Help Shedd Aquarium get through this crisis

Tell Congress you support emergency funding for aquariums and zoos.

Americans count on aquariums and zoos as trusted sources of information, innovative education and engagement, and scientific expertise. Our mission is driven by saving and protecting our blue planet's aquatic life.

Our researchers work each day to save coral on the brink of extinction; each year, we rehab rescued animals and work in our home communities to bridge the educational divide while inspiring the next generation of ecologists and conservation leaders.

We need your help. Please join our aquarium in asking Congress to deliver emergency funding to aquariums, zoos and other nonprofit cultural organizations.

Despite huge losses in revenue, aquariums continue to prioritize the health and wellbeing of our animals. We’ve ramped up our digital education resources to support teachers, parents and students all across the country and continue to deliver a sense of hope through live content and remote learning.

But the pandemic’s impact on revenue and the continued high costs of providing excellent animal care are having a severe impact on our operations and our staffing.

Please act today. Reach out to Congress to ask them to help aquariums and zoos during this emergency.

Just follow the easy steps below.

Thank you for being a champion for our aquarium. We hope you’ll stay connected with us online and we look forward to welcoming you back in person.

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Dear [recipient position will go here] [recipient name will go here],

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Thank you for your leadership and tireless efforts to combat COVID-19, protect our communities, and stabilize the economy.

Today I am asking that you ensure that immediate assistance is provided to nonprofit and public accredited aquariums and zoos in the next emergency relief legislation. Nationwide, aquariums and zoos have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and more than 30 percent of our industry’s jobs. Even with these devastating losses, these institutions still face an increasingly unstable financial future. Now, many of these institutions, like so many businesses, must once again close their doors (or have yet to re-open) to help flatten the curve this winter.

Each day aquariums and zoos care for animals and collaborate to save species from extinction, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put this crucial work in jeopardy. Zoos and aquariums are uniquely vulnerable because they must provide ongoing, costly care for hundreds of thousands of animals. The animals cannot be furloughed. Therefore, these organizations have continued to pay the high fixed costs of animal care with drastically reduced and, in some cases, no opportunity to earn revenue. As this crisis extends, many zoos and aquariums must continue to cut jobs, and some are facing the prospect of permanent closure. All of these facilities have incredibly difficult choices ahead of them. They need Congress’s immediate help.

Congress has provided several mechanisms to stabilize businesses and small nonprofits in previous COVID relief legislation and recent proposals. However, many of our nation’s larger aquariums and zoos have not been eligible, animal care costs have not been considered, or relief programs have required public and nonprofit zoos and aquariums to take on additional debt as they continue to lose money each day.
As we enter the ninth month of this worsening pandemic, I urge you to pass additional economic relief legislation to help control the virus and support our communities.

Specifically, I urge you to provide critical aid to save zoos and aquariums including:

Relief Funding for Non-Profit Zoos and Aquariums: 
Include funding and language allowing for a second round of loans for smaller nonprofits and ensure that a program is available for all nonprofit zoos and aquariums, regardless of size, to be eligible for grants or forgivable loans.

Emergency Grants to Care for Endangered and Rescued Wildlife: 
Provide $250 million in grants through the USFWS to help aquariums and zoos cover ongoing expenses to rescue, rehabilitate, and care for endangered, threatened, and rescued wildlife. As many of our institutions are operating at a loss with massive reductions in gate revenue, rapid relief for this unique and considerable cost can ensure the continuation of expert animal care for species and animals for which the government is responsible under federal law and regulation.

Main Street Lending Program: 
Amend Section 4003(c)(3)(D) of the CARES Act to: 
a) Require the Federal Reserve to offer a facility designed for all nonprofits that includes loan forgiveness for loans sufficiently sized to stabilize operations and protect against permanent closures; and
b) Eliminate the requirement that no more than 30% of an organization’s 2019 revenues come from donations.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): 
As included in the HEROES Act, expand funding for EIDL and reinstate forgivable advances. Require the Small Business Administration to remove the $150,000 cap and retroactively fund qualified organizations up to $2 million.

State and Local Funding:
Provide additional stabilization through direct and flexible relief to state and local municipalities in order to support emergency COVID-19 response and economic recovery. Include a targeted allocation of funding for government-operated and supported aquariums and zoos.

Americans count on aquariums and zoos as tourism hubs that help drive local and regional economies. They are also trusted sources of information, innovative education, scientific expertise, and wildlife conservation. As critical cornerstones of our communities facing unique and dire challenges during this crisis, I respectfully request you to advance a COVID-19 legislative package as soon as possible and include solutions for aquariums and zoos, specifically forgivable loans and emergency relief for animal care, to survive the months ahead.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and your work to respond to and recover from this pandemic.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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