Charleston’s International African American Museum To Furlough Staff Amid Funding Shortages
3June 13, 2026
A series of 20-day furloughs are set to hit all staff at theInternational African American Museum(IAAM) inCharleston, South Carolina. In a statement toThe Post and Courier, the museum cited “financial pressure” and “a shift in the political and funding environment,” as the rationale for the measure.
The museum intends to carry out the furloughs in staggered phases between July 1 and December 31. The furloughs will hit staff across all levels, including its leadership. “We know this affects our employees and their families in real ways,” read the museum’s statement. “Keeping this team together and supporting them through difficult times is why we chose this path rather than deeper cuts.”
Having opened in 2023 after a 20 years of planning, the IAAM was built to tell the “the unvarnished stories of the African American experience across generations.” The museum sits on Gadsden’s Wharf, a historic site where tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to the United States between the 17th and 19th centuries. The furloughs come just weeks before the museum’s annual Juneteenth celebration, as well as the third anniversary of its opening on June 27.
Tonya Matthews, IAAM’s President and CEO, told The Post and Courier that the museum had been operating at a 10 to 20 percent deficit. She noted that the furloughs will help buy time for the museum to reassess its funding strategies. Structured as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, the museum had a little over $11.1 million in revenue in 2023, but ran up expenses of $12 million, resulting in a loss of approximately $883,000.
Matthews noted that the situation has been further complicated by a decline in federal funding. “We’ve all been witness to the shifting conversations around funding cultural institutions and certain stories and contexts within history. IAAM falls right into the center of that,” she said.