Project overview: Fund a project manager position to oversee the preliminary designs and feasibility analysis pre-planning of a multi-story museum and archives collection storage building to prevent irreparable damage to the park’s uniquely valuable collections.

How your support helps: The Yosemite Museum opened its doors to the public 100 years ago, and with a collection of more than 5.5 million objects and archives, it stands as one of the largest and most diverse in the National Park Service (NPS). From fine art, historic records, and Native basketry to natural specimens, archaeological artifacts, and more, the park’s collections shed light on Yosemite’s history and hold immense value for park staff, visitors, visiting researchers, and members of the public. 

To protect a century of collected art and artifacts, the NPS has planned the construction of a comprehensive museum office and storage facility. Once completed, the new museum facility will be large enough to house a majority of the library, museum collection, and archives under one roof, and will provide high-quality storage space for objects and staff offices. The new facility will also act as a hub for other NPS collections, including from Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Pinnacles, and Devil’s Postpile. 

Unfortunately, due to the departure and retirement of key park support staff, the NPS no longer has a project manager to lead the facility planning efforts. This complication could delay the project by a year or more. These delays have the potential to cause irreparable damage to the park’s collections, which are already exceeding current available storage capacity, and the NPS needs our support to safeguard the cultural and natural history of Yosemite. 

This year: In 2026, the National Park Service plans to hire a Project Manager to kick off the project — overseeing permitting and design needs for the new comprehensive museum office and storage facility. The Project Manager’s responsibilities will include overseeing compliance and internal review board clearance, coordinating cost estimates, initiating design efforts, and identifying additional funding opportunities. With support from our donors, this position will ensure that the Yosemite Museum Collection and Yosemite Archives are protected for generations to come.

Project partner: Yosemite National Park


Photo credit: Yosemite Museum