The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lobbying client
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870 and located on Fifth Avenue along the eastern edge of Central Park, is one of the world's largest encyclopedic art museums and draws millions of visitors each year. It has filed 37 lobbying disclosures since 2024, engaging 10 council members through London House, Tusk Strategies, and Venable LLP on capital project funding, Landmarks Preservation Commission and Parks Department approvals, and budget allocations including public school programs.
- Council members lobbied
- 15
- Filings (since 2024)
- 37
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $552,596
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Construction Services
- City contracts (active)
- $38,266,271 · 2 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $124,760,286 · 30 since 2007, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $119,286,040
- Won without a fresh bid
- 100% of contract value · $124,299,786 · 20 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $480,000 · 34 awards
- Funding history
- Funded 12 years (FY2015–FY2027), including each of the last 10
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $2,180,303 · Lauren A Meserve, SVP & Chief Investment Officer
- Based in
- New York, NY
Lobbied these council members
- Carmen N. De La Rosa Council Member, District 10 (Manhattan)
- Eric Dinowitz Council Member, District 11 (Bronx)
- Linda Lee Council Member, District 23 (Queens)
- Shekar Krishnan Council Member, District 25 (Queens)
- Nantasha M. Williams Council Member, District 27 (Queens)
- Chi A. Ossé Council Member, District 36 (Brooklyn)
- Darlene Mealy Council Member, District 41 (Brooklyn)
- Virginia Maloney Council Member, District 4 (Manhattan)
- Julie Menin Council Member, District 5 (Manhattan)
- Gale A. Brewer Council Member, District 6 (Manhattan)
- Yusef Salaam Council Member, District 9 (Manhattan)
Represented by lobbyist firms
- London House LLC Lobbyist firm
- Tusk Strategies LLC Lobbyist firm
- Venable LLP Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Department of Design and Construction City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Citywide Administrative Services City agency
- Department of Cultural Affairs City agency
Lobbied former members
Members who have since left their seat
- Adrienne Adams
- Carlina Rivera
- Erik Bottcher
- Keith Powers
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - Budget Request for funding
- Budget - Lobby the administration for city funding for this year's capital project. ; Budget - Lobby the administration for city funding for this year's capital project.
- Budget - Northside Chiller Plant funding request
- Budget - Program Funding
- Budget - funding
- Budget - funding for programs
- Determination of Board or Commission - LPC & DPR APPROVALS
- Determination of Board or Commission - unknown at this time
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- Metropolitan Museum Skylight Replacement Department of Design and Construction · CT185020241414056 $37,523,831
- Special Exhibition Lighting Improvement Department of Design and Construction · CT185020251417627 $742,440
- Metropolitan Museum of Art Infra. Upgrade Phase 1 Department of Design and Construction · CT185020080041943 · ended 2011 $15,184,686
- Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute E&H Cliimate Control Department of Design and Construction · CT185020131428113 · ended 2016 $8,059,000
- METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART SOUTH COOLING TOWER PLANT, PHASE Department of Design and Construction · CT185020111425201 · ended 2013 $7,965,000
- MET MUSEUM SACKLER WING HVAC EQUIPMENT & CONTRLS Department of Design and Construction · CT185020161406586 · ended 2018 $7,110,300
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Inst Gall Renov Department of Design and Construction · CT185020121442349 · ended 2015 $6,795,176
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art Fire Alarm and Det Sys Upgr Department of Design and Construction · CT185020121442259 · ended 2016 $6,743,380
- Metro-Museum Of Art Infrastructure Upgrade Phase II and III Department of Design and Construction · CT185020101422473 · ended 2013 $6,550,000
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art switchgear Replacement Department of Design and Construction · CT185020111449727 · ended 2014 $3,873,000
Largest payments, by purpose
The organization's largest individual city payments (roughly $25,000 and up), grouped by purpose, to show what recent money was for. This is NOT a total — smaller payments aren't listed; see “Paid to date” above for the complete amount paid against its contracts. Fiscal years 2020 and later.
- MET Skylight Replacement Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2025 $7,484,023
- Metropolitan Museum Skylight Replacement Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2026 $5,608,018
- Replacement of 7 Air Handling Units at MMA Department of Citywide Administrative Services · FY2024 $1,900,000
- Metropolitan Museum Skylight Replacement Department of Citywide Administrative Services · FY2026 $1,626,452
- Replacement of 7 Air Handling Units at MMA Department of Cultural Affairs · FY2024 $950,000
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Local CM Speaker · DCLA · FY2027 $25,000
- P.S./I.S. 78Q Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2015 $20,000
- PS/IS 078Q Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2016 $20,000
- Public School/ Intermediate School 078Q Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2018 $20,000
- Public School 189K Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2019 $20,000
- Public School/Intermediate School 78 Q Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2019 $20,000
- Public School 078Q (30Q078) CM Van Bramer · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2020 $20,000
- Public School 189K (17K189) CM Ampry-Samuel · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2020 $20,000
- Public School 189K (17K189) CM Ampry-Samuel · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2021 $20,000
- Public School 078Q (30Q078) CM Won · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2022 $20,000
- Public School 189K (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2022 $20,000
- Public School 078Q (30Q078) CM Won · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2023 $20,000
- Public School 189K The Bilingual Center (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2023 $20,000
- Public School 189K The Bilingual Center (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2024 $20,000
- Public School 189K The Bilingual Center (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2025 $20,000
- Public School 309X The George E. Wibecan (16K309) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2025 $20,000
- Public School 189K The Bilingual Center (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2026 $20,000
- Public School 309X The George E. Wibecan (16K309) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2026 $20,000
- Public School 189K The Bilingual Center (17K189) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2027 $20,000
- Public School 309X The George E. Wibecan (16K309) CM Mealy · Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA) · DCLA · FY2027 $20,000
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Darlene Mealy FY2022-2027 · 9 awards $180,000
- Ampry-Samuel FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $40,000
- Julie Won FY2022-2023 · 2 awards $40,000
- Keith Powers FY2020-2026 · 7 awards $35,000
- Jimmy Van Bramer FY2020 · 1 award $20,000
- Gale A. Brewer FY2025-2027 · 3 awards $15,000
- Kevin C. Riley FY2027 · 1 award $10,000
- Vanessa Gibson FY2020 · 1 award $5,000
- Shanel Thomas-Henry FY2027 · 1 award $5,000
- Virginia Maloney FY2027 · 1 award $5,000
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2024). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Lauren A Meserve SVP & Chief Investment Officer $2,180,303
- Max Hollein Director & CEO $1,871,720
- Lawrence Choi Senior Investment Officer $1,234,408
- Kenly Voght Senior Investment Officer $1,155,728
- Jameson Kelleher COO, CFO And Treasurer $864,634
- Whitney Donhauser Dep Director & Chf Advancement Off $669,475
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +33% from FY2020 to FY2024. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Lauren A Meserve · 1.96% of revenue $1,708,506
- FY2021 Lauren A Meserve · 1.76% of revenue $1,878,593
- FY2022 Lauren A Meserve · 1.51% of revenue $1,800,269
- FY2023 Daniel H Weiss · 2.08% of revenue $3,280,613
- FY2024 Lauren A Meserve · 1.54% of revenue $2,180,303
Where their influence converges
Outside interests connected to this official through more than one independent channel — drawn straight from the records the rest of the site already shows. “Lobbied them” = a lobbying filing that named the member. “Outside spending” = an independent-expenditure committee the interest funds spent in
- Carmen N. De La Rosa It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
- Eric Dinowitz It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
- Shekar Krishnan It lobbied them; it holds contracts at 1 agency in their committees' jurisdiction
Community project funding secured by (FY2024)
Members of New York's congressional delegation named as requestors of an enacted FY2024 community project for this organization, in the House Appropriations Committee's own final project tables. Each figure is the amount APPROPRIATED for that project, not money paid out to this organization to date.
- Kirsten E. Gillibrand Public Plaza Security Upgrades · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $1,750,000
- Charles E. Schumer Public Plaza Security Upgrades · NY · Transportation, Housing and Urban Development $1,750,000
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- Institute of Museum and Library Services 45.312 National Leadership Grants · Institute of Museum and Library Services · Grant $647,000
- National Endowment for the Humanities 45.164 Promotion of the Humanities Public Programs · National Endowment for the Humanities · Grant $400,000
- National Endowment for the Humanities 45.149 Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access · National Endowment for the Humanities · Grant $349,999
- Institute of Museum and Library Services 45.301 Museums for America · Institute of Museum and Library Services · Grant $250,000
- National Endowment for the Humanities 45.149 Promotion of the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access · National Endowment for the Humanities · Grant $236,050
- Institute of Museum and Library Services 45.301 Museums for America · Institute of Museum and Library Services · Grant $222,074
- Department of State 19.036 Cultural Antiquities Task Force · Department of State · Grant $95,000
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $55,000
- National Endowment for the Arts 45.024 Promotion of the Arts Grants to Organizations and Individuals · National Endowment for the Arts · Grant $40,000