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UP! Capital Campaign Update
OCTOBER 2025
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
$8M $9M
PLEDGED TO DATE:
$8.2M (91% of Stretch Goal)
Thrilling Fundraising Progress
On September 25, 2025, we celebrated the wonderful progress made on the Unlock Potential! expansion campaign for the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County and unveiled the conceptual site plans and renderings with more than 80 friends and supporters. The excitement and anticipation for the future of expanded experiences that benefit all children in our community was palpable that evening.
We were especially honored that evening to receive generous support from Sonoma County’s Fourth District Supervisor, James Gore. The strong commitment from the county, new commitments from the William G. Irwin Foundation and the Kelly Foundation, and generous individual supporters like you gave CMOSC the confidence to stretch the UP! fundraising goal from $8M to $9M.
Just last week, CMOSC crossed the $8M mark and met the generous $620,000 matching gift challenge from the Saba Foundation! Excitingly, we also just received a new $200,000 matching pledge from a longtime Museum donor for when the UP! campaign goes public next spring and are hopeful that even more community members will be inspired by this challenge to join the expansion effort.
Construction Update
The construction site plans will be submitted to the City of Santa Rosa for preliminary design approval by the end of this year. Requests for bids have been sent to several local contracting firms, and CMOSC is on track to break ground next fall and open the expansion in early 2028.
When those new doors open, your support will ensure that they’ll open to a world where every child — regardless of background or ability — can explore, create, and discover.
This expansion will double the size of the Children’s Museum, allowing thousands more children and families to be welcomed annually. From expanding access for low-income families to creating innovative new spaces for science, art, and imagination, the Unlock Potential campaign for expansion will ensure every child has a place to play, learn, and dream.
Sneak peeks at the Motiva balls and ramps exhibit and an imaginative climber, Hexlandia, are included below.
It Takes a Village – Share Our Bold Vision
The Unlock Potential! expansion campaign will launch publicly this coming January. With your help, we can reach our stretch goal of $9M. Please share CMOSC’s exciting expansion plans with friends and colleagues available here on our website, through our case statement or through the campaign video linked below:
Exhibit Sneak Peek: Motiva and Hexlandia
The Worlds of Wonder Gallery will provide new, engaging, imaginative experiences, including the ocean-themed Aquatica exhibit and the Explora STEM-focused area showcased in prior blog posts. Two other hands-on exhibits described below are sure to delight visitors from tots to teens:
A large-scale Rube Goldberg-inspired ball maze, the kinetic sculpture Motiva encourages children to become junior physicists as they investigate the principles of motion, velocity, and acceleration in an interactive, hands-on environment. Curiosity and critical thinking are sparked as kids test different levers and switches, experimenting with how gravity, friction, and momentum impact their creations.
Celebrating the power and prominence of the hexagonal shape in nature, from snowflakes to beehives to carbon molecules, the playful Hexlandia allows children to use their whole bodies as they navigate the tunnels. Nestled within the structure, a cozy book nook invites caregivers and children to enjoy a space designed for quiet, joyful moments of reading and reflections on themes of science, engineering, and environmental discovery.
Stay Tuned for More UP!dates…
Joyful, transformative experiences like Aquatica, Explora, Motiva, and Hexlandia are just the beginning. The Unlock Potential! expansion promises so much:
Be part of this extraordinary moment.
