The Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund

As a research institution of excellence, the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle enjoys the expertise of internationally renowned scientists, notably in the realm of biodiversity.

With close to 600 researchers and 40 learned societies that cover nearly two dozen disciplines, the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle is positioned as a reference for scientific institutions, notably in the area of biodiversity.

The Muséum's three scientific departments - Origines et Évolution, Adaptation du Vivant, Homme et Environnement – depend on their research units to produce knowledge about the history of the Earth, life, humanity and societies and to disseminate that information to the public. These departments cover a vast range of research fields, in particular linked to biodiversity, and enjoy an excellent reputation at the national and international levels. The Muséum for the Planet Endowment Fund provides long-term support for this primary activity of the institution.

The Muséum for the Planet endowment fund is committed to supporting the Muséum’s certified investigations in order to enrich our knowledge of living things for future generations. These investigations are characterized by the diversity of fields represented and by their scientific quality, as well as their strict compliance to international law. They allow us to better understand biodiversity so that we can follow its evolution and protect it.

The Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund also aims to support scientific programs to protect animal biodiversity in their natural habitat as well as in the Muséum’s three zoological parks, to preserve the genetic diversity of species and help the institution transmit a sustainable ecosystem to future generations.

With its 13 sites, the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle is responsible for a significant unique historical and natural heritage that must be preserved and enhanced.

The Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle has its historic center in the Jardin des Plantes, and encompasses 13 sites in Paris, the Paris region, and the other regions of France. This diversity includes 5 Museums, that boast 4 historic galleries, 5 botanical gardens and 3 zoological parks, a marine aquarium, and several research centers. All of these buildings and landscapes need to be cared for and restored to ensure the preservation of this unique heritage. 

The Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund is committed to preserving and ensuring the continuation of the Muséum’s gardens by financing their enhancement, restoration or development. This support concerns not only the Jardin des Plantes, but also the the Versailles-Chèvreloup Arboretum, the Val Rahmeh-Menton botanical gardens and the Jardin de l’Harmas Jean-Henri-Fabre.

The Endowment fund also ambitions to support the restoration of the buildings that make up the Muséum site for the long term, in particular those in the Jardin des Plantes, to ensure the long-term conservation of this historic site. This unique heritage consists of the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution (Grand Gallery of Evolution), the Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie (Gallery of Geology and Mineralogy), the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée (Gallery of Paleontology and Compared Anatomy), the Galerie de Botanique (Botanic Gallery), the Hôtel de Magny, as well as the historic buildings of the Ménagerie that are in need of renovations to ensure their conservation. These structures contribute to the Muséum’s actions in favor of conservation and knowledge sharing.

The Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle conserves, enriches, enhances and makes accessible to the public one of the three largest natural history collections in the world.

Heir to 400 years of history and scientific studies, the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle shares with the widest possible public its historic records in the natural sciences and raises awareness of the issues involved in preserving the living environment on our planet through its vast collections.

The Muséum possesses a collection that is unique both in its diversity and its sheer size. 67 million specimens are on display in the galleries or stored in the repositories. They have an immense historic value, and also significant scientific interest as they are often used as references for researchers. The Muséum also maintains the treasures of one the world’s richest natural history libraries and art objects, including a famous collection of vellum. These collections are regularly enriched by the permanent study of biodiversity, in particular that carried out by the Muséum’s scientific teams, and the technological progress that promotes the introduction of new types of collections.

These important collections must regularly be restored, enhanced, and made accessible to the public for study. For this purpose, the Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund aims to support the restoration of specimens, objects, and exhibition spaces for the long term in order to ensure their proper conservation and offer visitors the best conditions to discover these collections.

The Endowment fund further aims to contribute to the Muséum’s acquisition policy.

Finally, the Endowment fund ambitions to assist the Muséum with its projects intended to facilitate the study of its extraordinary collections by scientists from around the world by funding the work of digitizing and computerizing them in order to make them freely accessible over the Internet.

Knowledge sharing and raising awareness about biodiversity are major activities at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.

Since its creation, one of the Muséum’s vocations has been to share naturalist understanding with the public. Today, it plays a key role: making science appealing and accessible to all and raising awareness of nature’s fragility and the need to preserve it in order to guarantee a future for humanity. The Muséum works to make knowledge about nature available to all through conferences, workshops, video projections, debates, exhibitions and participatory science programs.

In this context, the Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund has set itself the goal to supporting the deployment of initiatives aimed at the most disadvantaged members of the public, who are unable to visit or located too far away from scientific culture spaces, notably in healthcare facilities or incarcerated, or in isolated territories. The Endowment Fund supports the development of tools to diffuse knowledge such as exhibitions in innovative formats, created as backdrops for exchange and discussion in the framework of outreach programs.

The Muséum for the Planet Endowment Fund aims to support educational activities in schools, in particular through Vigie-Nature Ecole, a participatory science program designed for students in primary and secondary school. This project raises consciousness among these young citizens regarding the observation and preservation of biodiversity, while providing a large body of data to the Muséum scientists to further their work.

The Muséum for the Planet Endowment fund is proud to thank its patrons and sponsors for their generous support, and in particular:

• Caisse d’Épargne d’Île-de-France
• Citeo
• Citizen Capital
• Fondation BNP Paribas
• Fondation ENGIE
• Fondation PONANT
• Fondation Veolia
• Fonds de dotation JOM
• Hermès
• Hy24
• IDEX
• Kinoshita Group
• La Financière de l'Échiquier (LFDE)
• Pernod Ricard
• Van Cleef & Arpels