Context
Founded in 1812, Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS) closed its museum to the public on September 27, 2026, after more than 200 years. Having already faced over a decade of financial hardship due to events like the Great Recession, ANS affiliated with Drexel University in 2011, and Drexel took on the cost of keeping the museum running. That support had limits. Drexel is facing its own $20 million budget deficit, and it put about $17 million into the Academy over its 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. On September 1, 2026, the museum and the university jointly announced that the museum would close at the end of the month. The official reasons were rising operating costs and a drop in attendance following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Importance
ANS houses about 19 million specimens, some of which have as much historical value as they do scientific. Much of Thomas Jefferson’s fossil collection and some of the original plant specimens collected by the Lewis and Clark expedition are housed within the walls of the Academy. Drexel has said it will keep caring for the collections and keep them open to researchers, but the people of Philadelphia may no longer have access to the museum or its exhibits.
Protests and Outcry
The reaction to this decision was immediate. Crowds packed the museum on its final day as people walked its halls for what might be one last time. At the same time, a grassroots campaign to save the museum sprouted. One petition currently has over 124,000 signatures at the time of writing. On the day the museum closed, more than 200 people held a vigil and marched from the Academy to City Hall, and more than 600 people joined a virtual rally this month. Several politicians have taken up the cause, including City Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who has said she’s looking for other sources of funding.
Sternberg
ANS isn’t the only museum that may have to close its doors due to high costs. The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas, is scheduled to close to the public on December 18th. The story is similar. The museum spends about $1.3 million a year and brings in about $470,000, and Fort Hays State University (FHSU) has covered the difference, which came to about $856,000 last year. After the 2026 Kansas Legislature cut FHSU’s state funding by $2.4 million, the university said it can no longer afford to support the museum. The FHSU Foundation’s Save Sternberg campaign is trying to raise $1 million by December 31 to keep the museum open through this fiscal year.
Call to Action
With such overwhelming outcry at the closure of these museums, discussions are in place to revive and sustain them. Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Legislative Oversight will hold a hearing on the closure on Monday, October 26th, at 2 p.m. ET in City Hall. The hearing can’t force Drexel to reopen the museum, but it could shed light on how the decision was made. It will be livestreamed for those who can’t attend in person. The William Penn Foundation has offered to cover the museum’s operating costs for at least a year while a long-term plan is worked out, though Drexel hasn’t accepted. The volunteer group Save The Academy has several action items on its website for those who wish to get involved. In the case of the Sternberg Museum, the Bob and Pat Schmidt Foundation will match donations from individuals and businesses to the Save Sternberg campaign dollar for dollar, up to $1 million, through December 31, including gifts already made. If you wish to get involved, spreading the word, signing petitions, attending the hearings, and donations are some of the best ways to help keep these institutions of public education accessible for all.