Help save PRI and the Museum of the Earth!
An Update on PRI’s Progress as of July 2025
As we closed out our fiscal year in June, we’re proud to share that we have raised $1 million toward retiring the mortgage on the Museum of the Earth, with another $1 million pledged as a matching challenge. Every dollar given between now and the end of the year will be matched 1:1—bringing us closer to our $3.1 million goal to secure the Museum’s future in Ithaca, NY.
We also raised more than $600,000 in unrestricted funds that go toward general operating expenses, making it possible for us to continue to serve our large and varied audiences with collections, science, and education.
Thanks to support from the National Science Foundation and the Tompkins Tourism Program, we opened a new temporary exhibit in June, and visitation is nearly double last summer’s numbers. Our signature summer programs—Gorge Walks, fossil collecting trips, and tree phenology hikes—are in full swing, and we’re planning an exciting lineup of fall programs. Some of our team will also attend the Geological Society of America conference in Texas this fall to share research and offer our popular Paleozoic Pals for sale.
We still have work ahead. We need to raise more than $500,000 in unrestricted funds in fiscal year 25-26. But we’ve made remarkable progress this year and remain committed to our mission—thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of our friends and supporters.
Relevant Media Coverage
Museum of the Earth faces extinction under “imminent” threat of foreclosure | Ithaca Voice – January 13, 2025
Letter to the editor: A Plea for the Museum of the Earth | Cornell Sun – January 20, 2025
Museum of the Earth Faces Financial Crisis After $30 Million Pledge Falls Through | Ithaca Times – January 22, 2025
You can help keep this Finger Lakes Museum afloat, avoid 'catastrophe for paleontology’ | Ithaca Journal - January 23, 2025
Guest Column: Together, we can preserve a local treasure: The Future for PRI| 14850.com – January 23, 2025
Museum of the Earth Looks for University Support Amid Financial Troubles | Cornell Sun – January 27, 2025
Museum of the Earth in Ithaca faces financial turmoil | WSKG – January 29, 2025
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | The Importance of the Paleontological Research Institution | Cornell Sun –January 31, 2025
Museum of the Earth faces closure | The Ithacan – February 5, 2025
Guest Opinion: “Possible Museum of the Earth Closure - Where is Cornell University” | Ithaca Times – February 6, 2025
Ithaca’s ‘Museum of the Earth’ fighting its extinction | WBNG – February 14, 2025
Financial peril could doom a famed New York paleontological institute | Science – February 20, 2025
Museum of the Earth in Ithaca faces closure without new donor support | Science – March 3, 2025
The Museum of the Earth research collection threatened by lack of funding| Ithaca Week – March 17, 2025
Donation spike gives Museum of the Earth new life but future remains uncertainI Ithaca Voice – April 4, 2025