Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, PA, is the oldest natural history museum in the U.S.. Besides a museum, its building houses extensive curated collections of animal, plant and mineral specimens, and also an environmental science research institute. The Academy was founded in 1812 and has been continuously open to the public since 1832. Around Philadelphia, the Academy building on 19th Street (dating from 1876) is known as "the dinosaur museum". It is located Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Logan Square, in the museum district. The Academy's extensive specimen collections and historical data are used by scientists world-wide for environmental and historical research. Academy-sponsored expeditions to collect plant, animal and mineral specimens have ranged from the Arctic to Central America, Africa and Asia. Field work for environmental research is mostly concentrates around the wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams and ponds of North America. Environmental research also sometimes contributes specimens to the curated collections.

Governance and Management

The Academy is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees and since 2013(?) has been affiliated with Drexel University. Management of the Academy has long been complicated because, by the mid twentieth century, the Academy had evolved to consist of three distinct parts with different funding models:

1. a natural history museum open to the public
2. extensive collections (curated specimens of animals, plants, and minerals)
3. an environmental research institute capable of studying all levels of the food chain in wetlands (founded 1948)

Historically, there was struggle over scarce funding among the three major areas. Collections and research not only fought with each other for funding, but both were taxed to keep the museum financially viable and open. Around 2015(?), the specimen collections and environmental research institute were moved into a single organizational branch. The funding brought in for the specimens and research branch is still taxed to help fund the museum, but they also still benefit from shared use of the building and facilities and co-location with the museum.