A bill that allows the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture more avenues for funding is moving through the state Legislature.
Located on Main Street in the Tulsa Arts District, OKPOP has until Nov. 15 to raise $18 million to get a matching state grant. Last winter, OKPOP announced it was halfway to its goal, having raised $8.6 million.
The museum cannot currently accept pledge donations in its fundraising efforts — only up-front donations. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert is trying to change that with House Bill 2673.
“(The bill) doesn’t have a dime of impact to the state of Oklahoma, but it does have an impact to the OKPOP Museum. Because without removing this burdensome restriction, I don’t know how they’ll be able to finish their philanthropic efforts. So for them, it’s a question of if the museum is able to ever open,” Hilbert said in February.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted last week to send the measure to the Senate.
Before the vote, Rep. Andy Fugate asked why the $18 million matching grant can’t be used for state services such as drug interdiction. Rep. John Kane said using the money for a different purpose before the fundraising deadline would be “like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown.”
“They’re working very hard, diligently, to get this raised,” Kane said of OKPOP. “We committed to it. I think it’s just seeing our commitment through.”
The $18 million committed by the Legislature will go back into the state general fund if the museum does not reach its goal by Nov. 15.
Once open, the museum will showcase accomplishments of famous Oklahomans of the past and present including Woody Guthrie, Alfre Woodard, Will Rogers and Kings Of Leon.
OKPOP laid off staff at the end of August 2024 as it raised money to open. Officials told KWGS last year the museum planned to bring back the old positions once they reach their funding goal.
