Museums in the United States first witnessed the effects of neoliberalism during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, when he worked with Congress to impose unprecedented budget cuts on the NEH. However, these economic practices have since trickled down to the state level. Using North Carolina as a case study, I argue that neoliberal influenced policies have had disastrous effects on all museums, but furthermore that they have been particularly unremunerative for history museums. My argument centers on the idea that since neoliberalism mainly benefits private for-profit businesses, which the overwhelming number of history museums are not, that museum funding issues are overlooked in national, state, and many local government budgets. I propose that the general defunding of cultural institutions, an outcome of neoliberal influenced economic policies, causes history museums to increasingly rely on their ability to gather private and corporate funds, lower their budgets to reduce expenditures on programming and staff, incorporate commercial products and experiences, and increase public marketing efforts. This cycle then compounds when funders reduce monetary contributions due to perceived underperformance, which typically occurs as a result of initial underfunding to begin with. The future and longevity of history museums may be at risk if funding models remain on this unorthodox trajectory and if traditional sources of funding continue to disregard the many societal benefits that well-funded history museums provide.