Will Rogers Memorial Museum

PROJECT PURPOSE

1. State Asset Preservation: The Will Rogers Collection is priceless and there desperately needs to be a state-of-the-art facility to protect the artifacts for generations. The new building will more than double the size of the current collection space and meet all modern museum standards. 2. A.D.A. Compliance: The Memorial Museum is not A.D.A. compliant and this project will solve all issues throughout the facility as well as open the basement of the museum, which has been closed to the public for decades. 3. Tourism and Economic Development: Earned revenue will dramatically increase due to higher facility rentals in the new event center and more visitations drawn by improved building and exhibit renovations. COVID hit the tourism industry hard, but Route 66, aka The Will Rogers Highway, nears its 100th Anniversary. Our goal is to have everything completed by 2025, in time to celebrate the anniversary of Route 66 in 2026. 4. Public/Private Partnership Expansion: Due to the renovation, our private foundation is committed to funding new exhibits to create The Will Rogers Experience and to bring traveling exhibits from around to world to Oklahoma.

EVIDENCE

An architectural firm, construction manager and building contractor, professional event planner, professional tourism director and a collections expert have reviewed the project and they all agree that it will address all of the purposes listed above.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Will Rogers is an Oklahoma and American icon, and thousands of school children visit the facility each year. This impact cannot be overstated as Will Rogers came from rural beginnings in Indian Territory to become the most influential person of his time. His story is one of inspiration to children, as well as adults. Because of his Native American background, his influence is impactful to all indigenous peoples. With the support of several philanthropic entities and individuals, low-income families can experience Will?s life and impact through programming and exhibits. Will Rogers is a great role model for all citizens. His ability to interact with people of all backgrounds, faiths, political parties, social and financial status, and different cultures, makes him the type of person that we all can strive to emulate, especially in these polarized times.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

We will easily be able to measure performance as we keep track of all revenues from admissions, donations and rentals and we also keep a visitation count. All these metrics can be compared to numbers currently and previously collected.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma