MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, has received a $50,000 grant from Energy Partners Fund. The museum will use the grant to fund a module of 3-D printers for use in its Innovation Design Lab.

The lab will be MOXI’s very own makerspace or tinkering studio where all guests can discover the inventor, designer and engineer within themselves.


The grant from Energy Partners Fund comes at an important time for the nonprofit MOXI, which is in the final phase of a $25 million capital campaign.

Earlier this month, the museum announced it had raised $22 million and is now seeking the final $3 million by the end of 2016.

“We are huge fans of MOXI and the far-reaching benefit it will bring to everyone in Santa Barbara County,” said Gayle Pratt, director of Energy Partners Fund. “It will be a place where the future technicians, engineers and creative minds behind companies like those who comprise Energy Partners Fund are nurtured and inspired. We are excited to be sponsoring equipment for the Innovation Design Lab at MOXI, a space where students from all over the Central Coast can come together to learn in a fun environment.”

Once open, the museum will invite guests to explore more than 70 exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Since its founding in 2008, Energy Partners Fund has provided more than $1 million in support of STEM education to area schools and nonprofits, cumulatively impacting more than 60,000 students.

Through its sponsorship of equipment for MOXI’s Innovation Design Lab, the fund will reach even more area students. The museum expects more than 100,000 visitors annually, including 15,000 school children.

“Energy Partners Fund’s generosity will have a tremendous impact beyond the four walls of our museum,” said Steve Hinkley, president and CEO of MOXI. “The skills that young minds will develop through activities like those in the Innovation Design Lab are ones that will help them succeed today and well into the future.”

Energy Partners Fund is a collaboration of local petroleum companies and other businesses who rely on STEM-educated talent to run and grow their businesses and are joining together to support the communities in which they work and live. For more information about Energy Partners Fund, visit energypartnersfund.org.

MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation will be a 21st century museum dedicated to igniting learning through interactive experiences in science and creativity.

Scheduled to open in late 2016, MOXI will serve children of all ages as well as lifelong learners. It is located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s redeveloped tourist area at 125 State Street and will be the county’s first LEED-certified museum.

The museum’s interactive exhibits, designed by award-winning museum planning firm Gyroscope, Inc., align with the national agenda to boost student achievement in math and science.

MOXI is currently engaged in a $25 million capital campaign to fund the building, exhibits and an endowment for the future.

For more information on how to donate or get involved, contact MOXI at 805.708.2282, info@moxi.org or visit moxi.org.

— Martha Swanson is the marketing and communications manager at MOXI.