New $10 million gift provides critical support for new earth sciences galleries, research and educational programs.
William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the Royal Ontario Museum, announced today that a new $10 million gift from Teck Cominco Limited lifts the total raised to date by the Renaissance ROM Campaign to $249.6 million. This comprises $218.3 million raised for the project’s capital construction costs and a further $31.3 million for related program priorities of Renaissance ROM, such as endowments, curatorial positions and public programs.
The Teck Cominco gift is the largest corporate gift in the Museum’s history, and the sixth largest gift overall. It will fund construction of three new earth sciences galleries within the ROM, including a new permanent home for the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, plus a fully endowed curatorial Chair in Mineralogy, a digital gallery educational module on mining and mineralogy, and related program endowments. For more details on the Teck Cominco gift, please see the news release “Renaissance ROM Receives $10 Million Gift from Teck Cominco Limited” at www.rom.on.ca/news/releases/index.php
The Renaissance ROM Campaign, chaired by The Hon. Hilary M. Weston, continues to attract extensive public support among individuals and corporations for its broad multi-cultural and educational mandate and its impact on the cultural landscape of Canada. The Campaign has funded critical needs for expansion of public galleries and amenities, as well as endowments, public and school programs, acquisitions and research, and accessibility.
In recent months, the ROM has received numerous important gifts from government, corporations and individuals, including the announcement last March by the Ontario Government increasing its support of Renaissance ROM by $12 million, to $42 million.
The Campaign is seeking an additional $50 million to cover all project and financing costs required to complete both the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition in 2007 and a further phase of renovated galleries within the ROM’s historic buildings by early 2009.
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, the new wing of the Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind that is the centrepiece of the Renaissance ROM project, is now under construction and will have its public Architectural Opening and Building Dedication on June 2, 2007.