FAIRFIELDMUSEUM AND HISTORYCENTER

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BUDGET MESSAGE

The FairfieldMuseum is a privately-supported, non-profit educational and cultural organization, thatprovidesall Fairfieldresidentswith a wide array ofeducational programs, cultural exhibitions, and special events that teach regional history, celebrate our shared heritage, and prepare students and adultsto be better informed citizens and more active participants in our community.

The Museum’s missionis to use history to strengthen community and shape its future, and its many exhibitions, programs and events welcomed more that 18,000 visitors last year, and generate an estimated $8 million in related economic benefit for Fairfield. In FY 2014-15, the Town’s $50,000 contribution also leveraged $912,850 in private contributions that benefited the entire community.

The FairfieldMuseum continues to build on its position as a regional center for the study of history, arts, and culture. Throughout our111-year history, the Museum has consistently demonstrated its essential value to the cultural and educational life of Fairfield. We have become a focus of civic pride, a prominent center for the study of arts and humanities, and a museum of state-wide renown. We do this through multi-generational programming that educates across a wide spectrum of ages from very young students to the elderly.

In this past year, the Museum has worked hard tooffereven moreof those services to the community:

  • Adult and senior programs were enjoyed by more than 4,000 adults.
  • More than 18,000people visited the museum’s exhibitions or participated in family programs, and an additional 975national and international researchers used Fairfield’s irreplaceable archives.
  • To increase Town visibility, the FairfieldMuseumhelps promote Gustave Whitehead’s contribution to early aeronautics. The Museum’s is the only Whitehead archive in the United States, and attractsinternational researchers and the press.
  • The FairfieldMuseum provides programs thatdirectly support state curriculum standards in all of Fairfield’s elementary and middle schools. The Museum served more than 5,500 studentsover the past year, supplementing classroom learning in social studies, arts, and literature.
  • The FairfieldMuseummanages the Town’s five historic properties, including BurrMansion, Sun Tavern, Bronson Windmill, Victorian Cottage and Barn, and the 1812 Powder House.Museum management of the Town’s historic properties saves the Town an estimated $65,000 in staffing and maintenance costs annually.

The FairfieldMuseum isthe sole repository for Fairfield’s irreplaceable archives:

  • We preservemanuscripts, genealogies, 15,000 artifacts, maps and rare books, as well at 20,000 rare books,that chronicle 375 years of Fairfield’s history and make them widely available to students and researchers.

In FY 2014-15, 96% of the Museum’s operational funding will come from private support and other sources outside of Town support, with only 4% derived from the Town of Fairfield.

  • For every $1 of Town support, the Museum raises an additional $20 from private sources.
  • Total private support has grow more than 1,000% over the last five years, demonstrating the Museum’s growing esteem and value in the community.
  • Support from the Town is a vital indication that the community values the contributionsof private donors and foundations to Fairfield’s cultural and educational quality of life. Town support is a vital leverage for increased private support.
  • The Town’s investmentyields an estimated $8 million in related economic activity for local businesses, raises the community’s regional profile as a center for learning, arts and culture, and helps makes Fairfield a desirable place to live.

TheFairfieldMuseumis an important cultural attraction that provides residents with a widevariety of educational programs, activities, special events, and resources that reach all segments of the community. For fiscal year 2015-16, the Museum is requesting level funding of $50,000, which will continue to provide vital support for our ever-expanding educational services to the community.