A single adult ticket at a major art museum runs $25 to $30 in most U.S. cities. For a family of four, that is $100 before you have paid for parking or lunch. What most people on food assistance do not know is that more than 1,600 museums across the country offer free or steeply reduced admission to anyone who shows an EBT card. You just show the card and a photo ID at the ticket desk. No application, no registration, no appointment.
The program behind most of these deals is called Museums for All, a national initiative that has served more than 15 million visitors since 2015. Individual museums set their own admission price under the program, so the deal varies by location. Some charge nothing. Some charge $1 or $3. A few have their own separate EBT programs on top of Museums for All. All of them are year-round, available every day the museum is open.
The 15 museums below are confirmed participants with verified EBT policies. Always bring a photo ID alongside your card. Discounts generally cover general admission; special ticketed exhibitions sometimes cost extra.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
The Met is the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere, with more than two million objects spanning 5,000 years. General admission is $30 for adults, but EBT/SNAP cardholders receive free admission for themselves and up to three additional people under the Museums for All program. Just show your card at any gallery entrance. The standard ticket also covers same-day entry to The Met Breuer and The Met Cloisters, though policies on sister locations are worth checking ahead of time.
New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents get pay-what-you-wish admission regardless of EBT status, so New Yorkers on food assistance have two pathways to free entry. The museum is open seven days a week, with late Friday and Saturday hours until 9 p.m.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City
MoMA holds one of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary art anywhere, including Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Van Gogh's The Starry Night, and Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans. Standard adult admission is $30. Under the Museums for All program, MoMA offers free admission to SNAP and WIC cardholders plus up to four guests. You need to present the EBT or WIC card and a photo ID at the ticketing desk. Tickets cannot be booked online for this program; you get them in person on arrival.
Children 16 and under are always free at MoMA regardless of EBT status, which means a family of young kids can get in for nothing most days. The museum is open daily, with extended hours on Fridays.
Brooklyn Museum, New York City
The Brooklyn Museum has one of the most genuinely inclusive admissions policies of any major art institution in the country. SNAP and EBT cardholders receive free general admission by showing their card at the ticket desk. No Museums for All registration is required. The museum also hosts Target First Saturdays on the first Saturday of each month, when the entire museum opens free to everyone from 5 to 11 p.m.
The collection spans Egyptian antiquities, African art, feminist art, and a major American decorative arts wing. It is worth planning for time; the building covers 560,000 square feet across five floors. Children under 19 are also always free here.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
The Whitney focuses exclusively on 20th and 21st century American art, with a strong photography and film collection alongside major works by Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Jasper Johns. Regular adult admission is $25. SNAP and EBT cardholders receive one free admission per visit by presenting their card at arrival. Children and teens 18 and under are always free. Visitors 25 and under are also always free, a recent policy change that significantly widens access.
Friday evenings from 5 to 10 p.m. are free for everyone, tickets required. The second Sunday of every month is also free for all visitors. The Whitney's building in the Meatpacking District has exceptional views of the Hudson River from its terraces, which are open with a ticket.
Art Institute of Chicago
One of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States, the Art Institute holds more than 300,000 works, including Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Grant Wood's American Gothic. Illinois LINK cardholders and WIC cardholders get free general admission for themselves and their entire household, including free access to ticketed special exhibitions. This is one of the most generous EBT policies in the country. Just show your LINK or WIC card with a photo ID at the admission counter.
Children under 14 are always free. Chicago teens under 18 are always free. Illinois residents can also get free admission on select weekday afternoons throughout the year, details on the museum's website. The museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art sits at the top of the “Rocky Steps” on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and holds one of the most wide-ranging collections on the East Coast, including major works by Duchamp, Cézanne, and van Gogh. Regular adult admission is $30. EBT cardholders receive free general admission for up to four adults by presenting their card at any Visitor Services desk.
Pennsylvania ACCESS cardholders get the same benefit. Your ticket also covers same-day entry to the Rodin Museum, a short walk down the Parkway. The first Sunday of each month is pay-what-you-wish for all visitors. Children 18 and under are always free.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
SFMOMA is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States, with a permanent collection of over 33,000 works. It recently expanded to include 45,000 square feet of ground-floor public space that requires no ticket at all. For the rest of the museum, regular adult admission is $30. San Francisco residents with a valid EBT, Medi-Cal, CalFresh, or SNAP card receive free admission to the full museum by presenting their card and proof of SF residency. This means both cards are needed for the free admission benefit at SFMOMA specifically.
Everyone 18 and under is always free. The Museum for All membership is available to EBT/Medi-Cal holders for a discounted $48 annual family membership. The museum is open Thursday through Monday; closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
de Young Museum, San Francisco
The de Young is San Francisco's signature fine arts museum, with a collection running from ancient American civilizations to contemporary design and textiles. It sits inside Golden Gate Park and charges $30 for general adult admission. EBT and Medi-Cal cardholders receive free general admission to the permanent collection by showing their card at the ticket desk. No proof of SF residency is required for this benefit, unlike SFMOMA. Special exhibitions still carry full-price tickets.
Bay Area residents from any of the nine surrounding counties also get free admission every Saturday to the permanent collection, no EBT required. The museum's tower observation deck, with 360-degree views of San Francisco, is included with any admission.
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world, spanning 6,000 years across 18,000 objects from China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Himalayas. General admission is $20. San Francisco EBT and Medi-Cal cardholders receive free admission by presenting their card and proof of SF residency. The first Sunday of each month is also free for all visitors.
The museum is located in the Civic Center neighborhood in the former San Francisco Main Library building, a Beaux-Arts landmark. It is closed on Wednesdays. Any out-of-state EBT cardholders should check directly with the museum, as the local SF Human Services program is the primary sponsor of this benefit.
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum operates three locations: the main downtown SAM, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, and the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is always free and outdoors. At the main museum, regular adult admission is $29.99. SNAP, EBT, and WIC cardholders receive free admission for up to five people under the Museums for All program. You present your card at the ticket desk; no pre-registration needed. The benefit covers general admission to the permanent collection.
EBT cards from any state are accepted, so visitors traveling through Seattle with an out-of-state card still qualify. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. The Olympic Sculpture Park along the waterfront is open every day, free to all, no card needed.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The MFA Boston holds one of the most encyclopedic collections in North America, with particular depth in ancient Egyptian, Japanese, and American art. Regular adult admission is $27. Massachusetts residents who present an EBT or ConnectorCare card receive up to four $3 adult tickets, and youth ages 7 through 17 get free tickets. This benefit applies to general admission and also to ticketed special exhibitions. The MFA's EBT program is an in-person benefit only; tickets must be purchased at the desk with the card in hand.
Every third Thursday of the month after 5 p.m. is pay-what-you-wish for all visitors, with a suggested $5 minimum. Residents of Boston whose children attend Boston Public Schools also have access to Boston Family Days with free admission on the first and second Sundays of each month.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The MFAH is one of the largest art museums in the country by building size, with a permanent collection spanning 6,000 years across two main buildings, two house museums, and a sculpture garden. Admission is $19 for adults. Texas residents who hold a Lone Star Card, which covers SNAP, TANF, and WIC recipients, receive free general admission for up to six people by presenting the card at any admissions desk. The benefit covers the main campus only, not the house museums.
Thursday is free for everyone for permanent collection access, courtesy of Shell USA. That means Texas Lone Star cardholders effectively have free access on any day of the week through one route or another. Children 12 and under are always free. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, with late Thursday hours until 9 p.m.
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum is the largest art museum between Chicago and Los Angeles, with significant holdings in Indigenous North American art, Western American art, and a strong modern and contemporary wing. Regular adult admission is $22. SNAP cardholders receive $1 per person admission for up to 10 people by presenting a valid SNAP debit card at the welcome desk. This is one of the most generous group-size policies in the country. The discount does not apply to special ticketed exhibitions.
Children 18 and under are always free at the DAM. Colorado also operates a statewide EBT discount program through Denver Human Services that covers multiple cultural institutions in the metro area, so a single card opens doors across the city. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia)
Mia is one of the rare major art museums where EBT status is irrelevant because general admission is simply always free for everyone, every day. No card, no ID, no discount required. The museum holds more than 100,000 artworks spanning 5,000 years from six continents, and the permanent collection galleries require no ticket at all. Walk in. Special exhibitions and some programs carry separate fees, and Mia has a policy of providing free special exhibition tickets to anyone who cannot afford them; just ask at the visitor services desk.
Mia is publicly supported by Hennepin County through the Park Museum Fund, which allows it to operate without charging admission. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, with late Thursday hours until 9 p.m. The museum is located in the Whittier neighborhood of South Minneapolis.
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh shares its Oakland campus with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and one ticket covers both. Regular adult admission is around $22. EBT, ACCESS, and SNAP cardholders receive $1 per person admission by presenting their card with a matching photo ID. The discount applies to both museums on the combined campus. The program is supported by BNY Mellon. It does not apply to special paid programs or events.
Teens 13 through 18 get free admission through Carnegie's Free Teen Membership program, available year-round. Children under 3 are always free. The museum is open Monday and Wednesday through Sunday; closed Tuesday. Pittsburgh-area EBT cardholders can also access the Andy Warhol Museum, a separate Carnegie institution, for $1 per person under the same program.
