Who
Pays for Parks and Museums?
ORANGE COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Philanthropist, "Henry T. Segerstrom said of the Orange County performing Arts Center, 'Inspired by private initiative; conceived, designed and constructed only by private resources; this Center represents the greatness, individual freedom, ingenuity and enterprise that have been given to our society.'"
ORANGE COUNTY NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM "We are a not-for-profit organization that relies entirely on memberships and private donations to fund our activities."
BOWERS MUSEUM "The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization."
THE IRVINE BARCLAY "The Barclay is a private not-for-profit performing arts organization [through] tax deductible contributions from individuals, businesses and foundations."
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY "Chapman University is the largest independent university in Orange County…The university's current endowment is more than $60 million… [It was named] in recognition of its most generous benefactor, C.C. Chapman."
"THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART--NYC "[The Met is a] privately funded nonprofit institution, [and] must rely on the generosity of its friends and supporters."
BALBOA PARK "This … urban park has 14 museums, four theaters, a sports complex, playing fields, a rose garden, open-air pipe organ, sparkling fountain and even an antique carousel … [some built during] the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition … [others date] from the 1935-36 California Exposition."
SAN DIEGO AIR MUSEUM "The California Pacific International Exposition of 1935-36 spurred the development of the south end of Balboa Park. The Ford Motor Company… invested $2.8 million to build a hall for the Transportation Exhibition."
LA BREA TAR PITS AND MUSEUM "Captain G. Allan Hancock … deeded Rancho La Brea to the County of Los Angeles in 1916. … George C. Page [accomplished the] financing, designing, and constructing the Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries in 1972."
SAN DIEGO ZOO & WILD ANIMAL PARK "The … Zoo was founded by Dr. Harry Wegeforth in 1916. … Today, the San Diego Zoo is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego [which] also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Wild Animal Park."
GETTY MUSEUM … "is an operating program of the Getty Trust"
NORTON SIMON ART MUSEUM "By the time of his death, [the Norton Simon] collection included some 12,000 paintings … He bought the [Museum] in 1978, and renamed it the Norton Simon."
AHMANSON THEATRE "[Y]our ticket price covers just 70% of the actual cost... the 30% balance is contributed by government grants, foundations, corporations and individuals like yourself."
THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, MUSEUM AND BOTANICAL GARDENS "The Huntington was founded in 1919 by railroad and real estate developer Henry Edwards Huntington."
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES--San Francisco "The initial funds … came from the estate of James Lick. Gifts, bequests and trusts created Steinhart Aquarium, built Morrison Planetarium and Auditorium, endowed the Maillard Library and support the Junior Academy."
The above information was collected from the organizations' websites by CSHC volunteer Mike Smith, to illustrate where funding originates for parks and museums.