The Science Museum of Minnesota has announced a “comprehensive restructuring” of its operations that will result in a $7 million cut to its budget. According to the Pioneer Press, the museum’s entire equity department will be eliminated as a result of those cuts.
Prior to this change, the museum’s annual operating budget was $38 million. Citing a lack of attendance, reduced government funding, and changes in consumer behavior, the museum said it will be shifting to a $31 million budget.
Roughly $3.1 million of the $7 million in savings will come from eliminating 43 full-time positions at the museum, accounting for 13% of the museum’s workforce. The museum’s CEO told WCCO Radio that the “access and equity” department was shuttered in the process.
In a statement to Alpha News, the Science Museum of Minnesota said “Equity remains central to the museum’s mission and will be integrated across the remaining departments. By consolidating efforts from four distinct divisions into three, much of the way we work together will shift.”
“As part of our commitment to sustainability and growth, we’ve realigned our operations around our primary mission and strongest revenue streams, ensuring our remaining team can effectively deliver the exceptional experiences our visitors expect,” the statement continued.
The museum’s equity department dates back to 2007 and has supported various social justice initiatives and exhibits over the years. Among them, the department supported the “RACE: Are We So Different?” exhibition and oversaw the Design for Racial Justice Mini Grants in 2022.
In a 2022 letter, Joanne Jones-Rizzi, the museum’s vice president of Science, Equity, and Education, said the museum is committed to “dismantling white supremacy culture” and described equity as “essential to our long-term relevance, viability, and mission.”
“Two years ago, George Floyd was brutally murdered in public. Some of you understood the systemic racism inherent within what the world saw. Some of you were outraged about injustice and racism for the first time,” she wrote.
The Science Museum of Minnesota has faced criticism in the past for pushing Pride month and gender ideology in children’s materials.
AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen said the layoffs “are not just the result of recent federal budget cuts — they are the result of persistent financial mismanagement for which no one in museum leadership has been held accountable. This is now the 3rd round of layoffs at the Science Museum since March 2023, with management already threatening more.”
Alison Brown, the president and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota, said the cuts are a part of a nationwide trend.
“We’re not alone in facing these challenges,” said Brown. “Museums nationwide are experiencing unprecedented change, and successful institutions are those who adapt thoughtfully and decisively.”
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
