Do Zoos, Aquariums and Museums Donate Passes to Fundraisers?

Yes. Many zoos, aquariums, museums and public gardens donate admission passes to fundraisers, and they are among the most dependable asks a school or nonprofit can make. The donation is usually small and fixed — two to four general admission passes — and it almost always goes to groups in the attraction's own region. The details differ more than you might expect: who qualifies, which events count, how far ahead to ask, and whether the request goes by online form, email, mail or fax.

This guide is part of our fundraiser donation answers library. Every attraction below links to its page in our donor directory, which records what its own donation page says. For theme parks and activity centers, see theme parks and attractions that donate.

What each program gives

Zoos and aquariums

The Sacramento Zoo has one of the clearest programs in our directory. It gives four general admission passes to nonprofits in California within 120 miles, with expiration dates at least one year beyond your fundraiser. Request online at least 30 days ahead — late requests are rejected automatically — with your 9-digit Tax ID. The Zoo reviews every request within two weeks and emails you whether or not it is approved.

The Indianapolis Zoo serves Indiana nonprofits running fundraising activities, with priority for groups that support Indiana families and animal conservation. It needs your request three months before the event, and it will not consider requests submitted after the first of the month before your event. It does not give for appreciation awards, door prizes, post-prom gifts or monetary requests, and each organization can receive one donation per calendar year.

The Long Island Aquarium considers requests from organizations fundraising for schools or animal organizations. Send a letter on your letterhead by fax or mail — emailed requests are not accepted — and give a school or organization address, because the donation will not be sent to a home address. Approved requests are filled within two weeks.

Not every aquarium publishes a route. We found no current program for Newport Aquarium at our last check, so look on its own website before you write.

Museums

The Intrepid Museum in New York donates General Admission for up to four guests, valid for one year. Use its online form at least 8 weeks before your event, with a request letter on letterhead. It cannot donate to the same organization within 18 months, sends a voucher by email if your request is fulfilled, and asks you not to call or email about status.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gives two complimentary general admissions to nonprofit and community organizations. It reviews requests only through its online form during open submission windows, at least 8 weeks ahead, one request per year. It gives special consideration to educational, arts, music and community organizations serving youth in Northeast Ohio, and it cannot support family reunions, athletic booster clubs and teams, or employee recognition programs.

The California State Railroad Museum Foundation donates four Excursion Train Ride passes for auctions and raffles. Eligible groups are preschools, kindergartens, elementary schools and their PTAs; middle and high schools in the greater Sacramento area; and California nonprofits focused on arts, culture, history or education. Email a request letter at least 30 days ahead. The passes cannot be resold, and the Foundation asks that you not send a receipt.

Museums can also stop donating. The California Museum in Sacramento now says on its FAQ page that it does not provide cash, guest passes or merchandise for fundraisers. That is why it pays to read the current page rather than last year's notes.

Children's museums and gardens

Children's museums tend to favor younger audiences, and some say so in their rules. The Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center donates four admission passes to local nonprofits, preschools and elementary schools holding a raffle or auction, but not to middle schools, high schools or out-of-state organizations. Requests go through its online form at least two months ahead; phone, email and mail requests are not accepted.

Kidzeum of Health and Science in Springfield, Illinois, supports groups raising money for a specific charitable cause, especially those with scientific, health, educational or environmental missions. Request at least six weeks ahead, and plan who will collect the donation, because approved items are picked up at Kidzeum rather than mailed.

Hands-on House, the Children's Museum of Lancaster, takes formal requests by mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope, or in person. Do not leave out the envelope: the museum says it cannot reply to mailed requests sent without one.

Hershey Gardens donates four adult admission passes to approved 501(c)(3) fundraisers, with Central Pennsylvania organizations that share an educational mission as the top candidates. Email your request on letterhead four to six weeks before you need it.

Read the exclusions before you ask

Three rules from the programs above trip up more requests than any other:

• Event type. The Indianapolis Zoo will not give for door prizes or post-prom gifts, and Fort Bend considers only raffles and auctions. If your event is a post-prom night, see post-prom prize donations for companies that fit.
• Grade level. Fort Bend excludes middle and high schools, and the Railroad Museum Foundation limits middle and high schools to the greater Sacramento area.
• Frequency. Most of these programs allow one donation per organization a year, and the Intrepid allows one in 18 months. If a classroom, a booster club and the PTA all ask under one tax ID, the first request may use up the year.

Making passes work on the prize table

A pair of passes on its own is a modest prize. Two or three from different attractions, grouped with a theme, make a stronger raffle basket or a family-day auction lot. Our raffle basket ideas show how organizers group items by theme, and the school and PTA donation request kit covers the paperwork schools usually need. Check each pass's expiration date before you print the catalog, and list it beside the item.