ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2020 (JULY 1, 2019 TO JUNE 30, 2020) TABLE OF CONTENTS MISSION 4 EXPLORING OUR NATURAL WORLD TO INSPIRE, 6 OUR IMPACT THROUGH SCIENCE & EDUCATION, 8 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW A PASSION FOR NATURE, 10 TRANSFORMING THE WORLD THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL DIVERSITY, OF DISCOVERY CAMPAIGN THE FOSTERING 14 CAMPAIGN DONORS OF HEALTH, & 16 ANNUAL SUPPORT DONORS LEADERSHIP TO A SUSTAINABLE 30 LEGACY SOCIETY FUTURE. 32 PARTNERS & VOLUNTEERS 35 MUSEUM LEADERSHIP VISION TO EXPLORE, ENGAGE, & EMPOWER FOR A BETTER TOMORROW. During the 2019–2020 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2020, we at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History certainly learned how to evolve under dynamic circumstances. This past fiscal year, we learned that, together, we are more than capable of adapting and thriving in our new environment. EXPLORING The pandemic has taught us resilience and how quickly our world can change. Having closed for almost four months, beginning March 16, we were thrilled to reopen on July 1. The creation of our COVID-19 Financial Stability OUR NATURAL WORLD Task Force helped us achieve our year-end goals. From requesting that grantors pivot funding from specific projects to the operating budget to securing the PPP loan, we were able to stay afloat during that time and still maintain positive income at our fiscal-year end—a feat that all of us are proud of accomplishing. Educational outreach and learning never ceased as we made digital content a priority. Our online programming, CMNH@HOME, was a success with 436,000 viewers, allowing audiences to tour labs on Museum Mondays and watch wildlife ambassadors like Linda the opossum steal the show on Wildlife Wednesdays. Each week concluded with Scientist Saturdays, during which curators went live on Facebook and answered questions from all around the world. As our world changed, the Museum remained committed to its mission and continued to share the benefits of scientific knowledge and inquiry with households everywhere. We also celebrated the Museum’s renowned curators, who continued to conduct world-class research around the globe and advance the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Curator of Physical Anthropology Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie and his team of researchers’ discovery of a “remarkably complete” 3.8-million- year-old cranium, referred to as MRD, was hailed by many in the field of science. Dr. Haile-Selassie was recognized by Nature, a prestigious scientific publication, as one of the “10 People Who Mattered in Science” for his groundbreaking work in human origins. Another prominent publication, Smithsonian Magazine, featured Dr. Haile-Selassie’s discovery of MRD as one of the biggest discoveries in human evolution. Additionally, Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Dr. Nicole Gunter was awarded the highly competitive CAREERS National Science Foundation (NSF) grant—one of the largest NSF grants in the Museum’s history. Dr. Gunter’s project involves niche modeling of her favorite animal, the dung beetle. She’ll explore broad trends in evolutionary biology and share her findings using a novel data-visualization strategy, which could have a widespread impact on how researchers approach public science education. The Museum was awarded the 2019 Best Exhibition honor by the Ohio Museums Association for the exhibit Fossil Hunters: The Search for Our Past, which showed firsthand the detailed work that Dr. Haile-Selassie has done for decades in the Afar desert. This exhibit showcased the unique attributes of our Museum and how our work is part of a global community of exploration. The Museum’s exhibits team and curators continue to instill a passion for learning about our past through installations that transport visitors right to the moment of discovery. We closed our fiscal year on June 30 with renewed energy to reach more people and continue our core mission of diffusing knowledge in our community and beyond. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is more than a global institution based in this region—it is a portal to understanding the importance of our natural world and the integral role we play in renewing, restoring, and sustaining it. As we prepare to celebrate our first 100 years as a formal institution, know that our success is possible because of you. You believe in our mission, you invest in our work, and you care for our natural world. Thank you again for your support and for being a part of our history. Together, we are stronger and will continue to adapt as we live out our vision: TO EXPLORE, ENGAGE, AND EMPOWER FOR A BETTER TOMORROW. Sincerely, Sonia M. Winner Jonathon Grimm President & CEO Chair, Board of Directors 4 5 OUR IMPACT MUSEUM STAFF WERE CITED 920 TIMES IN 2019, A 5% INCREASE FROM 2018 AND UP 23% FROM 2015 2,500 30 5 4 VISITORS TO OUR RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS GIVEN COLLECTION AND PUBLICATIONS OFF THE MUSEUM 375,000 13,000 RESEARCH LABS CAMPUS ANNUAL VISITORS MEMBER HOUSEHOLDS 850 NEWLY ACCESSIONED SPECIMENS 341 SPECIMENS LOANED FOR STUDY 70,000 STUDENTS REACHED ANNUALLY 89 PUBLIC LECTURES TO LOCAL INTEREST GROUPS AND OTHER AUDIENCES $3,224,579 OPERATING DOLLARS RAISED 100 ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE TO PREPARATION, DIGITIZATION, IMAGING, AND DATA PROCESSING 598 ACRES OF LAND WERE PROTECTED IN 756 PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED FISCAL YEAR 2020, WITH 185 ACRES PROTECTED 47 FIELD TRIPS THROUGH A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AND 413 ACRES OWNED BY THE MUSEUM 1,182 PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 27 PUBLIC PROGRAMS THE NATURAL AREAS ASSOCIATION’S CARL N. BECKER 4,571 PEOPLE VISITED MENTOR MARSH NATURE PRESERVE STEWARDSHIP AWARD WAS GRANTED TO THE MENTOR MARSH RESTORATION TEAM, RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN MANAGING RESERVES, PARKS, WILDERNESS, AND OTHER PROTECTED AREAS 6 7 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW 43RD CONSECUTIVE FISCAL YEAR MAINTAINING A BALANCED OPERATING BUDGET July 1 to June 30 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020* Revenues Endowment & Other Support $7,123,874 $7,816,532 $7,778,723 Operating Income $4,718,061 $4,604,431 $3,439,885 Contributions $2,562,684 $2,368,481 $3,571,712 Land Support $6,285,870 $207,294 $81,025 Total Revenue & Support $20,690,489 $14,996,738 $14,871,345 Expenses Collections & Research $5,929,290 $5,882,628 $6,377,364 Education $3,142,857 $2,897,958 $2,456,469 Exhibits $2,157,042 $2,322,210 $2,178,031 Fundraising & Membership $1,567,960 $1,865,655 $2,361,496 Communication & Publication Services $256,021 $290,453 $211,988 General & Administration $1,223,380 $1,126,941 $1,067,001 Restricted Purchases $6,285,870 $207,294 - Total Expenses $20,562,420 $14,593,139 $14,652,349 Excess of Operating Revenue & Support over Expenses $128,069 $403,599 $218,996 Contribution Summary Unrestricted for General Operations $2,562,684 $2,314,497 $3,571,712 Unrestricted Other $83,841 $525,919 $474,185 Restricted $11,593,167 $7,727,974 $6,885,379 Restricted Land $6,285,870 $207,294 $81,025 Total Contributions $20,525,562 $10,775,684 $14,871,345 *FY20 Audit is in progress as of print date. 8 9 CURRENT SCIENCE The Museum’s Current Science area will be a dynamic, ever-changing space that allows our curators and researchers to highlight the latest “buzz” in science. THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF Exhibit designs will give people a way to understand NATURAL HISTORY their place in nature while establishing links between TRANSFORMING THE WORLD OF DISCOVERY CAMPAIGN the news of the day and the Museum’s research and collections. This integrated visitor experience will be an opportunity for interaction and one-on-one conversation, allowing our team to share the impact The Transforming the World of Discovery Campaign continued to make progress this year. In of their research on the contemporary world. January of 2020, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History broke ground on our Gateway Projects— the renovation of Murch Auditorium and the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard, and the creation of the Current Science area. Despite the Museum’s closure this spring in response to COVID-19, these projects moved forward. MURCH AUDITORIUM For decades, Murch Auditorium has been integral to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History experience, hosting lectures by world-renowned experts and explorers as well as $87 MILLION RAISED fun, educational school and family programs. The modernized space will foster more engaging experiences with acoustic updates, state-of-the-art audio/visual systems, and upgraded PARTNERSHIPS seating—including fabric that reduces the spread of germs. People will have the opportunity to gather in a progressive environment GALLAGHER & ASSOCIATES where our researchers and guest lecturers have all the resources DLR | WESTLAKE REED LESKOSKY needed to share their work with audiences. THELMA AND KENT H. SMITH ENVIRONMENTAL COURTYARD The redesigned Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard will become a destination for outdoor exploration and discovery. A trailhead patio and paths will display Ohio’s native plant species. Our researchers will give presentations and lead discussions while visitors are immersed in our state’s extraordinary biodiversity. The Gateway Projects will be completed in December 2020. 10 11 EXHIBIT PREVIEW The vision of the Transforming the World of Discovery Campaign came to life when the Museum chose Gallagher & Associates— a nationally recognized design firm—to collaboratively design the new exhibits. The most distinctive aspect of our transformation lies in a unique approach to the visitor experience. We are reimagining our core exhibits to highlight the inseparable connection between humans and nature. The experience will tell the story of natural history not on a timeline, but by illustrating biological and geological processes in relation to human impact. Two dynamic exhibit wings— DLR | WESTLAKE REED LESKOSKY the Planetary Processes and Biological Processes wings—will contain the main exhibits and DLR | Westlake Reed Leskosky to come.