The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has received a series
of grants totaling $3.75 million from the Avenir Foundation in
support of the Museum's new Collections Conservation Center,
currently under construction. The funds will also provide critical
funding for long-term collections conservation. The Avenir
Foundation supports educational, arts, and cultural activities.
The Conservation Center is part of the larger Rocky Mountain
Science Collections Center, which will provide a consolidated and
climate controlled home for the Museum's 1.4 million specimens and
artifacts. The state-of-the-art facility will reach the highest
standards for collections acquisition, care, preservation, and
research-positioning the Museum as a global leader in collections
stewardship.
"This generous gift ensures that the stories, science, and
wonder inherent in these natural and cultural artifacts will endure
for future generations," said George Sparks, President and CEO of
the Museum. "We are very grateful to the Avenir
Foundation."
The Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center is part of the Education and Collections
Facility, a 126,000-square-foot addition to the Museum that
broke ground on September 13, 2011. The Education and Collections
Facility will also feature a dedicated, interactive science center
for preschoolers, new classrooms and education programs for
21st-century schoolchildren, and additional space for engaging
public programs and world-class temporary exhibitions. It is
scheduled to open in 2014.
The facility is funded through a combination of private
fundraising and $30 million in Better Denver bonds, approved by
voters in 2007. In addition to the Better Denver funds and thanks
to the lead gift of $8 million from the Morgridge Family
Foundation, the Museum has raised another $22.5 million toward this
project.
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