Hall of Fame to get
$4.7 million in
pandemic funding

COOPERSTOWN — The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will get about $4.7 million from the federal  Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Thursday, Aug. 12. 

Previously known as the Save our Stages Act, the $4,728,163 federal grant will provide financial support to recover from the pandemic.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame is the beating heart of Cooperstown and critically important to not only the Upstate NY economy, but the history of America,” Schumer said in a media release. “Museums were among the first to shut down at the start of the pandemic and will be among the last to fully recover. Local businesses in Otsego County depend on the thousands of visitors drawn to this world-renowned attraction. I am proud to deliver this vital federal funding for the National Baseball Hall of Fame that nothing short of a home run for Cooperstown, Otsego County, and baseball fans across America”

“Like all cultural organizations around the country, our museum has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Jeff Idelson, interim president of the museum. “The challenges continue, as our attendance — and leisure travel in general — has not returned to pre-pandemic levels yet, though our work to tell the game’s stories and preserve its history never paused. Funding provided through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant helps replace lost revenue enabling us to continue to fulfill our mission to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations.”

Schumer said live venues and cultural institutions were among the hardest hit industries during the pandemic, and today’s dedicated federal assistance will help the National Baseball Hall of Fame deal with the tremendous hit to their bottom-line caused by COVID-19, and fully recover as the economy opens back up.