State funding for the Bishop Museum - Legislative Reference Bureau

BACKGROUND
h4useum Services, demonstrated that of nearly $1 billion in total museum
operating income:
(I) 6.9 per cent was from the federal government;
(2) 12.4 per cent was from state governments;
(3) 18.7 per cent was from local governments;
(4) 21.3 per cent was from individual contributions, memberships,
corporations, foundations, and other private sources;
(5) 26.5 per cent was from admission fees, gift shop sales, and
restaurant income; and
(6) 14.2 per cent was from nonoperating sources such as investments
and endowments.
As shown above, private contributions and museum revenues totalled
almost half of the amount of museum support in the United States, and
funding from local and state governments provided about one-third of their
income. '
The most pressing financial needs of museums are currently for general
operating costs and the development of endowments for operating expenses;
the care and organization of collections; and capital expenses." It is more
difficult for museums to obtain funding for museum operating and
administrative expenses, such as pest control and utility costs, than for
specific highly visible projects.
Of the approximately 5,000 museums in the nation, 650 are accredited,
formally indicating their professional ~redibility.~ Of the latter, 199, or
about 30 per cent, are strictly government-run and supported. The Director
of Accreditation of the American Association of Museums estimated that the