The Comic-Con Museum accepts $100k donation from The Roddenberry Foundation; will name main lobby in Star Trek creator’s honor

The Roddenberry Foundation and the Comic-Con Museum

FEBRUARY 7, 2021 - The Roddenberry Foundation, the charitable foundation aimed at promoting Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a more equitable future, has donated $100,000 to support the Comic-Con Museum. The Comic-Con Museum is a project from Comic-Con International, the organizers behind the world-famous San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon.

The Foundation announced last week that their donation was accepted by the Museum, and that it will go toward supporting the opening of the Museum’s physical space later this year. The main lobby of the new space will be named in honor of the late Gene Roddenberry, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.

Melissa Peterman, VP of Development for the Comic-Con Museum, said in a statement, “We are incredibly honored to have received this commitment from The Roddenberry Foundation as it affirms our direction in creating innovative spaces that foster and celebrate creativity through comics and popular art forms. [...] We are thrilled that this funding allows us to honor Gene’s vision, which aligns so well with our own mission.”

Rod Roddenberry, Gene’s son and founder of The Roddenberry Foundation, said of the partnership, “The Roddenberry Foundation is very pleased to support the development of the Comic Con Museum in San Diego. [...] We hope to inspire others to recognize the power of popular arts and comics in providing a unifying force to bring together our society and create a better future.”

The Comic-Con Museum is already offering online activities as part of its Comic-Con Museum@Home initiative, and it expects to open the physical location in San Diego, California’s Balboa Park later in 2021. When it opens, it will offer day and night programming, with rotating exhibits celebrating and promoting popular art. It will also house an Education center with learning-focused labs, classes and seminars.

To find out more about the Comic-Con Museum, head to comic-con.org/museum. And to find out about the other great work that The Roddenberry Foundation is getting up to, check out roddenberryfoundation.org.