The mission of the Griffith Observatory Foundation is to support and promote Griffith Observatory as a home for science literacy, education, and public astronomy through resource development and advocacy in partnership with the community.
Be a Part of the Future
Become a Member
Experience all that the Observatory has to offer – as a member. Foundation members enjoy special access to the Observatory while finding purpose in ensuring its future for the people of southern California and millions of visitors from around the world.
Donate & Legacy Giving
Your gifts are among our most vital resources in securing this iconic institution for generations to come. With each contribution, you help further Griffith Observatory’s mission to inspire everyone to observe, ponder, and understand the sky.
Volunteer With Us
Griffith Observatory Foundation volunteers come from a variety of professional backgrounds and bring a wide range of skills and experiences, but they all have one thing in common: Passion for Griffith Observatory.
Everyone has a special connection to Griffith Observatory: a childhood memory of the school field trip program, sharing a sunset or an astronomical event with someone special, or peering through a telescope for the very first time and pondering the wonder of it all. Griffith Observatory Foundation is the key to upholding this iconic institution and its dedication to understanding the universe, astronomy, and the sky, for generations to come.
The Impact of Your Support
Together we have accomplished so much over the years. In addition to helping secure $93 million for Griffith Observatory’s most recent renovation and expansion, Foundation members, partners, and other stakeholders have supported ongoing initiatives like the tens of thousands of students served annually by the School Program, and the fulfillment of any request to update, upgrade, and preserve this inspiring institution and further its mission.
Griffith Observatory School Program
Each year, 28,000 fifth-graders visit the Observatory for a variety of STEM learning experiences over a 2.5-hour visit – free of charge. The program includes a live presentation of Water is Life in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, a look at the rooftop Zeiss telescope, small group interpretive experiences in the exhibit galleries led by Museum Guides, and of course the lively, interactive program “Let’s Make a Comet” in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater. Students leave feeling inspired, having found that there is so much fun to be had in scientific discovery and exploration.
