The Indiana Historical Society, which has preserved and exhibited the state’s history for close to two centuries, eliminated 11 staff members following Gov. Mike Braun’s decision to terminate its lease with the state.
The society is also nixing its statewide National History Day competition, a student research contest it’s sponsored for almost 50 years.
“It was pretty shocking,” Cathy Gorn, executive director of National History Day, told IndyStar, “and especially because the Indiana program has always been one of our model programs.”
The cuts, which included the society’s entire education and engagement team, have sparked outrage from the museum and history community. It follows the Braun administration’s decision to lay off all but one employee at the Indiana Historical Bureau in 2025 and coincides with a perilous time for museums nationally amid federal funding losses.
“What does it say when a museum devalues Education so much that the cutting of the whole of education is done when school starts in a week, as teachers have been reaching out for resources and outreach?” Bethany Hrachovec, who directs the IHS department that was gutted, wrote in a recent LinkedIn post.
The IHS declined an interview through a spokesperson but said in a statement the cuts came after a “careful review of how the organization is structured and where resources are focused as part of a broader effort to position the Indiana Historical Society for long-term stability and success.”
Four of the 11 employees worked part-time, according to the IHS. The organization stopped listing its staff members sometime after July 7, according to an archived version of its staff page. That page names 54 employees, but the Indianapolis Business Journal reported that the layoffs left the IHS with 90 employees.
“We anticipate minimal disruptions to our exhibits, events, museum store, research services and other core operations as responsibilities are realigned,” the IHS said in a statement.
The IHS did not answer an IndyStar question about whether the termination of the contract prompted the cuts. Braun declined to comment through a spokesperson.
For decades, the IHS has received indirect financial support from the state via a contract that leased IHS state land for $1 and covered nearly $1 million in maintenance expenses. In 2025, lawmakers struck the maintenance provision from the state budget. The state and the IHS ultimately reached an agreement to transfer the land to the IHS, which has owned the downtown Indianapolis building that sits on the land since 1999.
The IHS did not answer IndyStar questions about how it made its decision to cut staff, though its 2024 nonprofit tax filing shows that its largest expense is staff salaries. Its most expensive program service is its public programs, according to the filing, which include education services like the National History Day competition. Those programs are listed as not producing any revenue in 2024.
Gorn said that she found out Indiana was cutting the program on July 24, just a little more than a month before the IHS was scheduled to host the national organization’s annual conference. By then, flights and hotels had already been booked.
“We had no warning,” Gorn said.
After a brief scramble, Gorn said the Indiana State Archives agreed to provide them space for the conference. Now, the organization is seeking a long-term sponsor for its program in Indiana.
While she said she is optimistic that the program can be restored, she sees the decision-making as part of a broader deemphasis of history that she finds troubling.
“[The] studying of the past, in in all of its triumph and tragedy, conflict and compromise, that helps us understand who we are,” she said.
As a nonprofit organization, the IHS is funded almost entirely by donations, membership dues, admission fees and occasional draws from its endowment. In 2024, that totaled $7.2 million, according to its annual financial report. The society also spent roughly $7.2 million that year. Its budget this year, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal, is about $10 million.
Download the free IndyStar app and turn on notifications to get breaking news and sports alerts.
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Historical Society cuts staff, education program after state funding cut
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
