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UP! Capital Campaign Update
SEPTEMBER 2026
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
$9M $10.1M*
PLEDGED TO DATE:
$9.2M (91% of Goal)
*Goal has been stretched further to cover any additional unanticipated construction costs.
Construction is UP and Underway!
It’s official—we have broken ground!
We are thrilled to announce that the Children’s Museum celebrated the groundbreaking of a new 7,400-square-foot wing on August 28, 2026, with over 150 attendees, including First District Supervisor Rabbitt, Sonoma County School Superintendent Dr. Amie Carter, and Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp. Construction is officially underway!
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
Groundbreaking ceremony at the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County on August 28, 2026.
What existed in renderings and blueprints is beginning to take shape. The old administrative annex has been demolished. Over the coming months, GMH construction crews will pour a new concrete foundation and complete the infrastructure for new power, water, and sewer lines. In other words, lots of dirt will be moved around!
Throughout construction, the Children’s Museum’s current indoor and outdoor exhibits will remain open, so children can keep playing, creating, experimenting, and imagining while the Worlds of Wonder gallery takes shape in front of them.
Here is a time-lapse video of the construction work that has been completed so far!
Want to follow the transformation as it happens? We’ll be sharing construction milestones, behind-the-scenes moments, and plenty of UP!dates along the way.
Follow Along:
Crossing the Finish Line!
The groundbreaking was an unforgettable milestone, but it wasn’t the finish line.
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Museum friends, families, foundations, and community partners, the Unlock Potential! expansion campaign is entering its final stretch. Less than $1 million remains to fully fund this transformational vision!
A new wing. New exhibits. More room for curiosity, creativity, connection, and discovery.
Join us in unlocking the potential of every child.
Exhibit Sneak Peek: Luminaria
Imagine holding out your hand and seeing something that is usually invisible: your own body heat.
Or experimenting with beams of colorful light, watching new colors appear as different hues overlap and change.
Welcome to Luminaria, one of the interactive exhibit areas coming to the new Worlds of Wonder Gallery!
Luminaria invites children to explore the fascinating science of light through playful, hands-on experimentation. At a projection station with colored lights and a mosaic table, young scientists can investigate how light travels, mixes, and changes, turning scientific concepts into something they can see, touch, test, and discover for themselves.
At the thermal imaging exhibit, things get even more surprising. Children will be able to see the heat emitted by their own bodies, offering a playful glimpse into the normally invisible world of infrared light.
Experiment. Observe. Wonder. Try again.
That’s playful learning in action, and it’s exactly the kind of curiosity the Unlock Potential! expansion will make happen every day.
Path of Possibility Maze
Buy a Brick Today!
Leave a lasting tribute where wonder happens. As part of the Unlock Potential expansion, you are invited to reserve a commemorative brick within the playful “Path of Possibility” Maze in the new outdoor entry plaza sponsored by Redwood Credit Union. Every dollar up to $500,000 is matched by RCU and generous donors.
The maze offers opportunities to honor a child, celebrate a family milestone, recognize a loved one, or highlight your family’s connection to the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County!
Stay Tuned for More UP!dates…
The dream of expanding the Children’s Museum is not a luxury…it’s a necessity! All the future exhibits and experiences planned for this expansion promise to provide:
Be a part of bringing joyful, transformative experiences into the lives of all children.
