As you are aware, the Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee, Rich Melton, has requested a work session with you in order to present an idea that he has to establish a Natural History Museum. In that respect, Mr. Melton has provided a copy of the proposal from The Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology & Science along with a list of proposed funding sources. Both documents are attached for reference.
From my perspective there are many great reasons to place a museum in a city principal among them is public engagement which is a core function of a museum. That being said, it is imperative that a museum be a self-sustaining in respect to the costs associated with building acquisition and operating costs and this fact must be known before a museum project is launched because starting a museum is a complex undertaking with serious fiduciary and legal obligations. In that regard, I have provided a list of questions that I believe need to be addressed before moving forward in order to start to build a successful business model and determine if there is public support for a project. They are as follows:
How to gauge public support for the project?
How to secure funding for operation, preservation and collection management?
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Conduct fund-raising events
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Determine what type of assistance is available for a small institution
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Identify which funding sources are most advantageous
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Determine who is responsible for grant submission
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Staying profitable-admission charges, shops, cafes, on-going fundraising
Conduct space analysis study to include consideration of the following program areas:
Organizational Model?
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Private or publicly administered
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Governing Authority
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Composition and qualifications of museum’s leadership
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Articles of incorporation, charter, enabling legislation. bylaws, memorandum of agreement etc.
Staff and Volunteers?
As you can see we have quite a bit to discuss with Mr. Zidar who will be there representing the Natural History Museum concept and Mr. Melton who will also be in attendance.