Keep the museum open.

On September 1st, 2026, Drexel University and the Board of the Academy of Natural Sciences announced the closure of the public museum on the Parkway. The last day is scheduled to be Sunday, September 27, 2026. This is two years shy of the 200th anniversary of the 214-year-old institution’s doors opening to the public. We do not accept closure. The story is not over yet, and you can help change the ending. Learn more.

Show up this week

A raised fist wearing beaded Save ANSP bracelets in front of the Academy of Natural Sciences on the Parkway at the September 8 rally.
This week

Three things that matter most right now

1

Show up Thursday morning at City Hall

Thursday, September 17. Assemble 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. Fourth-floor hallway of City Hall, outside Room 405, across from the Chief Clerk’s Office. Allow time for security.

Councilmember Ahmad has invited the coalition to a press conference on the Academy’s closure. At Council’s 10 a.m. session she and Councilmember Young will introduce a resolution calling for a hearing. Bring a friend, your family, your kids: the bigger the crowd, the harder it is to ignore.

Plan your City Hall visit

2

Put your comment on the record

Deadline: 3 p.m. Wednesday, September 16. To speak on Thursday, call the Chief Clerk at 215-686-3406 or email chiefclerk@phila.gov with your full name (spelling and pronunciation), the words “a resolution regarding the Academy of Natural Sciences,” that you support it, a phone number and your street address.

Not in Philly? Email a written comment to the same address by the same deadline, preferably as a PDF. It becomes part of the written record.

How public comment works

3

Get the next call to action by email

The Save The Academy Coalition (STA Coalition) sends out priority action items, the time and place of every action, and nothing else. Time is of the essence and emailing you directly is the best way to let you know the latest. Every email has an unsubscribe link.

Join the email list

Free this weekend? We need people outside the Academy on its last open days, Friday to Sunday, handing out flyers and talking with visitors. Pick a two-hour shift.

The message

Don’t mourn. Organize.

If Philadelphia can move the Barnes, we can save the Academy.

The Academy of Natural Sciences has been a fixture of Philadelphia civic and scientific life for over 200 years, and holds a priceless and irreplaceable collection of 19 million specimens that continue to teach us today about our natural world. To lose the collection, and the ongoing science related to the collection, would be a tragedy.

To lose the public-facing museum, however, would also be a tragedy. How many Philadelphians remember being awed by first seeing the dinosaur skeletons, either on a school trip or on a visit with family? How many young people grew up to be scientists because they regularly spent time at the Academy?

Moreover, although the building needs to be renovated, the Academy belongs with the other museums on the Parkway. Do you want to see another high-end hotel, luxury apartments, or worse, an empty building next to the Franklin Institute? We already have the Family Court building across Logan Circle sitting empty for years.

Most importantly, we need to make our political leaders aware of what we want to see happen, and dial up the pressure for them to play a leadership, coordinating, and possibly a financial role in crafting the solution we want to see.

Rows of labeled glass specimen jars on a lab bench in the Academy’s collections.Children crowd around an Academy educator showing live animals at an outreach table.A hand holding open an old botany book beside pressed herbarium sheets.

Share what the Academy means to you Act now

We showed up

WE RALLIED. THANK YOU.

Tuesday, September 8, 10 a.m., in front of the Academy at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Hosted by Philly Science Action, Green Philly and Skype a Scientist.

Over 300 people came to the Parkway in the middle of a workday to tell Drexel University and the Academy’s Board: “Keep the museum open!” Many others came together virtually. We heard from local representatives, scientists, educators, and other community leaders about why the Academy matters and why it must be preserved and remain open to the public.

This is only the beginning. If you care about this institution, you are an important part of this community and this next chapter—please stay connected with this movement and take action.

Rally coverage Sign the petition

Rally flyer: Save the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum Rally, Tues Sept 8, 10 a.m., in front of the Academy, 1900 Ben Franklin Pkwy.
Speak out!

Pick at least three

You don’t have to do all of these, but please aim to commit to at least three. When you contact people, be sure to include your own connection to the Academy and why it is important to you. Check them off as you go; this page remembers on your device only.

0 of 10

  1. We are calling on Drexel University and the Academy’s Board to keep the Academy’s public-facing museum open and to work with the Philadelphia community to find a sustainable path forward.

    Sign the petition on Action Network

  2. Ask the Mayor to take a stronger role in finding a solution that keeps the Academy fiscally sound, on the Parkway, and open to city schoolchildren.

    Call (215) 686-2181 · Submit a written comment · @phillymayor on social media

  3. You can also call the at-large Council members, who represent all Philadelphia residents. Ask them to press the Mayor for a solution.

    Find your Council member

  4. They can bring pressure on the Governor to intervene, and could introduce legislation to help fund our underfunded arts and culture institutions, including the Academy.

    Find your state legislators

  5. Ask the Governor to play a stronger and more public leadership role in finding a sustainable funding solution. Other states, including North Carolina, fund their natural history museums. Why don’t we?

    Call 717-787-2500 · Text 717-788-8990 · Mail: Governor Josh Shapiro, 501 North 3rd Street, 508 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120

  6. Express your deep disappointment with Drexel’s decision, and ask Drexel to reconsider. Be polite. If you are a Drexel grad, say so.

    Call 215-895-2100 · president@drexel.edu

  7. Suggest they write a short letter or draw a picture of what the Academy means to them, and send it to the Mayor or the Governor, or both. A teacher can have the whole class do it. Mayor Parker was a teacher, and the Governor is an Academy member who brought his own kids.

  8. The September 1 announcement came during a late-summer week when many Philadelphians weren’t paying attention. Make sure people know, tell them what you have done, and pass along this page and the @savetheacademy Instagram page.

    save-the-academy.org

  9. Many staff are losing their jobs. Meanwhile they are doing what they have always done: caring for the museum and its collection, welcoming and inspiring the public. They deserve all respect and thanks.

    Plan a visit · Last public day: Sunday, September 27

  10. Tell people what the Academy means to you and why this matters, in your own words. Post it on social media with #SaveTheAcademy and tag @savetheacademy, and add it to the stories wall, where reporters, officials and neighbors can read it. Personal stories are what move the people still on the fence. Not sure where to start? Read our two-page story guide (PDF).

Want this as a printable sheet? Download “Academy of Natural Sciences Closing – What Can I Do?” (Word document).

Volunteer with us

The actions above take a few minutes each. Volunteering is the next step. We can indeed save the Academy, but it will take resources, organization, people power, and pressure to make this happen. Whether it is with time, money, skills, connections, or something else, please step up and let us know.

Volunteer During Academy Open Hours Hand out flyers, talk to visitors, raise awareness I want to do more! Share your time, skills, and connections

Print and share

Two flyers you can print at home and hand out, pin up, or leave at a coffee shop. Both point people to this site and the campaign’s Instagram.

Full-page flyer letter size, one per sheetSave The Academy Of Natural Sciences Museum flyer: photo of the museum with a crowd out front, a butterfly, a T. rex and two beetles; This is Philly, this is the oldest natural history museum in the USA, we are NOT just going to let it close; Be a force for the Academy, together we can save it; QR codes for save-the-academy.org and Instagram. Half Page STA Flyers two per sheet, cut in halfHalf Page STA Flyers: two half-page Save The Academy flyers on one letter sheet, each with a butterfly, a dinosaur, a beetle, the message Be a force for the Academy, together we can save it, join us, and QR codes for save-the-academy.org and Instagram.