Grant Funds Mandel Community Days and Mandel Community Center
JACK, JOSEPH AND MORTON MANDEL FOUNDATION AWARDS CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY $3 MILLION GRANT TO EXPAND MUSEUM ACCESSIBILITY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Landmark Gift Will Support Free Admission Every Sunday for Residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland Starting January 23, 2022 And Fund New Community Space as Part of the Museum’s Complete Transformation
Cleveland, OH—January 13, 2022—The Cleveland Museum of Natural History today announced a $3 million grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, which will provide increased access to the Museum and support the development of a new community space within the education wing. Starting January 23, 2022, the gift will provide free admission every Sunday to residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days. In addition, the grant will fund the creation of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Space, a new center for community-oriented programming that is a key component of the Museum’s transformation. The grant also represents the largest gift the Museum has received from the Mandel Foundation.
“On behalf of the people of Cleveland and East Cleveland, I’d like to thank the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation for their visionary support in making the Museum’s exhibits and programs readily accessible to everyone in our community,” said Sonia Winner, President and CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. “It is imperative that learners of all ages and backgrounds have access to scientific information to help them make informed decisions both about their own lives and as part of the community. Together, the weekly Mandel Community Days and Mandel Community Space help us advance these goals which are central to everything we do.”
Jehuda Reinharz, President and CEO of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, added, “The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s community-centered vision is aligned with our focus to support neighborhood development. Our hope is that the Mandel Community Days and Mandel Community Space will help individuals throughout Greater Cleveland foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of science and nature and its relevance to civic engagement.”
This summer, the Museum sponsored a survey conducted by the Marist Poll, which found that 85 percent of the public wants to learn more about science, while close to half report they are falling behind in their understanding. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days will welcome Cleveland and East Cleveland residents free of charge every Sunday, starting January 23, 2022 and continuing for the next three years. The Mandel Community Days also build on the CMNH’s commitment to being an accessible and inclusive museum, which includes offering $1 admission to participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Museums for All program sponsored by Paul Lincoln and Kathy Toderick, and comprehensive collaborations with the school districts serving Cleveland, East Cleveland, and Akron students.
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Space, scheduled to open in 2024, will be a major new resource center located in the Museum’s new Education Wing and is a central component of the Museum’s $150 million transformation. The project will result in a first-of-its-kind facility and museum experience that centers the visitor and illustrates biological and planetary processes in a dynamic, nonlinear, and immersive way.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation Project
In June 2021, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History broke ground on a reinvention of its entire complex. The design is based on the geological history of the Museum’s site, evoking the glaciers that created Lake Erie and the Great Lakes and revealing how these same forces have shaped the Earth and the universe—and continue to affect life today.
The Museum will use its exceptional historical collections and 12,000 acres of protected ecosystems, along with the latest scientific research and immersive technologies, to enable visitors to see how they are part of a continuum of the natural world. In tandem with its expansion, the Museum is adding new curatorial and other scientific posts to reflect CMNH’s approach of dismantling the structure of traditional, siloed scientific disciplines to more effectively link interdisciplinary research to education, public programming, and the work of other researchers nationally and globally. Various areas of the Museum will remain open throughout the expansion and phased openings of the new and reimagined spaces will begin in 2022. For more information, visit cmnh.org.
About the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel established their first foundation in 1953 in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Their philanthropic legacy is continued through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation. The work of the Foundations is grounded in the belief that exceptional leaders, inspired by powerful ideas, are key to improving society and the lives of people around the world. The Foundations have identified five areas of engagement that receive support, which include: leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life, and urban engagement. For more information, please visit mandelfoundation.org.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History illuminates the natural world and inspires visitors to engage with the scientific forces that shape their lives. Since its founding in 1920, the Museum has pioneered scientific research to advance knowledge across diverse fields of study and used its outstanding collections, which have grown to encompass more than five million artifacts and specimens, to engage the public with the dynamic connections between humans and the world around us.
Through its Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 12,000 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A community gathering place, educational center, and research institution, CMNH is a vital resource that serves the Cleveland community and the nation. For more information, visit cmnh.org.
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