S PARK
Be the Future. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Where Science &
Imagination Meet
The Opportunity Nature + Science = Inspiration & Empowerment
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Have you ever marveled at a shooting star in the night sky? Or seen a child gaze in awe at a hatchling chick? To do so is to witness the boundless power of nature. At the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, we envision a world in which every person actively experiences nature and is empowered with scientific knowledge to shape a better tomorrow. Like you, we believe in the power of science and the limitlessness of human curiosity. Through experiences that spark wonder and lifelong learning, this Museum aspires to be a dynamic, living laboratory for science and inspiration.
OUR MISSION: To inspire, through science and education, a passion for nature, the protection of natural diversity, the fostering of health, and leadership to a sustainable future.
OUR VISION: To explore, engage, and empower for a better tomorrow.
That’s why we’re transforming the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: to bring science to life in the 21st century. New and enlivened exhibits, interactive educational programs, stateof-the-art facilities, and an accessible campus will coalesce in a museum experience that puts audiences at the very center of our planet’s evolving story and engages them in ensuring a sustainable future.
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The Challenge
A New Museum for A Changing World
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The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a trusted resource for information and education. It’s also a place of curiosity, play, and discovery that enables visitors young and old to develop a personal connection to nature and make better choices for our planet. A leading research institution beloved by this community for more than a century, today the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is poised for reinvention. While we have an outstanding collection, a prime University Circle location, and a renowned team of scientists, researchers, and museum professionals, this institution was formed on a now-outdated Victorian model of natural history museums—one that looks at natural science in a linear, fragmented, and impersonal way. We must evolve. Our $150 million transformation will preserve and amplify what generations of Clevelanders have loved about this Museum, while making it more accessible, transparent, and responsive to our community and the pressing issues of our time. Exhibits and programming will be flexible and interactive, placing visitors at the center of the wild, pulsating web of life and the greater forces that shape the universe. Experiences will animate the ways we simultaneously influence and depend upon the natural world
to survive and thrive. We will be a place of dialogue about science-related issues facing our city and our planet—from public health to climate change—and the related personal, social, and economic impacts. We will convene conversations with neighbors and peer institutions, catalyzing action to improve the well-being of our region. As important, we will inspire current and future generations of environmental stewards, citizen scientists, and STEM leaders. Leveraging our University Circle location— a nexus of outstanding science, arts, and botanical institutions—our transformed Museum will be a vital place of learning and a beacon of pride for Cleveland residents, businesses, and visitors to the greater metropolitan area. Today, the Museum draws some 375,000 people and generates nearly $40 million in economic1 activity per year for the state of Ohio, and we’re committed to even greater impact in the future. With your support, we will evolve into a museum that attracts the full diversity of Cleveland and accelerates the economic, educational, and civic vitality of our region, and science understanding worldwide.
The Museum creates a total of $39.5 million in economic activity per year in Cuyahoga County and $39.1 million in the State of Ohio. 1
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The Plan
Bringing Natural History to Life Exploring “natural history” should be exciting and visceral, taking us back in time—from the Big Bang, to the time of the dinosaurs, through human evolution—illuminating contemporary concerns, and empowering us to realize the best possible future for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. Our $150 million campaign to transform the Museum’s exhibitions, programs, and campus will give visitors direct access to cutting-edge scientific information and experiential opportunities to see how science progresses and affects their daily lives. We are building a new 50,000-squarefoot addition, reinventing all of our exhibitions, and adding enhanced visitor amenities to serve the public. In partnership with the national design firm Gallagher & Associates, we will reorganize our exhibits around big
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questions, highlighting the inseparable connection between humans and nature, from our local environment in Cleveland to the world beyond. The architectural design by DLR Group | Cleveland weaves together the original Museum building and six disparate expansions from the past century into a unified complex. The design, featuring walls of glass and curving cast concrete forms, takes inspiration from the site’s geological history, evoking the glaciers that created Lake Erie and the Great Lakes and revealing how these same forces shaped the Earth and the universe —and continue to affect life today. Our LEED-certified expansion will also be a model of sustainability. Rainwater harvesting and renewable energy systems will become visible teaching tools, while modernized learning spaces will make science education fun and more active and relevant to our community.
A Museum Like No Other
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A New Visitor Hall & Ames Family Curiosity Center
Visitors will begin their journey in our free-to-the-public Visitor Hall, featuring new interpretations of iconic treasures from the collection like Happy, the Jurassic sauropod, and Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old human ancestor first discovered by CMNH scientists.
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The new Ames Family Curiosity Center will add an interactive space for visitors to make real-time connections between our collections, their lived experiences, and the latest scientific discoveries and news from around the world.
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New Wings to Explore Planetary & Biological Processes
Dynamic new spaces devoted to Planetary Processes and Biological Processes will link from the Visitor Hall and connect to the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium and the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden – presented by KeyBank.
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In the planetary wing, multimedia, sensory presentations will illuminate how humans are literally made of stardust, while exhibits in the biological wing reveal how humanity is both connected to and unique from all other organisms.
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Lifelong Learning, in Our Community and Beyond Our educational programs, which serve over 80,000 students annually, will grow on site and online through a major investment in a new digital strategy. We will expand our technological capabilities and our award-winning distance learning program, leveraging the power and accessibility of digital tools for in person and online learning. New classrooms and educational initiatives will support teachers and students from pre-kindergarten through high school, strengthening our partnerships with local, statewide, national, and global schools.
Enhanced Research and a Digitized Collection A new, state-of-the-art facility will ensure the safety and preservation of our irreplaceable collection and make it accessible worldwide. The enhanced space will also allow us to more seamlessly integrate natural and human-made artifacts into educational programming, so visitors can see, touch, and experience the actual evidence scientists use to study and understand ourselves and our world.
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Stewarding Ohio Ecosystems Through our Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 11,000 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. These living laboratories support the biodiversity of the greater Cleveland region and we are actively developing new ways to leverage this research-rich open space for scientists and the public.
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Our Progress We’re Well on Our Way
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The Museum has recently completed several critical projects:
OUR STRATEGIC GOALS: 2021-2025
• The renovation of the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden – presented by KeyBank, a 2.2-acre living gallery devoted to the flora and fauna of Northeast Ohio;
1. Audience Engagement: Become an audiencecentered museum that engages, serves, and enhances greater Cleveland and the surrounding region.
• The addition of the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Garden, featuring two signature sculptures, Mammoth and Mastodon, by Cleveland artist Viktor Schreckengost;
2. Scientific Leadership: Lead and innovate in scientific research and interpretation to address pressing issues of our time.
• A new Current Science Area, where visitors can engage with our curators and scientists about the latest local and global science news; • Reimagining of our 450-seat Murch Auditorium; • Enhancements to the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard; and • A new 300-space public parking garage providing safe, convenient parking for members and visitors.
3. Lifelong Learning: Transform the visitor experience to educate people of all ages and inspire a lifetime of learning. 4. Organizational Excellence: Invest in organizational excellence, fiscal sustainability, and a healthy culture.
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A Living Legacy
Investing in the New Cleveland Museum of Natural History This $150 million campaign is the most ambitious project in the Museum’s history. With your support, we will carry our founders’ vision forward and help new generations of visitors to see their place in our interconnected and ever-changing world. Several hundred generous individuals, families, foundations, and institutional donors have invested in our transformation so far, powering the first phase of our campaign and providing critical momentum towards our objective.
With a total goal of $150 million, we are looking to you to help us complete this campaign and leave a lasting legacy for our community.
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The Time to Act is Now People yearn for scientific knowledge. They see the natural world is endangered and realize the health of the environment impacts us all. Yet basic understanding of science is lacking. A recent national survey2 shows that nearly 90% of Americans trust in science, think public understanding of science is necessary, and want to learn more, yet almost half report they are falling behind.
You can help us close the gap. The stakes are high and we cannot afford to wait. Never before has science offered more hope for improving human health and the wellbeing of our planet, and never has the need for public engagement been more critical. Our visitors come to us seeking knowledge—knowledge that informs decisions we all make in our day-to-day lives, from the products we buy and consume, to how we live and care for ourselves, our communities, and our planet. Thanks to our reinvented museum experience, our visitors will leave armed not only with information but with awareness and readiness to act for the healthy stewardship of our shared world. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and our peer institutions can—indeed must—play a leading role in connecting people to the science that directly effects their lives and engaging them in proactive solutions. With curiosity piqued and minds sharpened, they will anticipate their next memorable visit and translate it into meaningful action. According to a 2021 national poll developed by the CMNH and conducted by the Marist Poll, 90% of Americans think it is necessary for people like themselves to have a basic understanding of science; 88% of the public trusts in science; and 85% of Americans want to learn more about it. 2
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Join Us
You Can Create a Living, Lasting Gift for Our Community Since 1920, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has served as a gathering place, educational center, and esteemed research institution serving Ohio and the nation. The visionary civic leaders who founded this Museum imagined a place where groundbreaking scientific research happened alongside pioneering science education, for the lasting benefit of our city and our region. They believed this Museum could serve as a catalyst for the diffusion of knowledge and the protection of natural diversity for future generations. Today, we embark on our second century of service with skilled leadership, a strong endowment, and balanced budgets. And now, we must transform from the inside out to support our community for the next 100+ years. We are sustained by the support of donors like you, and it is through visionary philanthropy that together we will transform the Cleveland Museum of Natural History into a new kind of natural history museum: a museum to meet this moment and empower us all for a promising future.
We invite you to make (natural) history with us. Please join us in creating this lasting gift of learning for our community.
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I love the mission of our Museum. It encourages us not only to deeply understand and become experts of our own ecosystem and environment, but also to preserve it. Susan Donlan, Campaign Donor & Board Member
I give this place infinity stars!” Even as a scientist, I’m still that little kid when I am in the museum. I’m always amazed by something.”
A Kindergarten Visitor
Dr. Gavin Svenson, Director of Research & Collections
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1 WADE OVAL DRIVE CLEVELAND, OH 44106
216.231.4600
CMNH.ORG