Thank you for considering a donation to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History!
Supporting the Sam Noble Museum
Are you interested in supporting the museum? By donating to the museum, you will help us continue to inspire minds to understand the world through collection-based research, interpretation, and education. Any dollar amount can help your museum continue to serve the people of Oklahoma.
Review the following areas to see where your donation can make a difference:
- Donate to the Museum’s General Operations Fund: This fund supports the day-to-day operations, programs, and special projects at the museum.
- Donate to the Museum’s Excellence Endowment: This endowed fund is used to support museum operations and special opportunities that will assure the continued excellence of the museum.
About the Museum
In 1899, the Territorial Legislature of the future state of Oklahoma mandated the founding of a natural history museum on the campus of the University of the Territory of Oklahoma in Norman, now The University of Oklahoma. Since that time, the museum has had a long and distinguished history, including being designated as the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in 1987 by the Oklahoma Legislature and being the only museum in the world to win four major awards given by peer institutions across the globe. Oklahoma’s natural history museum is a center of excellence, dedicated to preserving and sharing Oklahoma’s rich natural and cultural history, and has been recognized by these organizations for its impact on Oklahoma and museum disciplines.
- the National Heritage Preservation Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections in 2004 for saving Oklahoma’s material heritage
- the National Medal for Museums, the highest award from the US government for a museum, in 2014 for being an institution that makes a difference for individuals, families, and communities
- the International Projects of Excellence Award presented in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2015
- and the University Museums and Collections Award presented in Helsinki, Finland in 2017 in recognition of the museum’s Native American Language Program
Our mission is “to inspire minds to understand the world through collection-based research, interpretation and education.” Please, help your museum to continue to serve the people of Oklahoma in this extraordinary manner.
Ways to Give
MEMBERSHIP
When you become a member of the Sam Noble Museum, you become part of the museum’s legacy. Through world-class exhibits and educational programming for both children and adults, the museum brings Oklahoma to the world and the world to Oklahoma. Designed for guests of all ages, the museum is a perfect place for families to explore, grow and discover — together. By supporting the museum’s exhibits and educational programs, your membership helps today’s visitors and generations yet to come. Memberships also make great gifts! Why wait? Join Oklahoma’s legacy today.
Click here for more information about museum membership.
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
Contributions from corporate partnerships help the museum fund special exhibitions, museum events, and programs throughout the year. Now more than ever, corporate support is vital to the continued sustainability and growth of the museum. Companies who choose to support the museum through a corporate membership show their commitment to maintain a world-class natural history museum in Oklahoma and the programs that support our children’s education. These partnerships also provide opportunities for businesses to gain community visibility and show their support for the Sam Noble Museum by putting their names and logos on promotional materials for special exhibitions, museum events, and programs. As a thank you for your support, corporate members enjoy publicity, hospitality, museum discounts, and other valuable benefits through the entire calendar year.
Click here for more information about corporate partnerships.
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is facing new challenges that require new and creative solutions as to how it will meet its mission and the needs of its audiences. The American Alliance of Museums projects that as many as one-third of America’s museums will never reopen their doors to the public following the pandemic. Others, like the Sam Noble Museum, will feel the significant financial impact of closure and reduced operations for years to come.
However in spite of the pandemic, people believe that museums are places where they can visit, share and learn with friends and family. People still love museums, and they believe that museums are trusted institutions that are assets to their communities and serve the public. Museums make our world better, for adults and children of all ages.
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History’s annual campaign provides essential operating funds that will help it weather this financial crisis. These funds allow us to provide innovative events and programs and special exhibits for over 100,000 people every year in addition to the tens of thousands of people served through our outreach efforts. We count on people just like you for ongoing support!
Click to launch our secure online donation form.
Other Ways to Give
OKLAHOMA HERITAGE WALKWAY
Individuals, families, companies or communities have a special opportunity to make a permanent impact on the museum by having their name carved in stone in the Oklahoma Heritage Walkway. Your gift to the endowment fund will provide enduring support for the museum’s exhibits, education, public programs, and research. Five hundred and forty-four stones measuring 2-feet-4-inches by 1-foot-8-inches are available for engraving for a gift of $1,000 each. Forty stones measuring 3-feet-by-5-feet on the patio of the dramatic south rotunda are available for engraving for a gift of $5,000 each. Please call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 for more information.
PLANNED GIVING
To extend the support you have offered the Sam Noble Museum throughout your lifetime, consider including it in your estate planning. Please call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 for more information.
GIFTS OF STOCK
The Sam Noble Museum accepts donations of stock gifts as your contribution. Please call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 for more information.
FINANCIAL ESTATE GIFTS AND SUSTAINING MONTHLY DONATIONS
The Sam Noble Museum through the University of Oklahoma Foundation has a long history of successfully managing and utilizing estate and endowment gifts. Call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 for more information.
IRA ROLLOVER
If you are age 72 years or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 to the Sam Noble Museum from your IRA account. Please call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 for more information.
MEMORIAL GIFTS
Memorial contributions are a touching way to let the family know that your thoughts are with them. When you make a memorial contribution, the family is notified of your donation.
Your gift to the Sam Noble Museum General Endowment Fund provides critical support to museum programs and operations. Donations may be made in tribute to or in memory of a family member or loved one. Please include the name and address of the honored individual or family, and we will notify them of your thoughtful and considerate gesture. Gifts to the Sam Noble Museum General Endowment Fund are unrestricted donations that allow us to continue our mission. You can make a memorial contribution online or by calling (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018.
CORPORATE MATCHING PROGRAM
Many businesses and corporations have programs in which they financially match donations that their employees make to nonprofit organizations. When an employee makes a donation, they’ll request the matching gift from their employer, who then makes their own donation. Please refer to this list to see if your company has an employee matching program; however, if your company is not listed, ask your HR department if a corporate matching program exists within your company.
MATCHING COMPANY LIST
All-State Insurance Group, American Eagle Outfitters, American Fidelity Assurance, Apple, AT&T, AutoZone, AXA Equitable Financial Services, Baker Hughes Inc., Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Bank of the West, Best Buy, BNSF Railways, Boeing, BP, Bridgestone/Firestone, Budget Rent-A-Car, Cabot, CarMax, Charles Miller & Charles Schwab, Cisco Systems, The Coca-Cola Company, Conoco, Dell, Delta Airlines, Ernst & Young, Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation, ExxonMobil, Farmers Insurance Group, Gap Corporation, General Electric, General Mills, Halliburton, Hallmark, Hasbro Industries Hewlett-Packard, H&R Block, Home Depot, IBM Inasmuch Foundation, Johnson Controls, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., KPMG, LexisNexis Group, Lockheed Martin, Marathon Oil Comp., MassMutual Financial, Microsoft, Mutual of America, NextEra Energy Resources, Northrop Grumman, Office Depot, ONE Gas, ONEOK, PepsiCo, Phillips 66, Price Waterhouse & Coopers, Progressive Insurance Group, Prudential Insurance, Radio Shack, Schwartz, Shell Oil, Sherwin-Williams, Siemens Corp., Starbucks, State Farm, Symantec Corporation, SYSCO Corporation, T-Mobile, Union Pacific, U.S. Cellular Corporation, Verizon, Walmart, Wells Fargo, Western Union, Williams Companies, Inc., Williams-Sonoma
Our Pledge to You
The Sam Noble Museum remains committed to donor transparency. All donations to the Sam Noble Museum go to a 501(c)(3) Foundation that supports our operations.
The Sam Noble Museum Donor Privacy Policy
The Sam Noble Museum considers its donor information to be proprietary. The museum does not trade, share or sell donor information on behalf of other organizations. In addition, the museum does not send out donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. This policy applies to all personal information collected through online and offline methods, including, but not limited to, e-mail addresses, physical addresses and phone numbers.
Through the generosity of patrons like you, the Sam Noble Museum is able to fulfill its mission.
Interested in giving but have questions?
Call (405) 325-5198 or (405) 325-1018 or e-mail director.samnoblemuseum@ou.edu.
Mailing Address
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua Avenue
Norman, OK 73072
