About CHAACo

Our Vision

We believe appreciation for cultural heritage, respect for cultural diversity, and unflinching engagement with factual history are essential to a thriving democratic society. We aim to help build a world where the intrinsic value of cultural heritage is understood and celebrated, and where sovereign governments actively support and invest in its preservation and accessibility.

Our Origin Story

At the end of May, 2025, the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) convened for an annual meeting in Minneapolis. This marked the first major conference for many members since the inauguration of the new federal administration on January 20th. Just a few short months in, the museum and conservation communities were reeling from cuts to our funding, destruction of our partner federal agencies, losses of jobs, threats of censorship, a campaign to stamp out some of the more noble principles our fields have been steadily embracing, and attacks on immigrant communities, who bring so much to the cultural heritage fields. Our conference sessions had been set far in advance, around talks proposed eight months before in what felt like another era. Formal conference proceedings were largely not prepared to address the sea change that was going on around us, but many people were feeling desperate for a frank acknowledgement of the situation and a way forward. 

So, an attendee hosted a last-minute unofficial event at the hotel bar, inviting any and all concerned conference-goers to join a frank conversation about our concerns and to brainstorm solutions. Sixteen people, largely strangers to each other, joined the discussion. Three galvanizing hours later, they had identified a long list of concrete projects that could support the cultural heritage community in this time of upheaval, and resolved that an organization was needed to spearhead these efforts. 

A subset of the attendees of that gathering went on to found CHAACo. We have grown largely through word of mouth since then.

Where we want to grow: We want greater representation from throughout the cultural heritage sector! We also would love to have internal support with skills and knowledge we currently lack. Please join us if you have a passion for serving the cultural heritage community, or if you just love culture and want to make a difference. Invite your friends from other disciplines within and outside of cultural heritage.

Our Name

Cultural Heritage Advocacy and Action Coalition (CHAACo)

Cultural Heritage: the term we feel succinctly summarizes our entire sector’s value to society. We cultural heritage workers celebrate, preserve, educate, and interpret cultures and history for the world.

Advocacy: We speak up, not only by encouraging people to contact their representatives on behalf of our institutions and priorities, but also by engaging our colleagues in dialogue about the urgency and relevance of many federal policies to our communities and organizations. 

Action: We have taken it upon ourselves to do something to address the escalating wrongs being done to our people, communities, and cultural heritage itself. We’re doing whatever we can within our capacity and skill set to make a positive difference for those in cultural heritage communities in the United States.

We resolved that both advocacy and action are essential components of our work. To make a significant impact, we can’t have one without the other, and we’re working hard to develop the skills to do both.

Coalition: We came together as allies around a specific mission, and we want to build partnerships among other allied organizations to amplify our ability to do supportive work and reach more people who need it. 

CHAACo: Our acronym (as well as our logos and site colors) is a nod to an important indigenous cultural heritage site that has been a target of this administration. Chaco Canyon, located in New Mexico, was the cultural hub of an ancestral Puebloan civilization, known in the present day as the Chacoans. This significant archaeological complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a U.S. National Monument, and a National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service. 

This federal administration, which has made enormous cuts to already-stretched NPS staff and capabilities and has demanded censorship of interpretation and programming at NPS sites around the country, also wants to exploit the Chaco region’s fossil fuels and void the protected status of the site. 

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is just one of hundreds of sites under threat by this administration. The administration’s stated goals include cutting nearly $1 billion in funding for national parks (2025’s Big Beautiful Bill Act alone cut almost $300 million), selling protected lands for energy development, and leaving states to take on the care of many abandoned national park properties, which they cannot afford to do. Our treasured public parks are in crisis. Contact your representatives today to advocate for restoring funding and preserving protections and National Park designations.