Grants for natural history museums

88 natural history and sciences museums received at least $844,905 in grants for the most recent fiscal year. This includes 477 grants made from 426 grantmaking organizations, with a median grant amount of $1,000. Of these 426 foundations, 91% made just a single grant to nature museums, and 0% made grants to four or more nature museums. This analysis is based on grantmakers that e-file their Form 990s, and likely is an undercount of grants.
$844,905
Total grant dollars given to natural history museums
477
Number of grants made annually to natural history museums
426
Number of grantmakers funding natural history museums
$1,000
Median grant size to natural history museums

Foundations that support natural history and sciences museums

Out of all grants made to natural history museums, 82% came from small foundations with less than $10 million in assets. The top 10 grantmakers accounted for 7% of the dollar-value of grants to nature museums. Foundations funding nature museums also made grants to colleges, food banks, history museums, historical societies, and art museums.

Foundation size

Foundation sizeNumber of grantmakers
Small
 
353
Medium
 
40
Large
 
33
Small foundations have <$10M in assets. Medium foundations have $10M to $50M in assets. Large foundations have >$50M in assets.

Foundation type

Foundation typeNumber of grantmakers
Community
 
7
Private
 
381
Corporate
 
25
Other
 
13

Grants made

Grants made to nature museumsNumber of grantmakers
1
 
390
2-3
 
33
4-10
 
3
11+
 
0

Top 10 foundations supporting natural history and sciences museums

GrantmakerStateGeographic focusPercent of grant dollars to nature museumsNumber of grants made to nature museumsMedian grant size
JP Morgan Chase FoundationNYNational0.0%9$550
Greater Worcester Community FoundationMAMetro0.1%4$1,500
Baird FoundationWINational0.1%4$1,250
Spectroscopy Society of PittsburghPAMetro6.3%3$2,500
Ruth H and Warren A Ellsworth FoundationMAMetro0.9%3$2,500
The Rhode Island FoundationRIMetro0.0%3$413
Gannett FoundationVANational0.0%3$99
The W Foundation (TWF)CAState0.2%2$3,750
Priscilla and Michael Baldwin FoundationHIMetro1.0%2$3,206
The Bokom FoundationOHState9.9%2$2,750

Natural history and sciences museums grantees

Natural history museums with more than $5 million in total revenues received 77% of all grant dollars. These larger organizations accounted for 77% of all nature museums.

Grant amounts

Size of grantNumber of grants
<$10k
 
477
$10k-$25k
 
0
$25k-$100k
 
0
$100k+
 
0

Grant amount by grantee size

Grantee annual revenueMedian grant size
<$100k
 
$500
$100k-$500k
 
$550
$500k-$1M
 
$1,500
$1M-$5M
 
$1,000
>$5M
 
$1,000

Grantee states

State of granteeNumber of grants
New York
 
113
California
 
77
Illinois
 
49
Wisconsin
 
31
Other
 
207

Grantee metros

Metro area of granteeNumber of grants
New York City
 
92
San Francisco
 
49
Chicago
 
49
Milwaukee
 
31
Other
 
221

Top 25 grants made to natural history museums

GranteeGrant sizePurposeGrantmaker
Marysville Museum and Gallery$5,000Charitable DonationLiatis Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,000For General Support.Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh$5,000Hodge InternshipEmma Clyde Hodge Memorial Fund
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature$5,000General SupportVernon G and Sandra JC Buchanan Family Foundation
National Day of Prayer Task Force$5,000Gift for Ndop BroadcastPulse Outreach
Cleveland Museum of Natural History$5,000Non Restricted OperatingLincoln Electric Foundation PFDN 20-1205380
California Academy of Sciences$5,000P4P Spring Into Action(p4psia)Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Kingman Museum$5,000Public MuseumThe Grace and John T Harrington Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,000General Charitable PurposesLisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
American Museum of Natural History$5,000GeneralBrian P Friedman Family Foundation
The Wild Center$5,000UnrestrictedSteven M and Joyce E Tadler Charitable Trust
California Academy of Sciences$5,000Science Action Club SupportBroadcom Foundation
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem$5,000CharitableRudin Management Company
The Wild Center$5,000General CharitableCloudsplitter Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,000Charitable Contribution To Support Charity's Mission To Explore, Explain, and Sustain Life on EarthThelma Doelger Charitable Trust
California Academy of Sciences$5,000Donation for Charitable PurposesCoit Family Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,0002019 Big Bang Galapagos CrowdfundingSiebel Family Charitable Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,000Unrestricted DonationMirnahill Foundation
New Bedford Whaling Museum$5,000Support for Current ProgramsThe Croll Foundation
California Academy of Sciences$5,000Unrestricted Operating SupportCase Western Reserve University
Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM)$5,000EducationCharles and Marcia Larsenanthony and Priscilla Beadell Foundation
Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SNHA)$5,000Education and Outreach ProgramThe Staggs Family Foundation
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh$5,000Collaborative Program SupportPennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)
Field Museum of Natural History$5,000Unrestricted Charitable GiftJames and Catherine Denny Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum$5,000Support for Discretion ofVan Strum Foundation 8833023
Methodology: To determine grants and grantees, Cause IQ analyzes electronically-filed Form 990, Form 990-EZ, and Form 990-PF financial disclosure documents, matching grantees to specific organizations using EINs and fuzzy matching logic. The "Natural history museums" category for this page is determined by the "A56: Natural History, Natural Science Museums" National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code. Cause IQ determines NTEEs for organizations by its own internally-developed secret-sauce algorithms.