Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a natural history museum, herbarium, and environmental science research institute in Philadelphia, PA. It was founded in 1812 and has been continuously open to the public since 1832.

Location

In common parlance around Philadelphia, the Academy building is known as "the dinosaur museum". It is located in the museum district of Philadelphia, which is defined on one end by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and on the other end by the Academy which is located at Logan Square. This district also includes the Franklin Institute, the Barnes Foundation, the Moore College of Art and Design, the Rodin Museum and the Parkway Central Library (formerly known as the Philadelphia Public Library?).

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.

The Academy consists of three distinct parts with different funding models: a natural history museum open to the public, specimen collections of animals, plants, and minerals, and an environmental research institute. In 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 taxed to help fund the museam portion of the organization, which has always (and continues to) make it difficult to keep the specimens and research funded.