PROJECT FUNDING
The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin project is a $255 million investment in our community, state, and beyond.
To make this bold vision a reality, we are seeking to raise $169 million in private philanthropic support, which will complement $86 million in government funding.
Project Cost
The $255 million cost includes:
Collections Move: Our Collections Move team is prepping, packing, and moving the 4 million+ collections items in the Museum's care.
Building Construction: Our new five-story building includes a state-of-the-art planetarium, butterfly garden, rooftop terrace, commons, plaza and gardens, an attached parking structure, and more.
Exhibit Fabrication: The new Museum features five permanent galleries, each filled with immersive exhibits, scenes, and dioramas.
Endowment Funding: Endowment funding is built into the project budget to ensure we have the funds required to care for the building long-term.
Private Funding
We have raised $126 million in private funding (as of March 2026) toward the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin project through our capital campaign!
More than 80% of our total goal has already been raised through the incredible generosity of our community, foundations, and corporate partners. Now, we invite you to help us cross the finish line and take part in opening the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin.
Since students and civic leaders gathered MPM's first collections in 1851, this Museum has been built by people who believed in the power of curiosity, discovery, and learning. Scientists, educators, philanthropists, families, and visitors have all helped shape the Museum we know today.
Now, you have the opportunity to be part of the next chapter. Join us and more than 600 donors in opening a new home that honors our legacy, celebrates our community, and inspires generations to come.
Public Funding
We have secured $86 million in public funding toward the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin!
$45 million from Milwaukee County
In March 2022, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted to provide $45 million to fund the construction of the new Museum.
$40 million from the State of Wisconsin
Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin State Legislature approved $40 million of bonded funds toward a new, state-of-the-art natural history museum in the 2021-23 state budget. This investment by the State of Wisconsin is truly transformational and fitting for the largest cultural project in Wisconsin history. And because it comes from bonds set aside for capital projects, this allocation does not impact the state's operating budget.
$1 million from additional sources
An additional $1 million in public funding has come from a variety of other sources, bringing us to a grand total of $86 million.