What happens when you give to the Annual Fund?

Mother Nature is our favorite relative at Cincinnati Museum Center. Jungles. Deserts. Ice Caps. Even the cells of your body -- she’s got it all. Your gift today will help us continue and expand the films, exhibits, programs and research that help all Museum Center visitors appreciate and celebrate her.

This Spring, we ask you to actively support all of the inspiration and joy of learning that Museum Center presents year-round by making a donation today.

Dinosaurs? Yes, we've got lots of those. But we also celebrate the less obvious wonders of science and nature:

• Is the coral in a coral reef a rock, a plant or an animal?
• How can humans turn our own garbage into functional energy?
• How can you be moving at 800 miles per hour as you read this sentence and not even realize it?!

The bonus news? Your gift reaches far beyond nature and science. You’ll also support deeply moving stories of human history, award-winning childhood learning programs and lively celebrations of cultures from the far reaches of the globe! Inspiration is a precious commodity. Your gift to Museum Center today keeps precious inspiration flowing to you, to your family, to our entire community. Thank you for your generous support!

Click here to donate today!

Below are just a few of the hundreds of ways your Annual Fund investment comes back to serve you, your family and our community.

Getting Edgy
$500 would provide support materials and housing for one researcher for one month at The Edge of Appalachia. For example, in 2013 a researcher will conduct a native bee survey in the native prairie grasslands of the preserve to see which bee species use which prairie flowers. The study is part of a larger eastern U.S. study to better understand declining native bee populations.

Come One, Come All!
$250 will cover half the cost of making Closed Captioning available for films shown in the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX®  Theater.

Toying with Physics
$100 will purchase 800 specialty balloons used to build a giant representation of a carbon nanotube, a structure that is 100 times stronger than steel and lighter than a feather. This huge model of carbon atoms attracts lots of attention from visitors when it’s suspended from our 100-foot Rotunda ceiling. The balloon Nanotube represents tiny cylinders of pure carbon found in ordinary pencil graphite, solar panels, fast computers, flat panel screens and other electronics.

I Found it Under a Bush in My Backyard
$75 will buy a four-month supply of break-your-own geodes. Kids bring in what they find in nature and exchange their "treasure" for geodes or other items at Nature’s Trading Post in the Museum of Natural History & Science.  

Major Giving Societies

To extend the reach of your gift, we invite you to join our Major Giving Societies. And as special thanks for your participation at the major donor level, you are welcomed to participate in a variety of "insider" benefits and behind-the-scenes tours. Below are the exclusive benefits available to members of the Major Giving Societies. Membership cards will be issued unless you elect to waive all benefits. Other donor benefits are available upon request and are subject to availability. Tax receipts, including the fair market value of all benefits received, will be mailed by January 31 of the following year.

Click here to download our Major Giving Societies brochure and to submit your pledge form.

For more information, please contact Director of Individual Giving, Jay B. Kalagayan, at (513) 287-7004 or jkalagayan@cincymuseum.org.

Donor Benefits (click the name of each society for more details):

Cornerstone Society
Curator's Society
Conductor's Society
Great Clock Society
Mural Society
High Steel Society

Cornerstone Society

Gifts of $1,000 - $2,499

• Gold Card Membership, granting the following privileges:
  • Free museum admission for two adults, children or grandchildren age 17 and younger and a guest or caregiver, free parking, reciprocal membership at 100+ children’s museums nationwide and 200+ history museums and science centers worldwide.
  • Discounted admission to special events and the Robert D. Lindner OMNIMAX® Theater, subscription to Museum Center publications and discounts on dining, retail and programs.
• $50 discounts on Family Memberships, Family Premium Memberships or Club Memberships purchased as gifts.
• National and international travel opportunities.
• Tour & ticketing concierge services
  • Ten (10) complimentary guest passes and ten (10) complimentary OMNIMAX® vouchers (upon request).
  • Special invitations to exclusive exhibition and OMNIMAX® film previews, private receptions with guest lectures and other events sponsored by the 1788 Club, Hopewell Council, Treehouse Club and Grandparents Club. 

Curator's Society

Gifts of $2,500 - $4,999

All benefits offered to the Cornerstone Society.

• Consultation with a curator on collecting or object preservation.
• Two (2) tickets to one concert of your choice for Music in the Museum: The Winifred and Emil Barrows Concert Series (upon request).
• One (1) family membership donated on your behalf (upon request).  

Conductor's Society

Gifts of $5,000 - $9,999

All benefits offered to the Curator’s Society.

• Two (2) family memberships donated on your behalf (upon request).
• Four (4) tickets to one concert of your choice for Music in the Museum: The Winifred and Emil Barrows Concert Series (upon request).
• Reserved seating for Insights Lecture Series (by appointment).  

Great Clock Society

Gifts of $10,000 - $24,999

All benefits offered to the Conductor's Society.

• Private tour of Museum Center’s collections at the Geier Collection & Research Center with the curator of your choice (by appointment).
• One (1) room rental fee waived.
• Four (4) family memberships donated on your behalf (upon request).
• Season subscription for two to Music in the Museum: The Winifred and Emil Barrows Concert Series (upon request).  

Mural Society

Gifts of $25,000-$49,999

All benefits offered to the Great Clock Society.

• Platinum Card membership status, granting these exclusive privileges:
  • Reserved parking within the circular drive with 1-hour minimum notice (subject to availability and for cardholder use only).
  • Complimentary OMNIMAX® admission for cardholder and up to four guests per visit.  

High Steel Society

Gifts of $50,000 - $99,999

All benefits offered to the Mural Society.

• One additional room rental fee waived.
• Eight (8) family memberships donated on your behalf (upon request).
• Private tour of the museum of your choice, followed by refreshments in the Union Terminal President’s Office.