Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Hits Pre-Opening Fundraising Goal

Labor News, Industry News

Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter by Scott Feinberg on November 13, 2020.

Factoring in capital gifts, endowments, funding for education programs and other special gifts, the long-gestating Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has now met — and, in fact, exceeded — its pre-opening fundraising goal of $388 million, the museum announced on Friday.

A donation from the animation studio LAIKA moved the museum — which is located at the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax, and is set to open this spring — over the finish line, closing out a campaign that was launched in 2012 and overseen by chair Bob Iger and co-chairs Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. A gallery dedicated to special collections will be named after the Oregon-based company.

More than 13,000 donors contributed to the campaign, the museum reported, with gifts coming from individuals, corporations, foundations and government entities. The largest contribution, $50 million, came from Cheryl Saban and Haim Saban; the portion of the museum that occupies the former May Company department studio will be named the Saban Building in their honor. …

THR 11/13

About Jeffrey Burman 861 Articles
Jeff Burman served on the Guild’s Board of Directors from 1992 to 2019. He is now retired. He can be reached at jeffrey.s.burman.57@gmail.com.