Which organization was established by Congress in 2016 to coordinate the United States’ 250th anniversary?

Congress established the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to coordinate the United States’ 250th anniversary.

The commission was created by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016. Its task was to plan and encourage nationwide observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

America250 is the public-facing name associated with the commission’s national commemorative work. The effort is described as nonpartisan and includes historical, educational, cultural, and civic programs rather than a single ceremony in one city.

The commission is separate from the United States Bicentennial Commission, which organized the 1976 anniversary, and from the National Archives, which preserves many founding documents. It also differs from the Continental Congress, the Revolutionary-era body that adopted the Declaration. The names are related, but they refer to institutions from different periods.