BILLINGS — Substantial changes are likely to occur at the Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) in Billings for the 2026 fiscal year.
In their preliminary budget, Yellowstone County commissioners outlined a 77% decrease for the museum, which typically receives about $220,000 a year from the county.
For 2026, commissioners plan for the museum to receive $50,000 from the county.
See how both county and federal budget cuts could hurt the YAM below:
"We are concerned for the museum. I know that this loss of funding is not insignificant," said Barbara Schneeman, the YAM's development director.
On Thursday, Schneeman told MTN that the decrease in the budget came with both confusion and disappointment.
"It is just very disheartening and very disappointing that we can no longer rely on that stable and reliable funding," she said. "Especially, in a facility that was the old Yellowstone County jail."
According to Schneeman, for the past 30 years, the YAM has been receiving about $220,000 from the county each year, which the museum would typically use for building maintenance. The museum receives funding from other sources, such as grants, to cover other costs. Of the total museum budget for the county, the YAM would typically receive about 25%.
Last year, Yellowstone County commissioners decided to decrease the YAM's portion of the county museum budget from 25% to 20%, or about $188,000.
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With the YAM estimated to receive $50,000 this upcoming fiscal year, its portion is down to about 6% of the county's museum budget.
According to Commissioners Mike Waters and Mark Morse, other museums in the county will be receiving about the same amount of money as usual, except for the Huntley Project Museum.
To cover hail damage to the Huntley Project Museum, the commissioners added an additional $82,000 to its budget, for a total of $200,000. In the preliminary budget summary, commissioners have requested $233,926 for the Western Heritage Center (costs include employee health insurance and maintenance to building), and $272,914 for the Yellowstone County Museum (costs include building's maintenance and construction).
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"It's never easy to make these kind of cuts. We understand many at Yellowstone Art Museum are upset," said County Commissioner Mike Waters on Thursday.
According to Waters and Morse, the entire 2026 proposed fiscal budget includes $4 million to be used toward public safety, which includes expanding the Yellowstone County jail and a boost for the County Attorney's office.
Apart from supporting hail damage repair to the Huntley Project Museum, parts of the YAM's normal budget will also be used for public safety. Waters and Morse said an additional $500,000 had to be moved from the general budget to the public safety budget to cover the cost of expanding the jail.
Currently, the jail's capacity is fewer than 450 inmates, and the jail typically has 600 inmates to feed, clothe and house.
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"The numbers are staggering for the jail. The numbers are staggering for the sheriff's office in general. But those are the priorities for keeping our jail safe in tightening our belt in other areas, to ensure that those budgets are getting what they need," said Waters.
"It's a difficult time at the YAM, and it's a difficult time for many other art institutions across the country and in our community," said Schneeman.
According to Schneeman, while the YAM typically receives outside grants to cover costs such as employee wages and exhibition fees. With federal funding cuts to museums nationwide, the opportunity to obtain that money is becoming more difficult.
"I think what's going on at a national level does impact us," said Schneeman. "The grants that are available for the arts and culture are not as abundant as they used to be, and so really those opportunities are not available to us."
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, commissioners will hold a public hearing to review the proposed budget. A final vote is scheduled for the beginning of September.
Until then, Schneeman and other leaders at the YAM are hoping the commissioners change their minds.
"We haven't made any official decisions in terms of what that looks like if our budget doesn't get restored. But, there will definitely be changes," said Schneeman.
"We have to make sure that are priorities are funding correctly," Waters said. "These cuts are difficult. We are mindful that there's museums that need funding in Yellowstone County."
See the outline proposed 2026 fiscal budget at this link.
