Did you know CMH is the only major arts organization in the city that receives no operating support from the city or county? They need your help to reverse this decision and ask that the City of Charlotte equitably fund CMH to ensure that the history of the Queen City is saved, preserved, and exhibited for generations to come.

CMH is the oldest history museum in the city, they take care of the oldest home in the county, and they are the only museum actively advocating for historic preservation in Charlotte. They are also the museum that saved the historic Siloam School, which will reopen on June 15th, by relocating it to their 8-acre campus in East Charlotte, a Corridor of Opportunity for the city. It is a mistake that such a major organization should have been left off the list in the first place, and the city needs to make this right.

The museum has not received municipal funds for operating expenses in almost 20 years, and it did not receive municipal funds to help it survive through the COVID-19 pandemic. Their survival through it all shows that they are not only a strong and necessary organization, but that they are also worthy of city support, of which they are currently being denied.

In recent years, their board and staff have listened carefully to what the community wants, and they have taken that feedback to heart, making major cultural and programmatic shifts in how they operate. They support smaller non-profits by allowing them to host their events for free in their spaces, and they have focused on collaborations with other organizations in the region including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Opera Carolina, the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, the Catawba Nation, Fiestas Patrias and more.

In addition to their innovative history programs and outreach, they are the stewards of essential and irreplaceable pieces of Charlotte’s history in the form of five historic buildings on an 8-acre campus in east Charlotte that they preserve, protect, and interpret for the public. These include the 1774 Alexander Rock House and the much-loved Siloam School. Without consistent and sustainable sources of funding, they have been left with no choice but to delay major repairs and upgrades to their facilities, including these historic spaces that are on the National Register of Historic Places.

The history of this city is quite literally why the organization exists, but this financial model without support cannot sustain the kind of robust history museum that the city of Charlotte deserves. It did seem ironic that City Council rejected funding for the museum on Meck Dec Day—arguably the most significant date in North Carolina history. The Charlotte Museum of History is the only site in the county with direct ties to the Meck Dec and the ideals of freedom and liberty that it represents. No arts organization in our city is better poised to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Meck Dec next year or America’s semi-quincentennial in 2026 than Charlotte Museum of History.

Financially, they are asking for $650,000 for FY25. This is on par with what other museums of their size receive and it will enable them to continue providing diverse history programming and community outreach while completing urgent facilities and technological upgrades so that they can continue to serve the community.

We are asking the City Council to do the right and equitable thing and provide the Charlotte Museum of History with their requested funding for FY25 and that they revise their list of favored arts organizations for funding.