As I mentioned here last week, the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution held their annual
public meeting today, and according to an Associated Press article just posted on the Washington Post website, they — no surprise — approved Secretary G. Wayne Clough’s plan to create four new “centers” to explore “the universe and climate change on Earth, world cultures and the American experience.” Clough wants to “help scientists and curators foster new research” And who’ll pay?
The plan calls for an increase of 16 percent to 32 percent in revenue to pay for new priorities. Currently, about 65 percent of the world’s largest museum and research complex’s $1 billion annual budget comes from Congress, though officials expect less than half the new money will come from the federal budget. Instead, Clough will lead the Smithsonian’s first major capital campaign and pledged to pursue other funding sources.
That, as I mentioned last time, is to be a $1 billion campaign — even though, according to AP, “Donations for the budget year ending Sept. 30 were expected to total $110 million, down from $122.4 million in the 2008 fiscal year.”
AP did not contain news that the Regents also approved another expansion: This time, I have heard, the National Postal Museum will grow, thanks to a donation by William H. Gross, the billionaire bond-trader/co-founder of Pimco in Newport Beach, Ca. The William H. Gross Stamp Gallery will occupy new, leased space and will contain exhibits focusing on postal history, operations and education.
This donation has not been announced [UPDATED – see below] (that’s coming in a few days, I’m told by one source) and I could not obtain the amount Gross (at right) gave — or pledged.
But Gross, who according to Forbes is worth about $1.9 billion, is a well-known stamp collector, profiled in both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in 2007. In 2006, he sold a portion of his collection to raise money for Doctors Without Borders — the take was more than $9 million.
Maybe he’ll contribute to that capital campaign?
At the public meeting, according to the AP, Clough said that attendance at Smithsonian museums from January through August had climbed by 4 million to 22 million, and attributed the increase to the fact that several of the “most popular museums” extended their hours into the evening last April — which proved “popular.” I heartily endorse that, again and again.
Otherwise, I still wish Clough would pay more attention to the art museums…
UPDATED: 9/22 – 10:40 AM: A press release from the Postal Museum says Gross has given $8 million for the 12,000 sq.ft. gallery, to be completed in 2012, and will lend some of this stamps, too.