Morgridge Family Foundation Gives $8 Million Gift Toward New Science Engagement Center
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has received the largest donation in its 109-year history, an $8 million gift from the Morgridge Family Foundation for the construction of a new Science Engagement Center on the south side of the Museum building.
The 40,000-square-foot, three-story Science Engagement Center will feature two floors of innovative, high-tech science activity facilities designed for preschool through 8th grade children, as well as their teachers, parents, and other caregivers. The center will provide a dynamic, hands-on learning environment and deliver programs that will have a profound impact on children’s understanding of science. The third floor of the building will contain a large, new temporary exhibition gallery.
“We want to change the way people think about science education here at the Museum,” said George Sparks, the Museum’s president and CEO. “Our goal is to complement what children learn at school by offering the types of memorable experiences they can only have at our great Museum. We want to give these kids the inspiration they need to become lifelong fans of science and learning, and we are grateful to the Morgridge Family Foundation for making a significant contribution to the fulfillment of this vision.”
 The Morgridge Family Foundation has given generously to education programs in Colorado, particularly for programs that create 21st century classrooms that rely on technology to teach today’s digital-native children. “Partnering with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is one of the best investments our foundation can make in science and education,” said Carrie Morgridge, the foundation’s vice president. “We are very concerned that the quality of science, technology, engineering, and math education might be diluted if standards are not maintained at a very high level. We need tools, partners, experts, master teachers, and creative, critical thinkers to educate the next generation so we will have a competitive workforce. The Museum can play an important role in developing the scientists of tomorrow.”
The Science Engagement Center is one part of a larger Education and Collections Facility, which will include the Rocky Mountain Science Collections Center, a 60,000-square-foot underground storage area for the 1.4 million objects in the Museum’s collections. Concept development for the entire facility is underway. Groundbreaking is scheduled for late next year. The Education and Collections Facility is a major initiative in the Museum’s 10-year strategic plan.
The facility will be funded through a combination of private fundraising and City of Denver funds secured through the Better Denver bonds. In 2007, Denver voters approved $30 million in bond funding for the project. The ballot issue called for the Museum to raise $23 million in private donations to match the bonds. With the $8 million gift from the Morgridge Family Foundation, plus additional fundraising completed to date, the Museum has raised $15 million toward the $23 million match, or approximately 65 percent of the matching funds required by the Better Denver program. |
