Support from PNC Foundation to Transform Smead Discovery Center
CLEVELAND -- April 5, 2022 -- The Cleveland Museum of Natural History announced it has received a $120,000 grant from the PNC Foundation that will assist in the expansion and transformation of Smead Discovery Center, the Museum's family-friendly, hands-on area for exploration.
The three-year grant will support the Museum’s complete reimagining of its campus and all its exhibits along with the addition of new public spaces. The new facility, which will include the revamped Smead Discovery Center, Presented by PNC, will continue to focus on families with children 10 years of age and younger, and on serving school groups from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Educational programs—such as those offered in the Smead Discovery Center—are vital for keeping children engaged and learning year-round, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History provides this type of enrichment for children and their families,” said Pat Pastore, PNC regional president for Cleveland. “Soon, the Museum will become an even more inviting learning space that attracts more visitors and provides an economic benefit to the city through jobs and increased tourism. But most important, the Museum has continued to prioritize educational programs during the pandemic, when children need them most.”
With accessible opportunities for all styles of learners, the new Smead Discovery Center will encourage discovery and observation through play. Museum educators will craft and deliver newly designed programming over the next three years. Built around rotating themes, programming will engage young learners in the natural sciences through hands-on activity stations. Visitors will leave inspired by the wonders of nature and science, seeing the world around them as a playground of infinite possibility.
“We’re excited to have this unique opportunity to inspire our young guests to embrace a lifetime of learning and discovery in a new, state-of-the-art facility,” said Sonia Winner, the Museum’s President & CEO. “Through our transformation, we are laying the foundation for a new generation of science-minded researchers, medical professionals, educators, and civic leaders. We couldn’t be more grateful for PNC’s support as we work toward this goal.”
The PNC Foundation grant will position the Museum to fulfill its mission to inspire, through science and education, a passion for nature, the protection of natural diversity, the fostering of health, and leadership to a sustainable future.
PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History illuminates the world around us and inspires visitors to engage with the natural 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 encompass more than 5 million artifacts and specimens, to deepen the public’s understanding of the dynamic connections between humans and nature. Through its Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 11,000 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A community gathering place, educational center, and research institution, the Museum is a vital resource that serves Cleveland and the nation. For more information, visit CMNH.org.
