Smithsonian’s 2015 Budget Is Up $14.5 Million From Previous Year

Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries building in Washington, D.C. Photo: Courtesy Smithsonian

According to a release from the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex, the fiscal year 2015 federal appropriation totals $819.5 million, up $14.5 million from the previous year budget of $805 million. The 2015 appropriation includes $675.3 million for salaries and expenses, up from the $647 million last year. That includes $10.3 million for fixed cost increases including rents and federal pay raises of one percent along with benefits and other related costs.

The salaries and expenses budget includes a priority for funding the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) with $6.5 million allotted for staffing, inaugural exhibitions, programming, and care of its collections. The museum is scheduled to open in 2016. The “facilities capital” portion of the budget includes $24 million earmarked for the NMAAHC.

Among other increases in that budget was $1 million to support the Smithsonian’s digitization programs and $2.7 million to boost institution-wide initiatives for Latino programs, collections care, and maintenance.