TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Air and Space Museum is feeling the effects of the pandemic and economy as they had a $300,000 budget shortfall in 2022.
While they did experience that budget shortfall, they aren’t closing. Instead they are calling on the community for help in supporting the nonprofit.
Whether you’ve only been once or many times, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum has been a staple in the community since 1994.
“It’s really cool. I love seeing all the older aircrafts," said Ashley Ribordy who was visiting the museum for the first time. "I’m going to be a [airplane] mechanic eventually so it's really fun getting to see the older ones and then some new stuff that I can learn about and work on eventually.”
There are two main reasons the museum is hurting, the first being the cost of heating two large buildings.
“The cost of natural gas has skyrocketed so all nonprofits right now are very concerned and looking at their project expenses and then looking also at the forecast of income for the year,” Tonya Blansett, executive director of the museum said.
The second being the fact that they are not tax-exempt despite being a 501(C)(3) nonprofit.
Blansett says when they buy items like cleaning products, copy paper, and educational supplies, they are paying sales taxes.
“That’s probably $20,000 to $25,000. So Rep. John Waldron and Sen. Dana Prieto are working together to write the bill and the language that would allow us to be tax exempt which would help us save money and help us be more sustainable,” she said.
This bill is something Blansett says they’ve been working to get passed for three years and she hopes this is the year they finally get that relief.
“It’s really sad to see that they are having some troubles with that. This is important and Tulsa being a hub for aviation, I would like to see this continue to be successful,” Ribordy said.
So how can you help support this museum?
Blansett says you can buy a membership, visit the museum, donate and participate in fundraisers coming up later this year.
The first fundraiser is the 5K runway run on March 25 and registration for it will be opening soon.
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