Two basic governing structures are being considered for the National Museum of the American People. One is modeled after the one used by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the other is used by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Both are thriving story-telling museums in our nation’s capital.
| Facet | USHMM | NMAAHC |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | Independent | Part of the Smithsonian Institution |
| Public or private | Public/private partnership | Public/private partnership |
| Director appointed by | USHMM Board | Secretary of Smithsonian |
| Governing body | USHMM Council | SI Board of Regents |
| By law, who is on governing body | 5 Senate members 5 House members Dept of Interior Ex Officio Dept of State Ex Officio Dept of Educ Ex Officio |
Chief Justice Ex Officio Vice President of US Ex Officio 3 Senate members 3 House members |
| Balance of governing body | 55 Members | 9 Members |
| Appointed by | President of US | SI Board of Regents |
| Who appoints SI Secretary | N/A | SI Board of Regents |
| Central Admin support by | Dept of Interior | Smithsonian |
| Security by | On own | Smithsonian |
| Legal support by | On own | Smithsonian |
| Facility support by | On own | Smithsonian |
| Gift shop | On own | |
| Restaurants | On own | Smithsonian |
| Name recognition | Strong | Strong |
| Fundraising brand | Strong | Strong |
| Fundraising | On own | Smithsonian |
| Appropriations contacts | Directly w/Hill | Through Smithsonian |
| Authority over budget/finances | Yes | Through Smithsonian |
| Competition with other museums for resources | No | Yes |
| Access to large donors | Yes | Through Smithsonian |
| Funds/staff to other museums | No | Yes |
| Freedom to make major independent decisions | Yes | No |
| Borrow collections from other museums | Yes | Through Smithsonian |
| Risk of not being part of large organization | Minimal | No |
| Bear full cost of crucial services | Yes | No |
| Benefit of SI brand | No | Yes |
| Separate board under SI board? | N/A | Yes (limited authority) |
The National Museum of the American People, based on the quality and experiences of both the USHMM and the NMAAHC, would work well under either governing model.
Right now, the Smithsonian Institution is digging out of a major backlog of capital improvements throughout its system, and is charged with building two new museums.
If the Smithsonian Institution is interested in having the National Museum of the American People join its family of museums, that should be taken under consideration by Congress and the President.
For now, we propose that the NMAP governance be designed along the lines of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The draft legislation we propose in Chapter 5 of the "Bringing All Americans Together" report reflects that.
Atop the National Museum of the American People's organization chart will be its Board of Regents. It will be based on the design of the governing body of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. The NMAP Board of Regents would include a range of diverse citizens who possess expertise in a variety of fields needed to build and operate a large and complex institution. The Regents would include House and Senate members, appointments from key federal agencies, and citizens appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.
Under the Board of Regents would be the National Museum of the American People, the Institute of the American People and a unit to administer both. The Institute is the central scholarly component of the NMAP.
The various components of the National Museum of the American People, including the components of the museum, the Institute of the American People and the NMAP's administrative entities are discussed in the "Bringing All Americans Together" report.