Wonderlab receives more than $50,000 in grants

Bloomington’s WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology is the fulfillment of a dream envisioned by Bloomington natives who felt their city deserved an interactive science museum. \nTwo foundations are helping keep this dream alive by recently giving WonderLab more than $50,000 in grants.\nThe Raymond Foundation, a private foundation that supports educational institutions, recently awarded WonderLab a three-year, $45,000 grant. The IU Foundation and IU Credit Union also gave $8,500 to WonderLab, which will help fund the museum’s work-study program for IU students. \n“The Raymond Foundation is extremely generous,” said Catherine Olmer, executive directer of WonderLab. ”They’ve been with (WonderLab) since the beginning.”\nPast grants from the Raymond Foundation have helped the museum purchase exhibits, develop hands-on science outreach programs and offer free admission to low income children. This most recent grant will again expand WonderLab’s availability to low income individuals, bolstering WonderLab’s Connecting to the Community Fund, as well as paying for the salaries of museum staffers who develop and present educational programs to the public. \nBecause the whole point of the museum is to make the experiences offered by WonderLab available to everyone, the museum’s admission price has been set at a very low point of $7 per adult and $6 per child — an idea that has helped the museum reach 70,000 visitors a year. The museum also has special offers for low income individuals. One deal allows IU students who volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to bring their “Littles” to the museum for free, Olmer said. The grant will allow the museum to continue the program.\nRevenue generated from admission only covers about half the costs of running the museum. However, grants like those from the IU Foundation and IU Credit Union help to cover the museum’s costs and expand its programs.\n“They have a lot of Indiana University students (at WonderLab),” said Jim Perin, senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer for the IU Foundation. “So this was a form of us assisting IU students.” \nDuring this past year, the museum employed 27 IU students in either work study or internship positions, and many others volunteered at the museum. \nLaura Sears, an IU junior began volunteering at the museum while still in high school and has been involved with the work study program at WonderLab for more than two years. As an education major, she has also been given the opportunity to work in an after school program in which she is sent by WonderLab to local schools to run science activities.\nIU students are well-integrated throughout the museum organization, she said, from marketing to actually helping to develop exhibits. And, with the recent grant from the IU Foundation, the work study program is only going to expand. \nThose involved with WonderLab are looking forward to the benefits and opportunities that are brought by the grants and donations that help fund the museum. \n“The future looks exciting,” Olmer said. “We’re always trying to bring in new experiences, and that’s possible only because of the combination of contributions and grants.”