The Discovery Museums Receive $300,000 Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Toward Building Expansion

ACTON, MA – The Discovery Museums today announced a $300,000 Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund capital grant supporting Phase II of the Museums’ Campus Master Plan funded by the Campaign for The Discovery Museums. This generous contribution, which will be fully matched by The Manton Foundation, will contribute significantly to the renovation and expansion of the original Science Discovery Museum building, built in 1987.

The project will double the building’s square footage and allow exhibits from both the Children’s Discovery Museum and the Science Discovery Museum to be housed under one roof. The renovated and expanded, fully ADA-compliant, inclusively accessible building will include iconic, family-favorite exhibits such as Train Room, Water Play, Newton’s Cradle, Bessie’s Diner, and Amazing Airflow. New permanent exhibits will include Brain Building Zone, an early-learning gallery based on the latest brain development research, designed for children ages zero to three and their caregivers; Da Vinci’s Workshop, a maker space celebrating invention, art, creativity, and the process of scientific inquiry; and Yes, It’s Math, an exhibit designed to strengthen family math skills and help buffer children against math anxiety.  The expanded building will also provide space for workshops, teacher professional development, and traveling exhibits.

“This significant support from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund—generously matched by The Manton Foundation’s Community Challenge Grant--will expand our capacity to serve families while creating an even richer learning environment for children and the adults in their lives,” said CEO Neil Gordon. “This marks an important step forward towards completion of the second phase of our three-phase Campus Master Plan.”

In 2007, The Discovery Museums received a Cultural Facilities Fund Feasibility & Technical Assistance Grant, which helped create a crucial long-range plan for the campus. A second grant in 2009 led to the rerouting of automotive traffic through campus and a reconfiguration of parking, increasing both efficiency and public safety. Phase I of the Campus Master Plan includes Discovery Woods, an outdoor environmental learning center with ADA-compliant natural walkways, as well as new outdoor exhibits and a fully accessible treehouse, all planned for this July.

**************************

About The Discovery Museums

The Discovery Museums are the children’s and science museums of Metrowest Boston. Two great museums—for one admission price—blend the best of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning on a beautiful 4.5-acre campus in Acton, MA, located about 20 miles west of Boston. The Museums serve families and schools from towns throughout the region, with a commitment to informal education that enhances classroom learning. The hands-on, playful exhibits, developed by professional educators, inspire curiosity, exploration, experimentation, and imagination. The Discovery Museums combine manageable scale, convenient location and free parking to provide a fun and engaging experience where children and adults can discover their world together.  The Discovery Museums are an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information please visit www.discoverymuseums.org.

The Discovery Museums’ programming is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

###