Kudos Affiliates! August/September 2025 Edition
Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.
FUNDING
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) and the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) were each awarded $23,850 in operating support from the City of Dubuque Arts and Cultural Affairs grant program. The Dubuque Museum of Art received an additional $8,000 through the Special Projects Grant Program.
Celebrating the power of identity and belonging, the Nissan Foundation continued its commitment to community and cultural connection with grants to nonprofits across the United States this year including the following Affiliates:
- Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA) – to support 2025-2026 Family Festivals.
- Museum of Us (San Diego, CA) – to fund The Museum of Us: A Platform for the Diverse Voices of San Diego
- Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI) – to support Arab American Narratives: Education and Public Engagement
- Two Mississippi Museums (Jackson, MS) – to fund the Two Mississippi Museums School Visits Program
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced it has awarded the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) and the Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK) $75,000 each as part of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, supporting the advancement of energy efficiency and clean energy projects. With the support, the Dubuque Museum of Art will install a heat recovery chiller on its new campus that will reduce the need for electrical power by 30% and natural gas consumption by 49% annually. The building will also include high performance and energy efficiency mechanical, and lighting systems and automated controls, systems commissioning, and photovoltaic readiness. The Anchorage Museum will install a rooftop solar array—its first major step toward net-zero operations by 2050. The system will reduce reliance on Anchorage’s natural gas grid, offset up to 131 metric tons of Scope 2 emissions annually, and generate an estimated $1.5 million in long-term energy savings.
The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), a coalition of aquariums and zoos for aquatic conservation, received a two-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program to develop and implement a comprehensive digital and in-person public engagement campaign. This grant will provide seven member aquariums of ACP—including the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (Dubuque, IA), with a $20,000 sub-award. These funds will be used to create and install educational and operational signage that highlights efforts to reduce plastic use and promote reusable systems.
Engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell announced Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) will receive $250,000 to enhance their Youth Exploring Science program, which supports students from underserved or traditionally underrepresented communities in STEM throughout their high school years, helping them build the knowledge and experience needed for in-demand STEM jobs.
The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded Conner Prairie Museum (Fishers, IN) $30,000 for the development of new nature programming for children and families as well as trail maintenance.
The Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL) has received a $1 million gift from the S&C Electric Company Fund to enhance its youth engagement programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The funding will help Adler deepen its long-running commitment to providing hands-on, immersive learning experiences for young people from across the city. The Adler’s summer internships place Chicago teens in professional roles across the museum, learning professional communication and teamwork skills and gaining experience in space visualization and computer science.
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Center (Portage, MI) an $819,200 grant to support organizational needs.
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Boulder, CO) was awarded a $23.5 million contract to advance the Next-Generation Navy Environmental Prediction System Utilizing a Nonhydrostatic Engine, or NEPTUNE. The contract tasks UCAR with research and development to refine NEPTUNE, a system designed to deliver unparalleled weather forecasts for military operations. Unlike traditional weather models, NEPTUNE is built around a spectral element solver for the compressible, non-hydrostatic, deep-atmosphere equations of motion.
LEADERSHIP
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) announced Drew Oberjuerge as the new Executive Director. In this role, she will collaborate with foundation trustees, staff, and stakeholders to chart a new period of excellence and accessibility for the organization that stewards the historic residence and woodshop of Sam Maloof.
Dr. Dina Bennett, Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum (Kansas City, MO), announced she will be stepping down from her role at the end of July. The Board of Directors will launch a national search for someone who can guide the museum through its next stage of growth and innovation.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has named retired naval aviator and former Blue Angels pilot John P. Hiltz as its first Chief Executive Officer. With over two decades of military experience and a passion for aviation history, Hiltz will lead the museum’s strategic growth, educational programs, and community engagement.
