Skip to main content

## Search

My Visit

Donate

Smithsonian Institution

## Site Navigation

- Visit   - Hours and Locations
  - Entry and Guidelines
  - Maps and Floor Plans
  - Dining and Shopping
  - Accessibility
  - Visiting with Kids
  - Group Visits     - Group Sales
- What's On   - Exhibitions     - Current
    - Upcoming
    - Past
  - Today's Events
  - Online Events
  - All Events
  - IMAX & Planetarium
- Explore   - Art & Design
  - History & Culture
  - Science & Nature
  - Collections     - Open Access
  - Research Resources     - Libraries
    - Archives       - Smithsonian Institution Archives
      - Air and Space Museum
      - Anacostia Community Museum
      - American Art Museum
      - Archives of American Art
      - Archives of American Gardens
      - American History Museum
      - American Indian Museum
      - Asian Art Museum Archives
      - Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
      - Hirshhorn Archive
      - National Anthropological Archives
      - National Portrait Gallery
      - Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
      - Libraries' Special Collections
  - Podcasts
  - Mobile Apps
- Learn   - For Caregivers
  - For Educators     - Art & Design Resources
    - Science & Nature Resources
    - Social Studies & Civics Resources
    - Professional Development
    - Events for Educators
    - Field Trips
  - For Students
  - For Academics
  - For Lifelong Learners
- Get Involved   - Volunteer     - Behind-the-Scenes
    - Digital Volunteers
    - Smithsonian Call Center
    - Visitor Information Specialist
    - Docent Programs
  - Citizen Science
  - Work with Us     - Office of Human Resources       - Working Here
      - Employee Benefits
      - How to Apply
      - Job Opportunities
      - Job Seekers with Disabilities
      - Frequently Asked Questions
      - SI Civil Program
      - Contact Us
    - Affiliations
    - Global Partners
- Support   - About Membership
  - Become a Member
  - Renew Your Membership
  - Make a Gift
- About   - Museums and Zoo
  - Research Centers
  - Cultural Centers
  - Education
  - Our Organization     - Leadership       - Secretary Bunch
      - Advancement
      - Communications
      - Administration
      - Education
      - Museums and Culture
      - Science and Research
    - Board of Regents       - Members
      - Committees
      - Reading Room
      - Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
      - Contact
      - Schedules and Agendas
      - Meeting Minutes
      - Actions
      - Webcasts
    - General Counsel       - Legal History
      - Internships
      - Records Requests         - Reading Room
      - Tort Claim
      - Subpoenas & Testimonies
      - Events
    - Equal Employment Office       - EEO Complaint Process
      - Individuals with Disabilities
      - Special Emphasis Program
      - Supplier Diversity Program         - Doing Business with Us
        - Policies and Procedures
        - Additional Resources
    - Sponsored Projects       - Policies         - Animal Care and Use
        - Human Research
      - Reports
      - Internships
  - Reports and Plans     - Annual Reports
    - Metrics Dashboard       - Dashboard Home
      - Virtual Smithsonian
      - Public Engagement
      - National Collections
      - Research
      - People & Operations
      - One Smithsonian
    - Strategic Plan
  - Newsdesk     - News Releases
    - Media Contacts
    - Photos and Video
    - Media Kits
    - Fact Sheets
    - Visitor Stats
    - Secretary and Admin Bios
    - Filming Requests

# People & Operations

              - Dashboard Home
              - Virtual Smithsonian
              - Public Engagement
              - National Collections
              - Research
              - People & Operations
              - One Smithsonian

Established in 1846, the Smithsonian is a trust instrumentality of the United States. Just under two-thirds of its annual budget, supporting day-to-day operations and physical infrastructure, is funded through Federal government appropriations. The rest comes from private funds such as gifts, grants, research contracts, and business operations revenues. Smithsonian assets include a talented workforce of diverse employees, volunteers, interns, and fellows and an extraordinary portfolio of facilities in Washington D.C. and beyond.  
            - Employees
            - Volunteers
            - Supplier Diversity
            - Facilities
            - Sustainability
            - Finance

## Employees

6,229Total Federal and Trust Employeesas of September 23, 2023

378Total Panamanian Employeesas of September 23, 2023

79%Favorable Employee Satisfaction ScoreFiscal Year 2023            Percent of employees who Strongly Agree or Agree with the statement “Overall, I am satisfied with my job” in the annual Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey.        

Slightly less than two thirds of Smithsonian staff are Federal employees. The rest are non-Federal (“Trust”) employees and Panamanian employees working under local labor laws for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. The range of job types is immense: researchers, educators, collections managers, exhibition developers, administrative support staff, facilities and security personnel, and many more. The Smithsonian seeks to attract a creative workforce that is representative of America's diversity, including individuals with disabilities. Employees consistently rank the Smithsonian as one of the "Best Places to Work” among midsize federal agencies. For information about careers at the Smithsonian, visit the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources online.

          Graph Information: A breakdown of employees by the three Human Resources systems for Federal, Trust and Panamanian employees. The data can be filtered by Unit.      

Employee Diversity

Employee Satisfaction

## Volunteers

3,845On-Site VolunteersFiscal Year 2023

12,048New Digital VolunteersFiscal Year 2023            Number of new accounts created on Smithsonian Transcription Center who actively contributed to projects by transcribing and/or reviewing collections and archival materials. This does not represent the total number of digital volunteers active during the reporting period.        

231,289On-Site Volunteer HoursFiscal Year 2023

163,046Pages TranscribedFiscal Year 2023            'Pages' is currently used as shorthand for all transcribe-able assets on Smithsonian Transcription Center, which may include pages of archival material, audio clips, specimen labels, and images of collections objects.        

Thousands of volunteers contribute to the Smithsonian's mission. Onsite volunteers provide information to museum visitors, lead exhibition tours, assist in the care of collections, and contribute to research. Digital volunteers for the Smithsonian Transcription Center work remotely, supporting curators and collections managers by transcribing digitized images of historic documents and records of natural history specimens.  

          Graph Information: Historical trend graph over the past five fiscal years of the total count of on-site volunteers and the average number of on-site volunteer hours.      

Volunteers by Unit

Digital Volunteers

## Supplier Diversity

$774.7MTotal AwardedFiscal Year 2023

$553.7MTotal Federal AwardedFiscal Year 2023

$221.0MTotal Trust AwardedFiscal Year 2023

$193.4MTotal Small Business DollarsFiscal Year 2023

$138.0MFederal Small Business DollarsFiscal Year 2023

$55.5MTrust Small Business DollarsFiscal Year 2023

The Smithsonian values the American entrepreneurial spirit and believes diversity among its suppliers enhances the quality of its programs and services. To serve these values, it sets Procurement Preference Goals that track contract and procurement dollars going to small businesses in six categories, including historically underutilized businesses (see pull-down menu in the graphic at right). In doing so, the Smithsonian helps to build, cultivate, and support the small business community. Learn more about doing business with the Smithsonian here.

          Graph Information: Trend of dollars spent on various types of Small Businesses along with percentages toward pre-defined goals.      

## Facilities

664Facilities OwnedFiscal Year 2023

31Facilities LeasedFiscal Year 2023

12.4MSquare Feet OwnedFiscal Year 2023

1.1MSquare Feet LeasedFiscal Year 2023

The Smithsonian has a wide variety of facilities throughout the United States and Central America. Buildings on and around the National Mall in Washington, D.C. range from 19th Century landmarks such as the Arts and Industries Building, Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, and iconic Smithsonian Castle to state-of-the-art museums constructed in the 21st Century. Scientific facilities include tropical research stations in Panama, an environmental research complex on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, a conservation biology campus in Virginia, and telescope arrays in Arizona and Hawaii. An expert staff manages the Institution’s complex facilities requirements, including care of fragile collections, support for critical scientific research, hosting millions of visitors, and maintaining historic infrastructure. 

          Graph Information: Trend graph showing changes in gross square footage of Smithsonian properties both owned and leased across Fiscal Years.      

Facilities Locations

Building Timeline

## Sustainability

36%Recycling and Composting RateFiscal Year 2023            Percentage of waste diverted to recycling or composting programs        

89,862 MTCO2eGreenhouse Gas EmissionsFiscal Year 2022            Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Emissions (MTCO2e) is an industry standard for measuring carbon emissions        

108,391 BTU/SqFtEnergy Intensity Use (EIU)Fiscal Year 2022            British Thermal Units (BTU) per Square Feet is an industry standard for measuring energy intensity        

29LEED Certified Buildings/Projectsthru Fiscal Year 2023            Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide        

The Smithsonian is committed to environmental preservation and considers sustainable design and operations to be integral parts of its mission. It is on track to meet its goals for greenhouse gas emissions, has steadily improved its recycling and composting rate to divert non-hazardous waste from landfills, and continues to reduce its energy intensity use (EIU) despite the challenge of facilities that operate 24/7. The Institution is also focused on obtaining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for both existing and new facilities. New facilities to receive LEED certification in recent years include the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Gamboa Research Laboratory in Panama and the Smithsonian’s newest museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

          Graph Information: Trend graph over eight years showing the Smithsonian’s recycling and composting rate, or the percentage of non-hazardous waste diverted from landfills.      

Greenhouse Gas Reduction

Energy Intensity

LEED Certification

## Finance

$1.76BOperating BudgetFiscal Year 2023

$1.14BFederal AppropriationsFiscal Year 2023

$612MPrivate (Trust) SourcesFiscal Year 2023

Congress appropriates Federal funds for the Smithsonian in two main categories: Operations and Building Renovation/Construction. Operations funds support Federal staff salaries, rent and utilities, facilities maintenance, collections care, and central administrative services such as security and information technology. Building Renovation/Construction funds support the planning, design, and construction of new facilities and the revitalization of existing physical infrastructure. Private (“Trust”) funds support both capital projects and current operations in areas such as research, exhibitions, and education. These funds include restricted and unrestricted private gifts, payouts from the Institution’s endowment, revenue from grants and contracts, Smithsonian Enterprises business revenues, and memberships. 

          Graph Information: Federal Appropriations include funds for Operations and Building Renovation/Construction. Private Sources include funds from Endowment Payout, Gifts, Business Revenue, and Sponsored Projects Revenue.  Balance Sheet numbers include Endowment Market Value and Outstanding Debt.      

Financial Trends

ODT Smithsonian Organization and Audience Research/OCIO

##       Footer logo      

Link to homepage

###       Footer navigation      

- Contact Us
- Accessibility
- Job Opportunities
- Inspector General
- Records Requests
- EEO & Supplier Diversity
- Shop Online
- Host Your Event
- Press Room
- Privacy
- Terms of Use

###       Social media links      

- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- YouTube

###       Email signup form      

(Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)

Back to Top