News National Museum of Nature & Science collects 900m JPY in crowdfunding

[thomas]

The National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS) in the capital's Taito Ward ended its crowdfunding campaign on 5 November after collecting about 920 million JPY (~ USD 6.11 million), far exceeding the goal of 100 million JPY. According to the crowdfunding platform Readyfor, donations to the NMNS set a new record for donations or purchase-type crowdfunding in Japan.

Although the NMNS is the most popular museum in Japan in terms of visitor numbers, a decline in admission fee income due to the coronavirus pandemic and soaring electricity and labour costs have put pressure on its operations. The museum fell short of funds for the collection and maintenance of displays. Unable to obtain additional financial support from the national government, the museum launched the crowdfunding campaign on 7 August. The original goods and behind-the-scenes tours in exchange for donations became a hot topic, and the goal was reached in only about 9 1/2 hours. The total number of supporters reached 57,000. Of the 920 million JPY collected, after paying for return gifts and other expenses, approximately 600 million JPY (some USD 3.98 million) remains. About 440 million JPY (roughly USD 2.92 million) of these funds will be used to enhance and maintain the collection at the museum. The remaining 160 million JPY (about USD 1.06 million) will apparently be used for joint projects with other science museums, such as holding exhibitions.

Japan national science museum ends crowdfunding after collecting record $6.11 million - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- The National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS) in the capital's Taito Ward ended its crowdfunding campaign on Nov. 5 after collecting about

mainichi.jp

Link:

• National Museum of Nature & Science