Museum of the Earth in Ithaca Faces Possible Foreclosure, But There’s Still Hope

After nearly a century of preserving New York’s natural history, one of the most unique museums in the country is at risk of losing everything inside its walls.

The Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, part of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), has been a staple for classrooms, families, fossil lovers, and science fans for 93 years. It’s one of the largest natural history museums in the U.S. outside of major cities… and yet, it could be forced into foreclosure by the end of the year.

A Small Town Museum With Big City Impact

PRI doesn’t just showcase dinosaurs and ancient fossils, it tells the story of Earth itself, with a special focus on the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the unique geology that makes our region unlike anywhere else.

There isn’t another museum between New York City and Buffalo that offers this level of hands-on, fossils-in-your-hand science.

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And if you’ve ever taken your kids, you know the magic:
At most museums, kids get yelled at for touching the displays.
At PRI?
Kids get to take home a real fossil. Every. Single. Time.

What’s at Stake

PRI has until December 31 to raise $1 million to pay off its mortgage, or the museum may enter foreclosure. If that happens, the priceless fossil collections would be split up and shipped to institutions across the country, meaning most of these treasures would leave New York State entirely.

PRI serves 30,000 visitors in person each year and over one million online, making science accessible far beyond Ithaca.

The Good News: The Community Is Fighting Back

As of September 2025, PRI has raised $1,050,000 toward retiring the Museum’s mortgage. On top of that, a $1 million matching challenge has been pledged.
That means, every dollar donated between now and Dec. 31 is matched 1:1.

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PRI still needs to reach a $3.2 million goal to fully secure the museum’s future.

On top of that, PRI raised more than $600,000 last year in unrestricted operating funds to keep programs running, like summer fossil-collecting trips, Gorge Walks, and their wildly popular hands-on exhibits. Attendance is nearly double what it was last year, and they’ve opened a brand-new temporary exhibit funded by the National Science Foundation and Tompkins Tourism.

Why Saving This Museum Matters

This isn’t just another tourist attraction.

It’s the only collections-based natural history museum of its kind for hundreds of miles, teaching kids, families, and visitors how the Earth formed, what lived here millions of years before we did, and how our region came to be.

PRI staff even take their research nationwide, presenting at major conferences like the Geological Society of America and sharing New York’s natural history with the world.

If you want to help keep fossils, bones, and New York’s natural history right here where they belong, you can donate here.