The City of Palm Desert approves $150K in for the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert’s reopening

The City of Palm Desert unanimously approved funding in the amount of $150,000 for The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert (CDMoD)’s reIMAGINATION campaign. 

The CDMoD has been closed since March of 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Before the museum had to shut its doors, the majority of its income came from ticket, membership, and gift sales. With no incoming revenue, CDMoD representatives said they had to lay off staff members and stop operations.

Mayor Pro Tem, Sabby Jonathan, said that his support for the reIMAGINATION funding campaign is an effort to restore the museum as a “wonderful and important resource” for children in the community. 

 “They were concerned about the next dollar for operating expenses the next day. It was that dire,” Jonathan said. “I believe that what is happening now is a rebirth, a reimagination of a very important resource and as a city we have to contribute to the potential for their success in pursuing this goal.”

Since starting the reIMAGINATION campaign, the CDMoD has surpassed its initial goal of raising $3 million for its reopening due to support from the City of Rancho Mirage and the City of Palm Desert in addition to grants and donations from community members. 

The City of Palm Desert first provided funding to the museum upon its opening 25 years ago. 

“We are so grateful to the City of Palm Desert for their generous support of the Museum and the families that live in their city. 36% of our visitors come from Palm Desert and this support shows how much the city values the Museum and realizes the impact it has on the children of Palm Desert and our Valley. Cindy Burreson, CEO CDMoD. 

For more information, visit https://cdmod.org/.