AP News, November 20th, 2007
The Smithsonian Institution is preparing to launch its first broad appeal for private donations to help fill a funding gap that could be as high as $2 billion, members of the museum complex's governing board said Monday.
An immediate concern is a building maintenance backlog that threatens artifacts in museums and storage facilities. The Smithsonian insists that fixing the facilities is a congressional responsibility, but members of the Board of Regents said they had no choice but to look for other ways to close the deficit.
"We've got to get this job done," said Roger Sant, chairman of the board's executive committee. "At this point, we've accepted the fact that at least as regards the deficit, there needs to be more private participation and we're willing to enter into that."
The Smithsonian's projected deficit for facilities through 2013 is $1 billion. Sant said the "programmatic deficit" is "probably on the same order of magnitude," though the institution has not put a specific number on it.
Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said the museum also needs money for unfilled research positions and to update outdated exhibits. She said the National Air and Space Museum's air travel exhibit was just updated for the first time since opening in 1976.
About 70 percent of the Smithsonian's $1.1 billion annual budget comes from federal government. Private donations have typically been sought for specific projects or exhibits, but Sant said there had never been a comprehensive capital campaign.
The Government Accountability Office suggested that the museum complex consider charging admission. But Sant said Monday that general admission fees are not on the table.
"All of us, I think, feel so strongly that this is part of the Smithsonian legacy that this was set up as something that would be free to the American public," he said.
Exceptions could be made for specific exhibits, Sant noted. The Smithsonian plans to charge admission to an upcoming butterfly exhibit set at the National Museum of Natural History.
The commitment to raise more private funds came days after an oil industry group withdrew a long-planned donation for an exhibit on the oceans after board members raised questions about the appropriateness of the gift. The American Petroleum Institute had planned to give $5 million donation to the new Ocean Hall at the natural history museum.
Board members said the fundraising campaign would likely have to wait until after a permanent leader for the Smithsonian is named. The institution has been led by an acting secretary, Cristian Samper, since March, when Lawrence Small resigned amid criticism of his compensation and spending.
Samper said Monday that private donations for fiscal 2007 totaled $166 million, more than originally estimated. Another $104 million came in the form of grants and contracts, he said.
