The federal government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to enact appropriations for the new fiscal year.
If you have or are working on a grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, you may be wondering what happens during a government shutdown. Here’s what you need to know:
Grant applications
You can still submit applications through Grants.gov, which remains open with certain restrictions. However, applications will not be reviewed until the government reopens.
Communication with IMLS staff
During a shutdown, IMLS staff will not be available by phone or email. Responses on the day the agency closes will be limited to explaining the funding hiatus.
Continuing funded projects
Grantees can continue working on previously approved projects, but only within the official budget plan and award timeline. Any deliverables or modifications requiring IMLS approval will be on hold until operations resume.
Payments and reporting
Most grant payments will be paused. In rare cases, limited payments may be processed for state agencies if the shutdown extends beyond a week. Grantees may continue to submit performance and financial reports through eGMS Reach, but these will not be reviewed until after the government reopens.
For the full guidance on how a government shutdown impacts IMLS grants and operations, see the posted IMLS FAQ.
Other shutdown impacts
Federally funded institutions will likely need to close if there’s a prolonged shutdown. The Smithsonian Institution museums, the National Gallery of Art, and presidential libraries managed by the National Archives would all be affected. National Park Service–run museums and historic sites (from visitor centers at monuments to cultural collections housed within parks) will be forced to close.
While some may remain open for a short period using prior-year funds, those resources are limited, and closures could arrive within days if the shutdown continues. For context, in the 2018–2019 shutdown — the longest in U.S. history — Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery were forced to close after just over a week, once carryover funds were exhausted. Earlier shutdowns saw similar closures within days.
LATEST AS OF 10/6/25: The Smithsonian Institution has announced its network will remain open through Saturday, October 11, using reserve funds from prior fiscal years. Similarly, the National Gallery of Art will stay open at least through October 4 with a mix of federal and private funding.
Most national parks remain technically open, meaning visitors can still access outdoor areas like trails and memorials, but indoor sites like museums and visitor centers are closed due to staff furloughs. Right now, almost 9,300 National Park Service employees out of 14,500 are off the job.
The lack of specificity is creating a degree of visitor chaos, with people uncertain about site status and unable to easily find out (the official national parks contingency plan does not include a site-by-site list of closures). So far, websites and social channels display a meager message: “National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.” Per The Washington Post, potential visitors have turned to social media to beg for specifics.
There’s been a bit of back-and-forth about the Statue of Liberty. In 2018, the state of New York stepped in to help keep Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty open during shutdown, to the tune of about $65,000 dollars a day (~$1.5 million total), but Governor Kathy Hochul said that’s not going to happen this time, according to Gothamist. After Hochul made her statement, a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior told The New York Post that the Trump administration will keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open during the shutdown, adding another layer of confusion for would-be visitors.
