The Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS) is a little-known organization with an outsized impact. An independent federal agency that supports libraries, archives, and museums in all 50 states and U.S. territories, the IMLS now faces an uncertain future. Earlier this month, the Trump administration issued an executive order that called for the dismantling of seven federal agencies “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” IMLS, which was created by Congress in 1996 through the Museum and Library Services Act and reaffirmed through subsequent legislation, including one signed into law in 2003 by Republican president George W. Bush, was on the list.

The research and granting agency’s $294.8 million budget is less than 1-100th of one percent of the overall federal budget (0.0046 percent), but it offers vital support to cultural centers in cities big and small, red and blue, and in rural areas. According to the Anchorage Daily News, IMLS funding for Alaska libraries totals $1.2 million per year and supports important statewide projects like Books by Mail, which serves Alaskans who don’t have access to a physical local library. Iowa has received over $20 million in grants in the last seven years. And last year, Tennessee received $4.7 million in IMLS grants for library and museum services. Now, in Memphis alone, a wide range of institutions—including the city’s zoo, botanic garden, art and children’s museums, and the public library system—are at risk of losing critical grant funding.

According to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), U.S. museums support 726,000 jobs, generate $50 billion in economic activity, and pay $12 billion in taxes. AAM also reports that 96 percent of people think positively of elected officials who take legislative action in support of museums, and the same number want federal funding for museums kept the same or increased.

A letter is circulating for members of the House of Representatives to sign onto asking the Trump administration to reconsider the executive order that guts the IMLS. AAM has created a draft script to use when reaching out to a local representative. The deadline for members of Congress to sign onto the letter is end of day Friday, March 28.