San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts serves a 16-county area of West Texas that is geographically large but generally has a small, scattered population. The downtown of San Angelo (population 90,000) has faced serious decline in recent years, and its school district, struggling with extremely limited resources, has severely cut back its fine arts educational offerings. During this time the museum not only maintained a balanced budget, but raised $7 million for a new building and its endowment. In an average year, the museum offers more than 4,000 hours of programming for its community. More than one third of the museum's budget is dedicated to education. It offers curriculum-linked museum visits for school children and a stunning array of weekend, evening, and summer-long classes for learners of all ages.