As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Museum relies on donations to augment our fundraising efforts.
Donations are an active way for individuals and corporations to provide important support to specific activities, events, initiatives, and attractions.
This financial support enables the Museum to fulfill its mission. All donations are placed in an unrestricted fund to help 'Keep 'em Flying' and preserve aviation history for future generations.
For more information on donations and ways to give, please contact Liz Esparza at liz.esparza@planesoffame.org or call (909) 597-3722, ext. 120
Working with Paypal, we’ve created a simple way to donate any amount you choose. Simply enter the amount you wish to donate, whether you want your donation to charge each month, and your method of payment. Funds donated through this option go directly into the Museum’s general fund.
The Museum has registered with the following online and mobile charitable giving and shopping applications. Utilizing these applications lets you transform your everyday shopping, dining, and travel activities into charitable donations to support the Museum’s day-to-day operations.
These giving apps offer a percentage to Planes of Fame for every purchase made at participating retailers, restaurants, and online retailers. In each case, as a qualifying, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Planes of Fame Air Museum receives a small percentage from each transaction as a donation just by you doing your everyday shopping.
There is no cost to participate, you simply sign-up and designate Planes of Fame as the recipient of your charitable giving, and then make your purchases through their online or mobile application.
Make your financial donations to Planes of Fame Air Museum go even farther by checking with your employer to see if they offer a Matching Gift. Typically, for every dollar you give, your employer will match your gift dollar-to-dollar, doubling your contribution!
This has been a source of funds for the Museum over the years. Many of our supporters have helped the Museum through Matching Gift programs. Companies such as Allstate, Amgen, Boeing, Chevron, Deutsche Bank, Emerson Electric, IBM, Microsoft, New York Life, Motorola, Structural Integrity Associates, Time Warner, and Anthem Associates have matched their employee contributions to the Museum.
Many firms also have programs designed to encourage volunteerism in the community by providing Volunteer Grants or “Dollars for Doers” programs. If you volunteer at the Planes of Fame Air Museum, your employer may make a gift to the Museum in recognition of your volunteer work here.
Typically, these programs are based upon the number of hours you volunteer. Our Volunteer Coordinator will be happy to give you a report on your annual hours volunteered at Planes of Fame that you can submit to your employer to see if you qualify.
We encourage you to check with your company’s Human Resources or Finance department to see if they have a Matching Gift or Volunteer Grant program in place where you work.
Sponsorships are our primary means of funding our annual events and programs. Sponsorships can take many forms – from direct financial support to in-kind donations of goods and services.
Sponsorships enable the Museum to produce and deliver beneficial activities in line with our mission. In exchange, sponsors receive recognition opportunities that can help increase awareness, help build a brand, and link the sponsor to the rewards of each Museum initiative.
For more information on donations and ways to give, please contact Liz Esparza at liz.esparza@planesoffame.org or call (909) 597-3722, ext. 120
Here are the events and programs that provide sponsorship opportunities:
The Air Show is the largest single event presented by the Museum. Traditionally held the first weekend in May, it reaches nearly 40,000 spectators. It is an event that brings the four cornerstones of our mission – preservation, inspiration, education, and honor – together in one action-packed weekend. The Airshow is sponsor-dependent, and a wide range of sponsorship opportunities are available, from Title and Presenting Sponsorships to specific components within the Airshow.
The Taste of Flight Gala is the primary fundraiser for the Educational initiatives of the Museum. The evening, typically held in the fall, combines a fun and enticing format of wine, beer, spirit and delectable food samplings with a wonderful silent auction. Capping off the gala is the annual presentation of the prestigious Achievement in Aviation award. This annual recognition is presented to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the field of aviation. Sponsors enjoy promotional recognition leading up to and during the Gala as well as tickets to the evening’s festivities.
Held the first Tuesday of each month, the Kilroy Coffee Klatch is open exclusively to members (past and present) of our nation’s armed services. The Museum opens its doors for refreshments and treats for the vets, who use the monthly event as a chance to swap stories and interact with fellow veterans. A special Museum presentation from our “Rare Birds” series caps each month’s program. Financial and In-Kind Sponsorships are available. Sponsors receive name recognition to this veteran-specific event. Current sponsors include US Bank and Starbucks.
The Ed Maloney College Scholarship, named in honor of the Planes of Fame Air Museum’s founder, is currently available to High School seniors at five local area High Schools, helps fulfill Ed’s legacy of wanting to engage young people in the joy of learning. An aviation-themed essay contest determines ten recipients, who receive funds to help defray their higher education costs. Sponsors receive name affiliation with the scholarship.
Our Hangar Talk/Flying Demo events are held the first Saturday of each month. On several mid-month occasions, we present our Special Program Events. Visitors to these events learn about a specific aircraft, key actions, or dynamic personalities from aviation’s vast history. An exhibition flight over the Museum features an aircraft from the Museum’s collection at many of these events. Sponsors receive website and promotional consideration at each event.
This aviation-themed Student Art Contest is open to all students in grades one through six. Each year the contest attracts hundreds of entries and prizes are awarded in three categories for First, Second, and Third Place finishers. Sponsors enjoy promotional recognition throughout the contest as well as special recognition at the annual Taste of Flight Gala, where judging of finalists takes place.
Each year, thousands of students from San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties visit the Museum for a special program designed to inspire and educate. The average cost for a school bus rental for these schools is $400 to $500.
Sponsorships of our School Bus Scholarship program allows the Museum to financially assist schools in their transportation needs. Sponsors receive website and promotional recognition.
Since its founding, the Planes of Fame Air Museum has focused its efforts on the preservation of historic aircraft through the restoration of these aircraft to static and flying condition.
These activities now extend to other artifacts including books, photographs, films, scale models, and personal mementos and memorabilia.
Today, Planes of Fame Air Museum proudly serves as one of the premier institutions for aircraft restoration and the preservation of aviation-related materials.
For more information on donations and ways to give, please contact Liz Esparza at liz.esparza@planesoffame.org or call (909) 597-3722, ext. 120
Financial support is essential to continuing these efforts.
HISPANO HA-1112-M1L RESTORATION
The Museum’s M4A1 tank is one of the few operational Sherman tanks on the west coast. Currently, the Sherman travels upon her original steel combat track. These have proven extremely harmful to asphalt and concrete surfaces and makes the tank more difficult to transport. The purchase and installation of a rubber track will enable the Museum to expand the utilization of the tank, including participation in parades, displays at public gatherings, and other fundraising efforts. Financial contributions are designed to purchase and ship the rubber track from a European source. Museum volunteers will install the rubber track.
Project Scope: Purchase and install rubber track for M4A1 tank
Estimated Budget to Complete: $20,000
Financial contributions to the Research Library help the Museum to continue to add to the collection of books, magazines, photographs. Monies dedicated to the Research Library also supports the continued preservation of archived materials including historical documents, aircraft manuals, and other items. Supplies are needed ranging from additional shelving, study carrels, and search tools. Naming rights to the Research Library are available.
Financial support of the Model Room helps to preserve the vast collection of scale aircraft models and kits for future posterity. An important part of aviation history, scale modeling of aircraft serves as a learning tool for the design and evolution of aircraft over time. It allows us to understand and appreciate aircraft that no longer exist. The Museum’s extensive collection of over 5,000 models is in the process of being fully cataloged and inventoried. Financial contributions will assist with facility improvements, storage expansion, and equipment to better catalogue, store, repair, and preserve the collection. Naming rights to the Model Room are available.
A new generation of displays are underway at the Museum. Each display will tell an important story in aviation history. Financial contributions support incorporation of high quality full color graphics, low-cost LED lighting, and improved interactivity. Donors may sponsor a display in full ($1,000) or in part ($250 or $500). A brass plaque will provide donor recognition at each display.
The Museum has been upgrading the graphics that support each aircraft. These rugged, full color panels measure 18-inches by 24-inches and provide extensive detail on the aircraft type and the personal history of the Museum’s aircraft. These panels are mounted on sturdy portable stands. Donors may sponsor a graphic for $500 and receive a brass plaque name recognition on the display stand.
A number of special areas grace the Planes of Fame Air Museum campus. These allow for the presentation of the Museum collections and provide unique learning opportunities.
Financial support is essential to helping us present these areas to the public.
For more information on donations and ways to give, please contact Liz Esparza at liz.esparza@planesoffame.org or call (909) 597-3722, ext. 120
The Museum recently upgraded the lighting within the Maloney hangar at the Chino location to high lumen LED fixtures and lamps. The results have been extremely positive and the Museum now desires to perform the same lighting upgrades for all six remaining hangars. The improved lighting produces a truer color for each aircraft on display and allows for ease of viewing of displays and graphics. Donations will be applied to the purchase of lighting equipment and installation and wiring.
Display of the Goodyear donated GZ-20 Gondola that graced several Goodyear Blimps since the 1970s is planned for the Clay Lacy Atrium. Museum guests will learn the story of lighter-than-air craft and the science and engineering behind blimp construction and flight. On select opportunities, guests will be allowed entry into the small gondola, which was retired from service in 2016. A shaded area is also planned as part of the Pavilion which will incorporate picnic style seating. Donations made to this project will allow for construction of a roof structure for shade as well as graphic support of the gondola.
Planes of Fame Air Museum has dedicated 1/3 acre of our Chino campus for a memorial to all Korean veterans. We remember those who served, as well as those who gave their last full measure of devotion during the conflict. The memorial features a North American F-86 Sabre jet circling a downed opponent in a MiG-15. In the center, near a bridged stream, stands a resolute soldier. Graphic panels tell the story of the conflict, with a bench for contemplation. Donations will help create this permanent part of the Museum. To donate to the Memorial, click here. Donor recognition will be incorporated into the design. Another meaningful way to donate to the Korean War Memorial is with Commemorative Bricks & Benches whereby you have a unique opportunity to create a lasting tribute to loved ones. To donate a Commemorative Brick, click here; to donate a Commemorative Bench, click here.
All benefits from the Taste of Flight Gala support the Planes of Fame Air Museum, it's aircraft, and programs which include veteran appreciation, youth education, and scholarships. A portion of this year’s event will go towards the completion of our Korean War Memorial. You may also donate directly to the memorial by using the links provided on this page: https://www.poftasteofflight.org/korean-war-memorial
The Aviation Discovery Center opened the Museum’s Education complex in 2009. The ten displays within the Center serve as important tools to explaining many of the concepts and science behind flight. A planned upgrade will expand the number of displays to over thirty and incorporate advanced technologies for more substantial interactivity and hands-on learning. Special attention to careers within the aviation field will help young people discover potential future opportunities. Donations will allow for an upgrade to the facility with updated graphics, electronic displays, new construction of set pieces within the center, painting, lighting, new exhibits and interactivity. Naming rights to the center are available.
The forty-five seat theater is located in the Education complex of the Museum. It is used for the screening of films and presentations for guests. In addition, training of Museum volunteers takes place within the theater, which is also available for rental to outside groups. Donations to this Museum attraction will provide improved lighting, new projection and presentation equipment, and other upgrades to the facility. Naming rights to the theater are available.
The Museum currently offers a unique and highly visible means to remember loved ones, friends, or others. Funds generated by this initiative help support general Museum activities.
Positioned throughout the Museum campus, these environmentally safe seating areas are the perfect ways to pay tribute to special people, organizations, or to provide an inspirational message. A donation of $1,750 provides up to three lines of text and full attribution of donor on a small brass plaque located on each bench.
For more information on donations and ways to give, please contact Liz Esparza at liz.esparza@planesoffame.org or call (909) 597-3722, ext. 120