FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Surpasses $35 Million Fund-Raising Goal
DENVER—May 7, 2004—The Denver Museum of Nature & Science announced today that it has completed its Capital Campaign, surpassing its $35 million goal in the largest fund-raising effort in its history by a factor of five. In total, the Museum raised $35,126,693. The Capital Campaign helped fund many new improvements to the Museum including the Space Odyssey exhibition, Gates Planetarium, the newly renovated wildlife halls, improvements to the North American Indian Cultures Hall, and last but not least, “the best view in Denver,” the new Leprino Family Atrium and Anschutz Family Sky Terrace. Improvements also included the new Schlessman Family Lobby, Spratlen Family Lounge and the Harry T. Lewis Jr. Community Room.
Several major gifts in the final days of the campaign helped the Museum make the goal. These came from EchoStar Communications Corporation, the Energy Corporation of America Foundation, the Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Capital Fund and an anonymous donor, all of which helped trigger a $1 million challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation and a $250,000 challenge grant from the Leprino Family Foundation.
More than 3,000 generous donors contributed to the campaign including volunteers, staff, all Board members, Museum members, major individual gift donors, foundations and corporations. Corporate donors include local aerospace companies—Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Ball Corporation, The Boeing Company and Raytheon Company. Other major corporate donations came from Wagner Equipment Co., Eastman Kodak Company, the Halliburton Foundation, U.S. Bank and Williams. Together, the supporters raised more than five times the amount of the $6.7 million capital campaign for the Prehistoric Journey exhibition, which finished in 1994 and was previously the Museum’s largest fund-raising effort.
Charles R. Hazelrigg, Chair of the Capital Campaign said, “This was an enormous, historic effort by Bonnie Downing, VP of Development at the Museum, and her development staff, the entire Board of Trustees and many volunteers from the community. This institution owes many thanks to them, as well as thousands of donors who helped secure the Museum’s position as a leader of scientific research and education in the American West. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are already enjoying the benefits of the Campaign workers’ efforts and the generous contributions of so many.”
To date, more than 640,000 visitors have visited Space Odyssey, and more than 222,000 visitors have enjoyed shows in the new Gates Planetarium. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed renovations and improvements to the North American Indian Cultures Hall and the wildlife exhibits.
Robert Thomson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Museum said, “This is a monumental victory for Chuck Hazelrigg, Capital Campaign Chair; Mike Wilfley, my predecessor as Board Chair; Raylene Decatur, previous President of the Museum; the hundreds who helped in the Campaign and all who care about the Museum. They led much of this Capital Campaign under adverse economic circumstances that prevailed over the past several years, and their unrelenting persistence and development skills paid off.”
Thomson continued, “The successful completion of this Capital Campaign further secures the Museum’s position as the premier scientific and cultural institution in the state. The Board, staff and volunteers at the Museum know that our visitors, and the Denver metropolitan area itself, will be the beneficiaries of this great accomplishment.”
Contributions of $1 million and above
Sue Anschutz-Rodgers
Philip F. Anschutz
Boettcher Foundation, in honor of Harry T. Lewis Jr.
Adolph Coors Foundation
CTM Foundation
Martha S. and Cortlandt S. Dietler
El Pomar Foundation
Charles C. and June S. Gates Gates Family Foundation
Mike A. Leprino
Mike Leprino Family Foundation
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
The Kresge Foundation
Pauline A. & George R. Morrison Charitable Trust
Frank H. Ricketson Jr. Capital Fund
Schlessman Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. F.P. “Budd” Spratlen III
How the revenues were raised
Foundations $18,690,950 53.2%
Individuals $13,143,989 37.4%
Corporate $2,690,950 7.7%
Government Grants $600,804 1.7%
TOTAL $35,126,693 100%
Volunteer campaign chairs
National chairs: Norman R. Augustine, William K. Coors, Charles C. Gates Jr. Local chair: Charles R. Hazelrigg
Next major project
Now that the Campaign is over, the Museum is concentrating its efforts on the major traveling exhibition The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt, opening on September 10, 2004, and continuing its strategic planning for 2005 and beyond.
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