The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs made a groundbreaking announcement on Tuesday: the city’s Cultural Institutions Group program is undergoing its most significant expansion in nearly five decades. This initiative welcomes five new members from across the boroughs, solidifying their crucial roles in the city’s vibrant cultural landscape.
This landmark decision officially integrates these organizations into a city-supported network. The new members include BRIC in Brooklyn, the Noble Maritime Collection on Staten Island, Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, the Bronx Children’s Museum, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. As part of this program, they will receive substantial annual financial support—nearly $3 million combined—and will no longer incur rent for their city-owned facilities.
In exchange for this vital support, these institutions are committed to providing accessible cultural programming to New Yorkers, offering discounted rates and even free memberships for IDNYC cardholders. This expands a legacy that began in 1877 with the American Museum of Natural History, eventually including icons like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Bronx Zoo. The Cultural Institutions Group now proudly boasts 39 members.
A notable addition is BRIC, marking the first time a media organization has joined the group. This timing is particularly critical as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting faces federal funding cuts, leaving many local radio and television stations in uncertainty. Wes Jackson, BRIC’s president, expressed immense relief, stating that the city’s subsidy offers them “room to breathe.”
With this newfound financial stability, BRIC plans to revitalize its content, introduce new classes, and extend its popular “Celebrate Brooklyn!” festival beyond its traditional Prospect Park venue. This significant expansion echoes a similar move in 1978 when five organizations, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Queens Museum of Art, were granted membership. More recently, the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn joined in 2019.
Many of these new members have a history of receiving city support for major projects. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, for instance, benefited from $1.9 million for recent renovations, while Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater secured over $10 million for its cultural and administrative headquarters. The Bronx Children’s Museum also previously received $1.1 million.
Laurie Cumbo, the city’s commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs, emphasized the department’s commitment: “We wanted to make sure that the organizations that we’ve invested deep capital resources in are well maintained and supported for generations to come.” This aligns with Mayor Eric Adams’s promise earlier this year to expand the Cultural Institutions Group, a pledge that follows earlier scrutiny over his budget proposals for arts organizations.
Coco Killingsworth, chair of the Cultural Institutions Group and chief experience and impact officer for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, highlighted the timely nature of this support. After the financial strain of the Covid pandemic and shifts in philanthropic giving, many arts organizations were facing severe budget cuts. This expansion provides a crucial “reprieve” and empowers institutions like the newly renovated Louis Armstrong House Museum to continue their mission of preserving the city’s rich cultural heritage. “We made clear over and over again that New York is not New York without culture and art,” Killingsworth asserted.