The Museum of Science and History is poised to hit a target for private fundraising for its new facility on the Northbank, the head of the Downtown Investment Authority told the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee.
DIA CEO Lori Boyer told committee members April 22 that MOSH received pledges for the $40 million in funding it needs to comply with its redevelopment agreement with the city for the 2.5 acres of publicly owned property where it plans to build its new home.
The agreement requires donors’ funding commitments to be documented and binding. Boyer said MOSH is working on getting the full package of pledges under contract.
She said the museum was “absolutely on track” to meeting the requirement.
Boyer’s comments came as the DIA sought approval from the committee to extend the deadlines in the redevelopment agreement, which City Council approved in April 2023. The agreement called for MOSH to hit the $40 million fundraising threshold by the end of 2023.
The amended agreement would push that deadline to June 30, 2024. In February, the DIA board voted 8-0 in favor of the revised agreement, with Council approval needed to finalize the changes.
The budget review committee approved the amended agreement, sending it to City Council.
MOSH plans an $85 million, 130,000-square-foot museum on the site. The museum announced plans in October 2020 to relocate from 1025 Museum Circle on the Southbank, its location since 1967.
The site is where Hogans Creek meets the St. Johns River. Plans also call for the site to have a 1.5-acre shared space that includes a public park.