The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors awarded the Dubuque County Historical Society (DCHS) with $10,000 in Purchase of Service funding support for 2025 for DCHS's Museums for All low-cost admission program. The DCHS Museums for All program, a part of the nationwide program serving a network of 1,300 museums, zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens, serves approximately 9,000 individuals each year at The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and The Mathias Ham Historic Site.
Museums For All is utilized by both local residents and visitors to Dubuque living below the federal poverty threshold, and qualify for assistance programs such as SNAP benefits, Medicaid, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and Housing Choice Voucher Program, can provide proof of their enrollment in one or more of these programs to access a $3 admission.
Museums for All, an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) initiative, endeavors to provide barrier-free access to cultural institutions and encourage diverse populations to build routine engagement in cultural experiences in an effort to nurture the prioritization of lifelong learning.