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Invest In Our Future

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is home to the maritime story of the West Coast and beyond with one of the most extensive collections of historic ships in the world. Donations & Membership help to tell the maritime story and to preserve these ships.

Support the Maritime Museum of San Diego: Many Ways to Give

Your generous donations help preserve the rich maritime heritage we share with the community. Choose the giving option that works best for you:

Unrestricted Donations
These gifts provide the greatest flexibility, allowing us to address the Museum’s most pressing needs and support day-to-day operations.

Unrestricted Donations

Restricted Donations
Prefer to support a specific ship or project? Restricted donations ensure your gift is directed to the area you care about most.

Restricted Donations

Planned Giving
Leave a lasting legacy while enjoying potential tax benefits. Learn more about how planned giving can support the Museum’s future.

To learn about:

  • Donor Stories
  • Gift Options
  • Personal Planner
  • Washington News

 
Learn More About Planned Giving

If you have any questions about the best way for you to benefit through a planned gift, please call. A member of our Planned Giving Team will be glad to help you. Contact Development at 619-234-9153 x 126

I stepped into this role just six months ago, and what a remarkable six months it has been. Not only is this the greatest site in the city, but I am privileged to work with extraordinary people. From my first day, I’ve been inspired by the passion and dedication of our staff and volunteers, and the deep love our community holds for our ships and the maritime stories they represent. I’ve had the privilege of listening and learning from so many of you and have begun shaping a vision that builds upon our strong foundation while steering us toward a bold, sustainable, and inclusive future.

Imagine what a maritime museum can be for the next generation in San Diego, where communities connect to their larger global ocean heritage, where maritime maintains and builds its relevance in history, art, science, industry, security, exploration, culture, play, and spirit. Just imagine!

My overarching vision is to bring the Maritime Museum of San Diego into the 21st century through new content and community engagement, robust visiting vessel programs, partnerships with Blue Economy leaders, expanded education and workforce development initiatives, and a dedicated focus on marine science and ocean sustainability. It is imperative to expand our current visitor experiences and get more people on the water, be it on a static vessel such as the Berkeley or casting off the lines of the Californian for a first-time adventure on the bay and beyond.

To help catalyze this re-imagined museum, the Conrad Prebys Foundation has generously awarded us a matching grant as part of a broader commitment to civic revitalization—an investment designed to strengthen arts and culture institutions that provide affordable, accessible venues for the region. We are excited and grateful for their investment in the Museum’s future.

As we look to this bright future, we are shoring up our infrastructure, from building staff capacity and invigorating community engagement to the pressing needs and maintenance of our existing fleet and master site planning to realize our future goals. These developments are essential to our success in the coming year. An additional $250,000 match to the generous gift from Prebys will significantly help us meet the following challenges in 2025:

  • Filling three essential new positions: Events Manager, Grant Writer, and Development Director
  • Dry docking, inspection, and maintenance of the San Salvador and Californian
  • Replacing the deck on the Star of India to prepare for her next sail!
  • Enhancing visitor experience with public art projects, entrance upgrades, new seating on the barge and decks, and multi-lingual audio guide technology
  • Expanding our slate of education programs to align with new priorities

I ask for your support today in matching this grant.
Thank you for investing in this remarkable Museum, its mission—and its future.

With gratitude,

Christina Connett Brophy, PhD President & CEO Maritime Museum of San Diego Standing port side of Star of India

Christina Connett Brophy, PhD

President & CEO
Maritime Museum of San Diego

One of the best gifts we are given as educators is learning how the students we have worked with on our Living History programs have grown in the time since we worked with them. Learning that the shy, reserved kid who came to us has gone forth to become the leader of their youth ministry, the president of the student council, or the lead actress in a professional stage production. And when we further discover that it was our work with them that unlocked that potential, that gave them the confidence and opportunity to be their fullest selves?

Those are our proudest moments, to have had the honor and privilege of being an important, positive factor in our students’ lives.

– John Walsh, MMSD Educator

Every gift makes a difference. Whether large or small, your contributions combine to fuel our mission. Join us at any level and become part of this extraordinary journey!

Make a 100% tax-deductible investment to the Maritime Museum’s mission of preserving our history and you are investing in your communities future.

Or send your donation to:
Maritime Museum of San Diego
1492 N Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101