2013-370 Arts - Chapel Hill Carrboro Children's Musum 2013 Spring Art Grant Agreement $1,500 (2)

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Kidzu Children's Museum 2013-2014 OCAC General Support Application Narrative Kidzu Children's Museum Strategic Plan Summary Approved by Kidzu Board of Directors, 1211812012 In November 2012,Kidzu's Board of Directors,leadership staff,and advisors collaborated to update the museum's Strategic Plan,participating in a SWOT(strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,threats)analysis, identifying critical issues,and determining action steps to position Kidzu for success as we plan our expansion museum. The following is a short summary of this plan. SWO-F Arnlli sis • Strengths:Educational and creative vision;Team expertise and commitment;Academic and community partnerships with the region's academic,educational,creative,and social service organizations;Caliber of educational offerings including outreach and programs(however:a need was identified to expand scope of outreach);Organization's creativity, innovation,flexibility,and resilience. • Weaknesses/Challenges:Expanded fundraising capacity and infrastructure needed to reach current goals; Need to grow team(board,staff and volunteers)to meet anticipated workload for new museum preparations; While Kidzu is well-known and well-regarded by museum users and our immediate community,public and partner awareness and engagement in the broader region is not as high as it must be to fulfill our vision. 0 Opportunities:Educational and creative impact on children and families;Educational leadership in collaboration with academic and community partners;New museum site provides ready access to university partners,opportunity to be downtown cornerstone and regional destination;Potential to more fully leverage community,regional,and national support,including$1.5 million challenge grant; Substantial potential to serve larger audience and broader age range in a larger museum facility with indoor and outdoor space. • Threats:External fundraising challenges include the still-rebounding economy and competition from other charitable organizations and family destinations;Maintaining pace with externally-driven timelines (including our 24-month,$1.5 million challenge grant);Potential audience fatigue with current exhibit/offerings,even as we need to build public engagement in preparation to create a deeply community-centered and regionally rooted museum. CRITICAL. ISSUES The following critical issues were identified by Kidzu's team as the most urgent to address: 1. Facility/Exhibits/Educational Plans:A much larger facility with dynamic indoor and outdoor learning environments and a much broader set of exhibits is needed to fully serve Kidzu's ultimate target age range. Kidzu's current facility is not capable of fully meeting the needs of children and families in this region,nor is it large enough to allow Kidzu to fulfill its vision for educational innovation. A larger facility with more diverse exhibits,greater attendance capacity,a broader array of educational services, and a wider range of revenue sources is necessary to ensure long-term financial sustainability(see below). 2. Fundraisine/Financial Sustainability:Kidzu Children's Museum needs to continue to expand its fundraising capacity to raise the remaining funds required for this project. Enhancements are required in the organization and training of the fundraising team,as well as an expansion of infrastructure to support fundraising efforts.Attention must also be devoted to ensure the sustainability of the current museum and to plan for the long-term sustainability of the new facility. 3. Team: The board,staff,and volunteer corps of the museum need to be expanded to manage the growing workload for this project and to more fully reflect the diversity of Kidzu's community and region. 4. Community Engagement:To fulfill our vision for a deeply community-centered,regionally-rooted children's museum,we must reach beyond our current audience and supporters and continue expanding awareness and engagement throughout Kidzu's region,including with expert advisors,partner organizations,diverse families and children,and the broader public. 9