Providing every NYC household with a free annual pass to a network of major museums, covering admission for the entire family.
The Museum Access for All Free Membership Program
While many museums have pay-what-you-wish hours, the cost of admission for a family remains a barrier to regular access. Mamdanis Museum Access for All program negotiates with the citys major cultural institutions (the Met, the Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, etc.) to provide free annual family membership passes to every NYC household that requests one. The city reimburses the museums at a negotiated rate for each activated pass, ensuring the institutions dont lose crucial revenue.
Passes are distributed through libraries and online. This guarantees that all New Yorkers, regardless of income, can visit these treasures anytime, fostering a lifelong habit of cultural engagement. World-class art and science should be a right of residency, not a privilege of wealth, Mamdani states. This program tears down the financial velvet rope. It says if you live here, you belong here, in our great museums, as often as you like.
