NEW YORK — New York State will provide $2.2 million to expand free admission at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in downtown Manhattan, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The funding will allow New York residents, workers and students to visit the indoor museum free every Sunday afternoon for one year, starting next month. The expanded "New York First Sundays" program replaces the previous model, which offered free entry only on the first Sunday of each month between 4 and 7 p.m.
"The events of 9/11 and those we lost that day should never be forgotten," Hochul said. "Every New Yorker, especially those too young to remember the attacks, should have the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum."
The state grant builds on earlier support from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. The indoor museum typically charges for entry; the outdoor memorial remains free year-round, as do visits for family members of 9/11 victims, survivors and first responders.
Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, said the expansion would allow "thousands more New Yorkers" to "reconnect to the sense of community that we all felt after the attacks." Since the initial free Sunday program launched, she noted, many first-time visitors have come to the museum.
On Friday, President Donald Trump attended ceremonies at the Pentagon memorial. Vice President JD Vance participated at Ground Zero in New York. Governor Josh Shapiro, a Pennsylvania Democrat, delivered remarks at the United Airlines Flight 93 memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. Most died at the World Trade Center site in New York; others perished at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93.
