After Kickstarter Announced to Save Dorothy’s Red Slippers, Norton Pushes Her Bill to Enhance Smithsonian’s Fundraising Capabilities

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said evidence of the urgency of her bill to strengthen both the Smithsonian Institution’s fundraising capacity and governance is clear from the Smithsonian’s launch today of a crowdfunding campaign to raise $300,000 to preserve and display Dorothy's ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” in the National Museum of American History. Although Norton supports the Smithsonian’s creative efforts to continue showcasing the iconic shoes, she said the Smithsonian should not have to rely on targeted online crowdfunding campaigns to display its world-class artifacts. Instead, the Smithsonian should have a governance structure that facilitates much-needed fundraising to build a solid endowment, as proposed in her bill, the Smithsonian Modernization Act (H.R. 3169). Federal funding accounts for about 70 percent of the Smithsonian’s expenses and is generally used for capital projects and operations, not for preserving priceless artifacts like Dorothy’s slippers.

“The Smithsonian Institution holds and displays some of the nation’s most precious treasures, bringing pride to the American people when they come to the nation’s capital to visit the Smithsonian’s world-class museums,” Norton said. “It has long been clear that federal funding alone cannot cover the Smithsonian’s unique expenses, especially now when the sequester has meant limited funding increases for several years. What our unique Smithsonian Institution needs is a philanthropic Board of Regents to tap funds waiting to be raised, not the occasional crowdsourcing campaign, however commendable and creative. The Board of Regents is top heavy, burdened with federal officials whose positions bar the level of solicitation and fundraising needed and elected officials preoccupied with raising funds for their own elections.”

Norton’s bill makes changes to the Smithsonian's governance structure by expanding and changing the current 17-member composition of its Board of Regents, which includes public officials—six Members of Congress, the Vice President of the United States, and the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and nine private citizens. Norton’s bill brings the board to 21 members, comprised solely of private citizens. The bill would, however, preserve and strengthen the public interest in the Smithsonian’s governance by maintaining the traditional role of the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and President of the United States in selecting members of the Board. Unlike officials such as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, private citizens are fully able to reach out to the public and philanthropists for fundraising.