About

Foundation president, Harvey Fineberg, and chairman emeritus and co-founder, Gordon Moore, discuss the Statement of Founders’ Intent with staff.

Field Museum

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First Grant

2001
Total Number of Grants

9
Cumulative Grant Amounts

$19,502,798

Focus Areas
Environmental Conservation

Courtesy of the Field Museum

Located in Chicago, the Field Museum houses a collection of more than 26 million biological specimens and cultural artifacts. Built for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, the museum inspires curiosity about life on Earth while exploring how the world came to be and how we can make it a better place. Research activity advances understanding about conservation, quality of life and cultural appreciation. Educational programming includes field trips for schools and virtual visits that bring the museum and its scientists to the classroom through live broadcasting.

Professional development opportunities for educators help improve school-based science education. Learning resources, such as virtual guides and teaching curricula, make science accessible and fun. A lending library allows people to take pieces of the collection home for appreciation and study. Blogs and videos spotlight new exhibits and investigations happening in the field.

The museum is also the largest producer of field guides, publishing 70 in 2014 alone, that help the public identify flora and fauna in particular environments. In addition, the museum’s science action teams bring biologists and anthropologists into communities to work on conservation challenges and build cultural understanding. Efforts have led to the protection of 23 million acres of wilderness in the Amazon headwaters and the formation of local consortia such as the Chicago Cultural Alliance and Chicago Wilderness efforts.