ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) --  On April 10, the Ithaca Sciencenter was informed that all federally awarded grant funding was terminated. Now, they are letting the community know how they plan to move forward and how the cuts affect operations and improvement projects.

The now-terminated grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) totaled nearly $500,000. That money was earmarked by the Sciencenter to help with two key projects that leaders say were meant to continue their mission of bringing innovative STEM education to local families and students.

Libraries and museums in the United States rely heavily on the ILMS as a primary source of federal support. However, because of the executive order entitled "Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy" issued by the Trump Administration on March 14, funding cuts have hit institutions across the country.
including the Sciencenter.

"So we knew that IMLS was under threat, but we didn't realize our grants were," said Michelle Kortenaar, the executive director of the Sciencenter. "We thought that these grants would be able to finish up [that] we'd be able to finish them up...it was a very immediate notification."

The Sciencenter has been open since 1983 and welcomes around 105,000 visitors each year, and 22% of those attendees come for free or reduced admission. 


Over the years, the outdoor science park, one of the space's biggest attractions, has seen a lot of wear and tear. The museum received nearly $500,000 in multi-year grants, and Kortenaar says two of the three grants were meant to improve the park and begin a museum-library partnership to bring science kits and training to libraries across the region.

According to the Sciencenter's website, "The third grant, on which we were a subaward, supported our outreach efforts to families impacted by incarceration. Our work focuses on supporting learning for children and their families, and we had looked for ways to make these experiences available to all, including some of the most vulnerable children in our community."

Kortenaar says that many people assume that admission revenue pays for all the bills, however, it only brings in approximately $450,000 each year.

"Admission doesn't cover our costs," said Korternaar. "We are going to look at all the other places that we have income from donations, our membership fees, all of the parts to try to figure out ways of continuing to do the work at the level that people expect when they walk in our door."

Work had begun on both projects already, however, the Sciencenter has had to wrap those up in what they call an orderly way. Only about $100,000 of the grant money had been spent, but the remaining $400,000 is now been terminated.

Kortenaar says they won't let this bump in the road stop operations.

"Our doors are not going to close," said Kortenaar. "We are going to be here and we are going to continue serving this community, but the way that looks will be very different when we don't have enough staff to reach outside of our doors, when things begin to look worn and no longer safe and we have to shrink a little bit, what our footprint looks like. If the science park can't be opened because it really isn't a safe and welcoming place anymore, the impact can be really huge and we're looking really for the community's support."

While moving forward without federal funds will be difficult, Kortenaar says they will continue to inspire all kinds of thinking. She adds that the Sciencenter is a regional experience and will keep bringing field trips, workshops, special events, and more to the community.

"The world has changed dramatically in the last five years," said Kortenaar. "We all know this. People are spending way more time on their devices. People are spending much more time in isolation. This is a place where families and children can come and have a real experience in real time. Our work is to inspire curiosity, to inspire collaboration, to inspire people thinking all of the things that we want children and families to develop, but we want to do that in a way that is real and authentic and fun and that people are actually socializing with each other as well, because those social skills are extraordinarily important for our future."

The Ithaca Sciencenter is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

General admission is $12.50 per person and $3 per person for EBT cardholders. Other admissions discounts are available, and more information can be found under the Visit/Hours and Pricing tab on the Sciencenter's website. For members and kids under 2, admission is free.

The museum is located at 601 1st Street in Ithaca.

A full statement about the federal funding cuts from the Sciencenter is linked here.