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Denver Museum of Nature and Science
This year, your support of the Museum on Colorado Gives Day helps to build our scholarship pool to enable low-income schools and organized youth groups to participate in fun, engaging, education experiences at the Museum.
If you would like to purchase or renew a membership, please visit our membership page, http://www.dmns.org/join/. We are unable to process memberships through ColoradoGives.
Post to Organizational Overview
- Name
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Phone
- 303-370-6000
- Address
- 2001 Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80205 - EIN
- 84-0518447
- Website
- www.dmns.org
- info@dmns.org
- Former
Names - (1948)Colorado Museum of Natural History
- Mission
Statement - OUR MISSION
Be a catalyst! Ignite our community's passion for nature and science.
OUR VISION
Envision an empowered community that loves, understands, and protects our natural world.
The mission and vision were adopted by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science Board of Trustees in April 2014.
OUR VALUES
• We love science.
• We are curious, creative, and playful.
• We cultivate relationships: with each other, diverse communities, the environment, and for our future.
• We think critically and act with empathy.
- Social
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science provides people of all ages with opportunities to learn about science, culture, and the natural world through memorable experiences that spark curiosity and excite the imagination.
Our current and upcoming exhibitions provide one-of-a-kind immersive experiences. Programs for school groups bring classroom lessons to life and inspire Colorado's fledgling scientists to question, create, and explore the world around them through science. We conduct research throughout the American west and around the globe, and we preserve the world's artifacts and treasures for exhibits, education, and research.
All school groups enjoy free admission and teachers can apply for scholarships to participate in additional hands-on programming such as Field Trip Adventures, outreach programs, and distance learning. The Museum also offers a range of science-focused teacher professional development programs. More information on current programs for school audiences is available at www.dmns.org.
An exciting addition this past year, the Museum significantly expanded its offsite presence with the opening of Dinosaur Gulch, a developmentally appropriate play-based offsite exhibition for early learners (age 3-5), at Cherry Creek Shopping Center. This opportunity is just one of the many ways that the Museum is growing beyond its own walls to bring learning experiences to all members of the community.
Impact Statement
In 2015, the Museum served more than 1.72 million visitors making it the 10th most visited Museum in the United States. Approximately 86% of Museum visitors are from Colorado, with a large majority residing in the seven-county Denver metro area. Last year one-third of our audience was served for free (over 604,300 people) through Community Free Days, free general admission for school groups and organized youth groups, and a variety of free programs and passes. With an average of 65,300 general member households in 2015, the Museum maintains one of the largest membership bases of any natural history museum or science center in the nation. Families with young children are a primary audience. The Museum also reaches over 300,000 teachers, students, and chaperones in the school audience each year.
Background Statement
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science provides rich opportunities for informal science education through offering a variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities to help visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Founded in 1900 by a group of Denver citizens interested in preserving the natural history of the Rocky Mountain region, the Museum has grown to become one of the largest natural history museums in the western United States. The Museum continues to evolve, expanding in both size and breadth of activities, as its exhibits, programs, research, and collections offer endless opportunities for discovery.
Executive Director Statement
Being an established cultural institution for 115 years comes with a special responsibility. Our guests range from older people who have lived here their whole lives and remember their first childhood visit, to young people who represent the first generation to grow up in this country. And they all matter as the Museum strives to help make Colorado a great place to live by offering experiences that are fun, informative, inspiring, and relevant. We are committed to continually asking both our most dedicated supporters and those who are not regular visitors what they want, need, and expect from us. As we look to the future, we are guided by our mission, vision, and core value to achieve the following strategic goals:
1. Deepen the community's excitement and engagement with nearby nature.
2. Demonstrate deep operational commitment to our entire community.
3. Provide exceptional experiences in all aspects of our communities' Museum interaction.
4. Optimize our finances, facilities, and people in sustainable ways that minimize our environmental impact and maximize our innovation, flexibility, and organizational strength.
President and CEO, George Sparks
Board Chair/President Statement
Since our founding, the Museum has been the grateful recipient of tremendous support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government entities. This partnership has continually expanded the Museum into new and exciting arenas while staying true to our mission. The Museum today reflects the legacy of local citizens who had a vision, and we will continue to evolve and grow with this community. We thank our community for playing a part in making innovative experiences and discoveries, making new relationships, making future scientists and critical thinkers, and making history.
Board President, Wayne Hutchens
Needs Statement
Your tax-deductible gift will support the scholarship program, which helps to make memorable science education experiences possible for underserved students.
• $50 will enable 20 students to visit a temporary exhibition, IMAX film, or planetarium show.
• $100 will provide a scholarship to bring an outreach program such as Heart Lab, Forensics: Who Done it?, or Rocket Works to a school.
• $150 will connect two classrooms full of energetic students to a Virtual Science Academy like Art Station: Titan or Sculpt-a-saurus.
• $200 will send 50 students to the Museum for a three-hour Field Trip Adventure tailored to that school's needs.
• $500 will enable 18 kids to spend an unforgettable night at the Museum on a camp-in.
