Modesto Children’s Museum gets 6-digit boost. What will it take to reach funding goal?
Nearing its $9 million fundraising goal, the planned Modesto Children’s Museum just received a boost with a matching grant.
The Boyett Family Foundation is matching all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $125,000 through the end of the year, according to Katie Barber, museum board president.
As of last week, the nonprofit had raised $8.4 million, leaving $600,000 to hit its mark.
“It’s a great way for people to make their dollars go twice as far,” Barber said of the matching grant. She hopes it will push them over their goal and allow them to close the fundraising campaign.
Donations can be made at www.modestochildrensmuseum.org/donate or mailed to Modesto Children’s Museum, 1509 K St., #119, Modesto, CA 95354.
Boyett family member Dale Boyett also hopes the matching grant will help raise awareness and get more people to contribute.
“I’m really proud of these guys (the museum board) for putting this together,” he said. “(We’re) just trying to encourage the community to stand behind it.”
This is the second time the Boyett family has donated to the effort, having contributed $125,000 at the onset to help organizers purchase the building, he said.
The museum’s public portion of the fundraising campaign began Aug. 13 during a “Launch the Adventure” event to raise the then-$1.5 million needed to hit its goal, according to Barber.
The nonprofit group formed in 2019 and has 13 board members.
Building getting renovations
Construction has started to refurbish the 928 11th St. location in downtown Modesto. The two-story, roughly 11,500-square-foot space previously housed Heart & Soul, a coffeehouse operated by a church, The House Modesto. It closed in fall of 2020.
Demolition began in September and construction is just getting underway, Barber said. They hope construction will be done by early spring. After that’s completed, exhibits will be installed, with plans to open the museum in June 2023.
Exhibits have been designed by members of the museum board, along with Gyroscope Inc., an exhibit design firm in Oakland, according to a previous story in The Bee. The exhibits are being built by various fabricators on the East Coast.
The museum will include water, air and light labs, an art studio/maker space, and areas called Valley Proud, Tall Tales, Adventure and Little Rainbows.
There will be interactive options for both caregivers and children, Barber said. “It’s really a hands-on experience.”
All of the exhibits are uniquely designed for the Modesto museum, she said, clarifying that they are not Modesto-themed, but “you won’t see them in another museum.”
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Boyett expects the museum to be a popular spot, bringing more activities for children and more activities downtown.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “I think the committee that’s been in charge has been steadfast ... I don’t see any reason for them to not be successful.”
Barber said they’re grateful for the public’s support. “We’re really excited to be able to share the museum with the community when we open the doors next summer.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
