A second source of income will come from the museum itself, which will rent its facilities for corporate and government activities. The Great Hall, which opens through the imposing stained glass doors into the sculpture garden, can seat up to 400 people and will be available for banquets and cocktail parties. The museum also is renting space to Pikayo, chef Wilo Benet's restaurant, which will soon open its doors to the public at its new location. And sponsors can see their names up in lights at one of the 17 exhibition galleries of the five-floor museum. Other corporate friends include Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, which sponsors the 400-seat theater, and Doral Financial.
Members receive such perks as unlimited visits and discounts at the store, among others.
Last month, up to 20,000 visited the museum, but as August came along and kids went back to school, attendance dropped to about 5,000 for the first two weeks. The projection is that with visiting international and local exhibits, and with adequate promotion and integration into the community, the museum will generate about 200,000 visitors a year. And we're contacting corporate sponsors so they can pay for disadvantaged communities and cover the entrance fees of 10,000 to 20,000 families and their children. The last leg of the fundraising effort, which is still in the design phase, is the creation of an endowment fund. Endowment funds, Ruiz de Fischler said, are fed by donations from family estates and corporations.