crying after her visit. Seeing her emotional response and the spark in her children’s eyes, I too was moved to tears, and so grateful that The Nat is inclusive, embraces diversity, and offers equity and accessibility to all.

To learn more about Museums for All, please visit our website. 

Posted by Community Engagement Manager Karen Levyszpiro .