Joanna
AS: Well, I don’t have a background in museum studies or the time to research this exhaustively, but my inclination is no, $50mill isn’t enough—especially not when a Slavery Museum aspires to build an expanding library and archives of oral histories and anti-slavery pedagogy, as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum does. I dug up the below in a Google minute: Congressional testimony from the Holocaust Museum Director in 2000; seems that their annual operating budget was $52.5 million, most of which came from federal appropriations. That’s their operating budget; USHMM’s endowment goal was at least $250 million.
If I were to start researching this, I’d look at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian and USHMM and their public/private partnerships—it’s not clear to me whether the Slavery Museum is receiving any federal funding or support. If they have $50mill in hand and Bill Cosby has committed $1mill of that, then they probably need to get beyond the major donors to organize a mass base of support, which I’d guess is the point of this $8 campaign. http://www.usnationalslaverymuseum.org/contribute.asp
Aaron
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/archives/106cong/parks/00may04/bloomfield.htm Statement by Sara J. Bloomfield Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Before the House Committee on Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands Thursday, May 4, 2000
[snip]
Further, permanent authorization for appropriations will facilitate fundraising and this in turn will enhance the institution's ability to function as a public-private partnership. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, since its establishment, has raised over $320 million: for donors it has always been important that they are giving to this nation's permanent memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and sharing this responsibility with the federal government.
Along with the other enumerated improvements to the Museum's authorization, fundamental to the long-term vitality of the institution is its status as a public-private partnership. Since the Museum opened seven years ago, the private component of the annual operating budget has grown from $11 million in FY 1994 to $21 million in FY 2000, an increase of 91%. Private donations now provide 40% of the annual budget. Federal appropriations cover the costs of the operating the facility and core programs; private support enables the Museum to sponsor educational outreach, traveling exhibitions nationwide and scholarly activities. In addition, the Museum raises private, restricted funds to support specific programs. For example, during FY 2000, the Museum will spend - over and above the base budget - more than $2 million in restricted funds, dedicated to particular programs in education, exhibitions, and scholarship, bringing the total private annual spending to over $23 million.
Because the programs and services are so dependent on this substantial level of private support, the Museum is concerned about insuring a secure financial future for the institution. Even though the Museum has a large membership - approximately 220,000 -- raising such significant funds every year is a constant challenge and will become increasingly more difficult as the Holocaust recedes in time. Therefore, to protect the private support for the basic programs and to enable future growth, the Museum is in the process of establishing an endowment campaign. The Museum's current endowment is approximately $80 million. While the campaign itself is still being developed, we anticipate an initial goal of at least $250 million. This reauthorization is critical to the Museum's fundraising efforts. As individual Americans contemplate their role in this public-private partnership, the clear and unequivocal statement of permanent authorization provides that critical margin of difference for may donors who are confronted with numerous opportunities for underwriting good works.
In conclusion, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is well placed to carry out its mission of education and remembrance in this new century. As the last century drew to a close, ethnic cleansing was taking place in Europe and in the 55 years since the Holocaust, that mid-century vow of "Never Again" has been repeatedly forgotten. Holocaust education is as important as ever as each generation has to learn anew the lessons of this immense tragedy for humanity. Understanding the past for the sake of a better future is the fundamental principle of the Museum's mission, and the growing interest in Holocaust education reflects the importance and resonance of that mission for people from every walk of life. It is both a privilege and challenge to fulfill this mission in ways that are meaningful for all Americans, and our continued success will always depend on the combined efforts of the pubic-private partnership. We are grateful for the strong support the Museum has received from every Administration and every Congress since the original legislation passed in 1980. We look forward to continued support and thank you for this opportunity to share the accomplishments of this unique federal institution. I have submitted a copy of the Museum's latest statistics to be included with this statement.
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