The Science Museum of Minnesota is dramatically downsizing, cutting 43 jobs and shrinking its budget by $7 million.
Museum President and CEO Alison Brown says while decreased federal grant funding did play a role in the decision, so did other things. Brown called it a perfect storm.
"Two things that happened after January was, one, the reduction in federal and state funding," Brown explains. "And then the second is the impact of on our traveling exhibits. But then actually, the bigger element for us is this realization that visitorship is not going to increase back to the levels we had pre-pandemic."
She says during the layoff process, two departments were completely shuttered including access and equity, and evaluation and research.
Brown says now their main goal is keeping the museum open and updating exhibits at the 120-year old institution.
Brown say now their focus will shift to creating a space that more people want to visit.
"There's not gonna be the return at the level that we have pre-pandemic until we invest in our experience here, and make it more immersive and more digital," she adds. "We've been in this building 25 years or 26 years."
Brown does say the decisions were hard ones to make, but that they will will protect the museum's long-term sustainability and help protect their mission of continuing to promote STEM education across the state.