THOUSAND OAKS : Museum Group Gets Nonprofit Status

The committee seeking to bring a children’s science museum to Thousand Oaks has been awarded nonprofit status and can now accept tax deductible donations to raise money for its proposed hands-on science center.

Supporters of the proposed Ventura County Discovery Center said receiving nonprofit status from the state and federal governments was a major hurdle in achieving their long-term goal.

“It’s like we’ve been born,” said Linda Parks, a member of the committee’s board of directors. Nonprofit status is essential in generating the hundreds of thousands of dollars the group needs to bring a science museum to the Conejo Valley, she said.

“It’s getting the ball rolling,” Parks said.

Supporters want to use the former city hall on Hillcrest Drive as a possible museum site, but city officials have said the group must first raise $600,000 to renovate the facility.

The committee has already received a donation of $10,000 from Amgen Foundation, and museum supporters hope other Ventura County businesses will contribute to the project. Supporters also plan to seek federal science and technology grants.

“It really gives us the green light to go ahead and seek funding,” committee Vice President Hope Colt Mette said of the group’s new status. “It gives us a lot of validation to go forward.”