The Erie Community Foundation will award the expERIEnce Children’s Museum a $3,000,000 grant from The Erie Community Foundation’s Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy. The Children’s Museum will use the grant to the to expand their facility downtown. The award will help the museum almost double its current footprint.
“Every day at The Erie Community Foundation, we connect donors to important community causes,” said Karen Bilowith, President & CEO of The Erie Community Foundation. “As part of our transformational philanthropy, the expERIEnce Children’s Museum meets the criteria to receive the funding as a catalyst for expansion to their significant social and civic engagement benefits.”
Since opening in 1995, the museum has grown into a significant community asset, drawing 65,000 families downtown annually. The expERIEnce Children’s Museum will use the funding to host world-class exhibits and a focus on Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) education. STEAM education to help local children develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and innovation. Skills that are recognized as the ones necessary for steam jobs in the 21st century. The renovations to the museum will play a significant role in making the city more attractive for future residents, visitors, investors, and businesses by providing a resource for families living, working, and playing in downtown Erie.
“The expERIEnce Children’s Museum is proud to have the support of the community behind us during this renovation,” said Ainslie Brosig, Executive Director of the expERIEnce Children’s Museum, “We could not grow without institutions like The Erie Community Foundation, and we are thankful for their belief in this project and their vision for Erie.”
The museum build is set to break ground spring of 2022, welcoming a new space to Erie’s cultural district.
