The Santa Barbara Foundation donated a grant of $75,000 to the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature’s building purchase campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise $1.8 million, which will allow the Wildling Museum to close escrow on the purchase of the current building.
“Our investment in the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will help provide the museum with a permanent and impactful presence in the community,” Ronald V. Gallo said in a press release from the museum.
Gallo is the president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation, and said in the release that the Wildling Museum is an institution that aligns with his organization’s mission.
“There is unquestionable value in expanding the knowledge and appreciation of nature and our natural heritage among the residents of our country now and for generations to come,” Gallo said in the release. “Ownership of the museum property will secure that promise.”
Stacey OtteDemangate, executive director of the Wildling Museum, accepted the grant on the museum’s behalf.
“The Wildling Museum has always been a renter, so this is a significant step towards a more financially secure future,” OtteDemangate said in the release. “We are so grateful to the Santa Barbara Foundation for supporting this campaign at such a generous level.”
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is located at 1511-B Mission Dr., Solvang. More info: 686-8315 or wildlingmuseum.org.
This article appears in Mar 2-9, 2017.
