向国会紧急求助40亿美元，美国的博物馆要"倒闭"了？
中国的博物馆正在有序复工，而美国的博物馆却在紧急闭馆，但有些可能再也开不起来。原因很残酷：没钱。
与世界大多数国家不同，美国博物馆的运营经费只有少部分来自政府补贴，大部分要靠自筹。根据Forbes的报道，政府补贴的比例平均约为25%，在美术馆、植物园、儿童博物馆、动物园和水族馆里不到20%。科技馆类为最低，只有不到10%。其他的资金缺口，就要靠博物馆自己设法填补。这种“企业化”的运营方式当然有灵活积极的一面，但遭遇这等疫情，博物馆就有可能入不敷出、“倒闭”停摆。
根据美国博物馆联盟（Ameciran Alliance of Museums，简称AAM）的调查，约有三分之一的博物馆在疫情暴发前就已经达到或者接近赤字，其他的博物馆也因临时闭馆，收入骤减而遭受巨大损失。比如，大都会博物馆计划闭馆到2020年7月，但每个月要支付的薪水高达1600万美元。综合估计，闭馆导致的损失总额将达到1亿美元。如果危机继续，后果不堪设想。
3月18日，美国博物馆联盟向美国国会发送了一封公开信，寻求至少40亿美元的救助。信中强调，如果得不到大量、立即的资助，30%的博物馆将不会重新开放（will not re-open）。该信在美国博物馆联盟官网首页置顶公布，并鼓励会员成员单独再发给当地立法委员要求支援，可见形势之严峻。
美国博物馆联盟官网首页全版面发布公开信@www.aam-us.org
该信信息量巨大，但语言平实，简练易懂，不但就疫情影响做了分析提案，还揭示了美国博物馆行业的概况、模式和现状，是一份很好的学习材料。特将信件全文译出，并配以英文原稿，供读者朋友们对照参考。
中文译稿
尊敬的佩洛西议长，麦康奈尔、麦卡锡和舒默国会领袖：
我们来信敦促美国国会，在经济救济立法中加入至少40亿美元紧急援助，以帮助非盈利博物馆在应对COVID-19（新冠病毒）行动中撑过6月。除此之外，由于未来几个月慈善捐赠预计将会下降，我们敦促国会通过一项临时的“全民慈善扣除”，以刺激慈善捐赠。在全国范围内，博物馆行业因为新冠病毒而闭馆，每天的损失至少3,300万美元。博物馆界迫切需要联邦政府的强力支持，来保障就业、保护文化遗产、重建国家旅游业，即使只撑过这几个月也好。
美国博物馆群体（以下简称博物馆）是一个充满活力和多样性的群体，包括了水族馆、植物园、美术馆、树木园、儿童博物馆、植物园、文化馆、历史遗址、历史博物馆、海事博物馆、军事博物馆、自然历史博物馆、天文馆、总统图书馆、公共花园、科学技术中心和动物园。与之相关的“博物馆经济”规模庞大，但目前正面临生存威胁：新冠病毒大流行，博物馆必须关闭。
博物馆是经济引擎。美国博物馆联盟和牛津经济研究所汇编的经济影响数据显示，博物馆经济每年为美国经济贡献500亿美元，为地方、各州和联邦政府创造120亿美元的税收。博物馆也是当地重要的就业来源，每年提供72.6万个就业岗位。博物馆在美国的教育基础设施中扮演着重要角色，每年在教育方面的花费超过20亿美元。当前危机导致的不稳定影响，已将博物馆对美国经济和教育体系的未来贡献置于巨大的风险之中。如果这些行业在这场危机中倒下，那么成千上万的失业人员将无法重返工作岗位。
就在我们写这封信的时候，所有规模的博物馆都在经历关闭、观众直线下降、活动取消和事实性裁员。随着闭馆和取消的延续，这种情况会一天天升级。大部分博物馆的经营活动是现金收付的业务，他们的经济命脉是游客参观。国际和国内旅游的下滑，本地游客的减少，安全距离的增加，将对非营利博物馆群体产生毁灭性影响。博物馆只靠微薄的利润维持运营，没有大量的专项资金储备，也没有减免税收的待遇，大多只依赖游人光顾。我们估计，如果没有重大且立即的紧急财政援助，多达30%的博物馆，大多是小型和乡村博物馆，将不会重新开放。
本周起，博物馆开始初步的休假和裁员。业界普遍担心大规模裁员，尤其是对最低工资和计时工资的员工，因为他们可能遭受最严重的打击。作为雇主，博物馆非常关心勤劳员工的福利、健康和财务稳定，也担心博物馆失业率上升可能会加剧更广泛的社区问题，如缺乏医疗保障、食品不安全、甚至无家可归，这将使应对新冠病毒更具挑战。联邦政府对工人的任何直接支持，都可以抵消人员成本，这在博物馆的平均运营预算中占了相当大的比例。我们还鼓励将小型非营利机构，包括许多博物馆，纳入有关的支持项目，帮助他们继续支付员工工资。
除了前述收入损失和持续的费用支出外，博物馆还预期到慈善捐款的减少，这是由于捐款人正在因股市的波动而重新评估捐赠能力。危机期间，国会应该确保社区能够支持当地的博物馆和非营利组织，颁布临时的、定向的捐赠激励措施，让美国人为博物馆等非营利机构贡献的所有抗疫捐助都能够获得税收奖励，无论他们是否声明了抵扣项目。
博物馆得到了公众的大力支持。最近的一项民意调查显示，96%的美国人对采取立法行动支持博物馆的当选官员持正面积极看法，且与政治信仰和选区规模无关。97%的美国人认为博物馆是教育资产，89%的人认为博物馆为社区经济做出了重要贡献。在美国，博物馆也是最受信任的信息源，其排名高于当地报纸、非营利研究人员、美国政府或学术研究人员。博物馆可以利用这种高水平的公众信任，提供关于新冠病毒的教育，打击谣言传播。通过提供有关信息，博物馆赋能公众做出理性决定，降低他们感染或传播疾病的风险，从而帮助维持社区健康，保持冷静，降低因全球疫情可能引发的歧视或仇外几率。
尽管正在经历闭馆、收入严重减少和计划裁员，博物馆仍然在满足全国持续增长服务需求。比如，为停课地区的老师和家长们提供课程计划、在线学习机会和“傻瓜式的”学习工具包；为自我隔离的人提供虚拟展览和内容；在高焦虑时期，为需要缓解压力的人提供户外空间；帮助医务工作者和急救人员的家庭获得儿童护理和膳食。
博物馆是社区的支柱。每次发生危机，博物馆都直面挑战，这次也不例外。不幸的是，在今后的几个月里，我们预计全国各地的博物馆会面临极大艰难。我们强调，当下的经济刺激救助中需要包括博物馆。
Laura Lott
主席兼首席执行官
美国博物馆联盟 (AAM)
www.aam-us.org
John Dichtl
主席兼首席执行官
美国州与地方历史协会 (AASLH)
www.aaslh.org
D. Casey Sclar
执行总裁
美国公共花园协会 (APGA)
www.publicgardens.org
Christine Anagnos
执行总裁
美术馆馆长协会 (AAMD)
www.aamd.org
Laura Huerta Migus
执行总裁
儿童博物馆协会 (ACM)
www.childrensmuseums.org
Cristin Dorgelo
主席兼首席执行官
科技馆协会 (ASTC)
www.astc.org
Bonnie Styles
执行总裁
科学博物馆馆长协会 (ASMD)
www.asmd-us.org
Dan Ashe
主席兼首席执行官
动物园和水族馆协会 (AZA)
www.aza.org
2020年3月18日
英文原稿
点"阅读原文"可下载英文原稿的pdf
March 18, 2020
RE: Aid for Museums Impacted by Coronavirus
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders McConnell, McCarthy and Schumer:
We write to urge the U.S. Congress to include at least $4 billion for nonprofit museums in COVID-19 (coronavirus) economic relief legislation to provide emergency assistance through June. In addition, we urge Congress to adopt a temporary "universal charitable deduction" to help incentivize charitable giving which is expected to decline in the months ahead. Nationwide, our museums are losing at least $33 million a day due to closures as a result of COVID-19 and will be in desperate need of significant federal support to maintain jobs, secure our cultural heritage, help to rebuild our nation's tourism industry – and simply to survive the months to come.
The U.S. museum community (hereinafter referred to as "museums") is robust and diverse, including aquariums, arboreta, art museums, botanic gardens, children's museums, cultural museums, historic sites, history museums, maritime museums, military museums, natural history museums, planetariums, presidential libraries, public gardens, science and technology centers, and zoos. The related"museum economy" is vast and is facing an existential threat from the closures required to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Museums are economic engines. Economic impact data compiled by the American Alliance of Museums and Oxford Economics shows that this museum economy contributes $50 billion a year to the U.S. economy and generates $12 billion in tax revenue to local, state, and federal governments. Museums also are vital local sources of employment, supporting 726,000 jobs annually. Museums play an essential role in the nation's educational infrastructure, spending more than $2 billion a year on education. The destabilizing effects of the current crisis place the future of these contributions to the U.S. economy and education system at great risk. If these businesses fail during this crisis, then there will be no jobs to which many thousands of displaced workers can return.
As we write this letter, museums of all sizes are experiencing closures, attendance free-fall, canceled events, and actual layoffs. This will escalate, day-by-day, as closures and cancellations continue. Most of these are cash-based businesses; their economic lifeblood is people visiting. Declines in international and domestic tourism, declines in local attendance, and increases in social distancing will have a devastating impact on the nonprofit museum community, which operates on thin margins of financial sustainability, without large designated operational reserve funds or access to tax-relief benefits, and is often largely dependent on earned revenue from visitors passing through their doors. We estimate as many as 30% of museums, mostly in small and rural communities, will not re-open without significant and immediate emergency financial assistance.
Initial furloughs and layoffs among museum personnel have already begun this week. There are field-wide concerns about large-scale layoffs, especially for the lowest paid and hourly staff as they will potentially be hit the hardest. As employers, museums care deeply about the welfare, health, and financial stability of hard-working staff, and are concerned that increasing unemployment among museum personnel may exacerbate broader community issues of lack of access to health care, food insecurity, and even homelessness that will make the COVID-19 response much more challenging. Any federal support that directly supports workers can offset personnel costs, which make up a significant proportion of the average museum's operating budget. We also encourage inclusion of small nonprofit businesses, including many museums, in any support programs designed to help small businesses continue paying employees.
Over and above losses in earned revenue and unremitted expenses, museums are expecting lost charitable contributions as donors reassess their capacity to give due to the stock market's volatility. Congress should ensure communities are able to support their local museums and all nonprofits during this crisis by enacting a targeted, temporary giving incentive that enables all Americans, regardless of whether they claim itemize deductions, to receive a tax incentive for giving to the work of charitable nonprofits, including museums, responding to, or suffering from, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Museums have impressive support from the public. According to a recent public opinion poll, 96% of Americans would think positively of their elected officials taking legislative action to support museums, regardless of political persuasion or community size. 97% of Americans believe that museums are educational assets, and 89% believe that museums contribute important economic benefits to their community. Museums are also the most trusted source of information in America, rated higher than local papers, nonprofit researchers, the U.S. government, or academic researchers. Museums can leverage this high level of public trust to provide education on COVID-19 and fight misinformation about its spread. By empowering the public with the information they need to make informed decisions and lower their risk of contracting or spreading disease, museums can help sustain healthy communities, maintain calm, and reduce the chances for an increase in discrimination or xenophobia often created by global diseases.
Even now, while museums are experiencing closures and significant losses in revenue, and planning for staff reductions, they are still serving an increase in demand in communities across the United States by providing lesson plans, online learning opportunities, and "drop-off" learning kits to teachers and parents in areas where schools have closed; freely sharing virtual exhibitions and content accessible to those who are otherwise isolated; maintaining their outdoor spaces to provide quiet places to relieve stress during this time of high anxiety; and supporting the families of health care workers and first responders with access to child care and meals.
Museums are community anchors, addressing challenges in times of crisis like the one we are currently experiencing. Unfortunately, we expect hardships to be faced by increasing numbers of our member organizations in communities across the country in the months ahead, underscoring the need for museums to be included in any economic stimulus relief now.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Laura Lott
President and CEO
American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
www.aam-us.org
John Dichtl
President and CEO
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
www.aaslh.org
D. Casey Sclar
Executive Director
American Public Gardens Association (APGA)
www.publicgardens.org
Christine Anagnos
Executive Director
Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD)
www.aamd.org
Laura Huerta Migus
Executive Director
Association of Children's Museums (ACM)
www.childrensmuseums.org
Cristin Dorgelo
President and CEO
Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC)
www.astc.org
Bonnie Styles
Executive Director
Association of Science Museum Directors (ASMD)
www.asmd-us.org
Dan Ashe
President and CEO
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
www.aza.org
说明：译稿属个人行为，目的为学习交流，不支持任何商业行为或活动，侵权则删。本译稿亦非官方译本，仅供参考，译者对内容免于承担责任。
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李阳（用名：夏公小正），《艺术怎样管》主理人，ArtTrust™助艺文化创始人&CEO，前SGS Art Services中国区负责人。英国博物馆协会会员、美国博物馆联盟会员、中国文物学会修复委员会会员，ISO质量管理体系审核员。数字创新实践者，艺术圈的理工男。
参考信息
https://www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2020/03/19/museum-alliance-seeks-4-billion-in-immediate-relief-from-congress-with-coronavirus-closures-devastating-industry/#54fc2ebe62c7
http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2020-03-20/doc-iimxxsth0476300.shtml
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