Special Gift Funds
The University of Colorado Museum is a successful, vital, and growing institution. We were awarded accreditation by the American Association of Museums in August 2003, an achievement of less than five percent of United States museums. The core of our Museum is the more than 4 million objects in our world class collections. Our graduate program in Museum and Field Studies has just awarded degrees to its eighth class. Our faculty curators are successfully obtaining research grants, publishing, and teaching. Our exhibitions and public programs bring the exciting world of natural history and anthropology to wider and more diverse audiences. We remain free and open to the public except for university holidays.
Why are endowments important? Endowments provide income for the Museum forever. While returns on endowment funds do reflect the general state of our economy, they are not subject to changes in State appropriations. We urge you to help us maintain our excellence and our momentum.
The Hugo G. Rodeck Museum Endowment is the only Museum-wide endowment for the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Named in honor of former Museum Director, Hugo G. Rodeck and made possible by a gift from Dr. Rodeck and his family, the endowment supports the mission of the Museum in research, teaching, and public education. This fund also supports activities not supported by any other monies. It enables the museum to obtain matching funds for projects that benefit the museum and that are now required by many agencies.
The Joe Ben Wheat Textile Fund provides for the collection, research, and storage of textiles for the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Museum of Natural History. Joe Ben Wheat was Curator of Anthropology at the Museum from 1953 until his retirement in 1987. Dr. Wheat had a deep interest in the textile traditions of the Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic Southwest. In 1972 he began his "Textile Survey," a systematic study of Southwestern blankets, mantas, kilts, belts, rugs, and other weavings. During his time at the Museum, Wheat built one of the foremost collections of Southwestern textiles in the world, comprising over 850 objects from the late 1700s to the present. The preservation and study of this significant collection is a priority for the Museum.
The Crane Fund provides flexible resources to support research and training for students who are members of a federally recognized tribe, focused on issues of archaeology, genetics, and museum studies.
Your gift at any level is appreciated and will be acknowledged with a certificate. Gifts of $100 or more will also be recognized on the Museum's permanent honor roll in the Bruce Curtis Building. For more information about making a gift to the museum please call (303) 735-6070. Donations to any of the Museum's endowments or funds are tax-deductable—please call for specific information.