It’s no surprise that many of the places that we hold dear were affected by the pandemic. When you shut things down but still have rent or vendors to pay, it can put a kink in anyone’s plans. Just take a look at some places in the United States that were either forced to shut down completely or close a significant number of stores. Well, the Ghibli Museum almost suffered that same fate. Thankfully however they were able to raise a large sum of money that would not only keep the museum running, but also be able to add new experiences for future guests.
The museum was looking to repair the building and raise money to do so. Within a day of putting their cause up for crowdfunding they had not only achieved their goal but exceeded the amount they asked for. They left a note on the crowdfunding page thanking patrons for their donations.
Mayor of Mitaka, Takashi Kawamura, offered this statement about the success:
Mitaka thank(s) you for your many donations to support the operation of the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka utilizes the hometown tax payment of Mitaka City. We achieved the initial target amount within one day from the opening of the site. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who made a donation.
　On the other hand, the spread of the new coronavirus infection has had a major impact, and since the reserve fund for large-scale repairs for the future of the museum has been largely withdrawn, the initially set target amount has been achieved, but donations (will continue to be) accepted. We hope that many of you will support the Ghibli Museum.
We look forward to your continued support of the Ghibli Museum.
There is still time to donate because the window is from July 15, 2021 to January 31, 2022. Within that time if you donate more than 5,000 yen they say that they will send you a thank you card. There are no other incentives but it would be really cool to have a thank you card from the Ghibli Museum.
Check out their crowdfunding page here.
