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Idaho Museum of Natural History seeks operating funds to sustain new mobile museum program
Summary
The Pocatello museum received a three‑year foundation grant to buy a van and fund part‑time outreach staff; it asked the committee for partial general fund support to sustain mobile visits to rural schools after the grant ends.
The Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello asked the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee for ongoing operating support to sustain a mobile museum program that will bring exhibits and outreach to rural schools and libraries across Idaho.
Director Leif Tapanila told the committee the museum received a three‑year grant from the David B. Jones Foundation totaling $180,000; the first year will buy a van and the remaining years will fund part‑time educator salary support. The museum asked for additional state support so the mobile program can continue after the grant term ends and to cover incidental operating costs such as exhibit materials and fuel.
Tapanila described the mobile program as a way to expand outreach: the museum expects the vehicle to travel about 6,000 miles annually and said the project focuses on rural counties. He said the museum already conducts some outreach under current staffing but that the grant will allow a dedicated, repeatable schedule: "The plan with this grant is to add an individual to be able to service that vehicle and go out while we're maintaining operations at home," Tapanila said.
Kevin Campbell reviewed the museum’s finances for the committee, noting the museum typically spends its appropriation and that personnel costs represented about 88.8% of FY2024 expenditures. The museum said it cares for more than 1.5 million artifacts and that the mobile program would help bring specimens and education to communities that otherwise would not have regular access to museum programming.
Committee members asked about sustainability once the foundation grant ends and how the mobile program’s outcomes would be measured beyond visitor counts. Tapanila said the grant covers three years and that the requested line item is a partial appropriation to help sustain the program’s operational needs after the grant terminates. No vote occurred at the hearing; museum staff asked for legislative support to sustain statewide outreach.
