We appreciate your interest in donating items to the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat). This policy is primarily aimed at guidelines for donating specimens to The Nat’s collections. Our collections support education, research, and exhibitions. We do not accept mailed or unsolicited donations without prior approval. To ensure a smooth process, please review the following policy:
Submit a donation proposal. All potential donations must be reviewed before acceptance. Please fill out our Contact Us form, selecting “Item Donation” under the Department to Contact section. In your comments, please include detailed information about the item you wish to donate (ex. type of item/specimen, date/location of specimen acquisition, any permits you have associated with the specimen).
Do not drop off or mail items unannounced. Unsolicited donations will not be accepted. Proposals must be evaluated before bringing items to the Museum.
Scientific and legal considerations. Donations must align with our mission and comply with relevant state, federal, and international regulations. See the Donation Criteria section below for more details.
Most biological specimens require permits and additional documentation to be acceptable for donation to The Nat’s research collections. The Education and Exhibits teams may accept specimens with limited collection data when such specimens are required to support programmatic or exhibit needs.
Legal considerations. Official written permits or authorizations are usually required for legal collection of biological specimens. For a donation to be accepted by The Nat, relevant permits must accompany the specimens. The type and number of permits required depend on the particular species and when and where it was collected.
Collection locality information. The Nat's research collections adhere to rigorous standards when evaluating potential donations. Only specimens that are legally obtained and thoroughly documented with collection date and detailed locality information are eligible for consideration.
Human and cultural artifacts. The Nat does not accept human remains or cultural artifacts, as these fall outside our mission scope.
The San Diego Natural History Museum is a nonprofit institution, and donations may be tax-deductible. However, per IRS regulations, donors must obtain independent appraisals for tax purposes. The Museum cannot provide valuation services or appraisals.
We cannot guarantee that donated items will be permanently displayed. Items may be rotated in exhibits, used for education, accessioned into our research collections, or loaned to other institutions.
The Nat can only accept donations free of restrictions. Once donated, specimens become the property of the Museum, and donors relinquish ownership rights by signing a Deed of Gift form. The Museum reserves all rights or reproduction, publication, copyright, or other such rights of duplication as may be desirable from the Museum’s ownership of these items. The Museum also reserves the right to restore, reconstruct, or repair any part of the gift.
For questions, please contact our team using the Contact Us form and selecting “Item Donation.”
Thank you for supporting The Nat and contributing to the understanding and conservation of our region’s biodiversity!