BROOKFIELD, Ill. – The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) issues federal grants not just to museums and libraries, but also zoos, and now it’s pulling money from the Brookfield Zoo as the Trump administration tries to dismantle the agency.

Researchers working to see if behavioral diversity could play a role in animal welfare at the Brookfield Zoo are losing nearly $80,000 in federal funding.

The zoo told WGN-TV:

“…like many of our peers across zoos, aquariums, museums, academia, and cultural institutions nationwide, Brookfield Zoo Chicago has begun to receive cancelation notifications of grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).”

The cut comes nearly a month after President Trump issued an executive order to dismantle the IMLS to what he calls the maximum extent of the law. Most of the IMLS staff has been placed on leave, according to reports.

“This is the only institute or federal department that focuses on libraries and museums,” President-elect of the American Library Association Sam Helmick said.

The American Library Association is challenging the Trump administration in court. Illinois is also one of nearly two-dozen states suing because millions of Americans, especially in underserved communities, rely on the work of the IMLS.

The American Library Association said funding cuts mean cuts to services, hours of operations, and in more rural areas, some libraries may be forced to close entirely.

“We could be looking at such significant cuts that we’re looking at days of the week, staff, services in general, and we’re concerned that some of our rural libraries depend on IMLS so much that they may actually close,” Helmick said. “I think of us as incubators of opportunity, but I also think of us as just like community anchor institutions where this is the public’s house, and right now the public’s house is being dismantled all over the nation.”

Last year, the IMLS provided about $266 million in grants to libraries, museums and cultural institutions last year, accounting for about .003% of the federal budget. Those grants go to institutions across Chicagoland and some are now scrambling.

“So the impacts are already happening. It’s real,” Dr. Mónica Félix of the Chicago Cultural Alliance said. “We’ve heard some pretty shocking stories of cultural centers that have had to fire staff members, let go of teaching artists, teaching musicians or just cutting really popular music programs in the middle of the year.”

The Illinois State Library received just under $6 million from the IMLS for fiscal year 2025. A large portion of that is spent on sharing material between libraries, which is more cost effective than mailing materials or buying copies for every branch.

Brookfield Zoo said it’s not just adjusting programs as a result of the cancelation.