Staff Report / February 5, 2026
Corning NY – The Corning Museum of Glass has secured a $1 million federal investment aimed at significantly expanding the museum’s educational outreach and programming, U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced this week.
The funding, included in the newly signed Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, was championed as a congressionally directed spending item by both senators and finalized as part of this year’s federal budget.
“This iconic institution is a crown jewel of the Southern Tier’s arts and tourism economy,” Schumer said, noting his personal visits and advocacy for federal support. He emphasized that the new dollars will help the museum develop science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) curriculum that uses the unique medium of glass and glassblowing to enrich K-12 education.
Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, echoed the importance of the investment: “These federal dollars will expand educational opportunities for students across the Southern Tier,” she said, underlining her ongoing effort to bring federal resources to upstate New York.
The investment will support enhancements to the museum’s school-based tours and curriculum-related activities, which already reach thousands of students each year. In 2023 alone, the museum’s Education Department served nearly 5,500 students from more than 140 schools and 130 school districts.
Part of the funding is also designated for pilot efforts to provide transportation to students in historically underserved districts, including areas outside the Southern Tier such as the Capital Region and New York City — expanding access to hands-on STEAM learning experiences using glass as both an artistic and scientific medium.
The Corning Museum of Glass, home to one of the world’s most comprehensive collections on the art and science of glass, is renowned not only for its exhibits but also for its educational outreach. With this new funding, museum leaders hope to deepen classroom connections and extend learning far beyond the museum’s galleries.
