Smithsonian Goes Public With $1.5-Billion Campaign

The Smithsonian Institution has opened the public phase of a $1.5-billion fundraising effort after quietly bringing in more than $1-billion in the first three years of the campaign, The Washington Post reports. Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough announced the campaign, the first of its kind in the national museum complex’s 168-year history, at a Board of Regents meeting Monday.

Smithsonian officials set a goal of collecting the remaining $500-million by 2017. The campaign drew 60,000 donors during its quiet phrase, including 192 gifts of $1-million or more. Top funding priorities include construction of the National Museum of African American History and Culture; renovations at the Renwick Gallery, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of American History; educational efforts; and digitizing the Smithsonian’s collections.

Campaign co-chair Alan Spoon, a former Smithsonian regent, said private support is increasingly important for the institution because government funding is not keeping pace with rising costs. This year’s federal outlay of $805-million covers about 60 percent of the Smithsonian’s budget. “It used to be north of 70 percent,” Mr. Spoon said.