Anonymous Donors Give to Museum

The Maritime Museum at Channel Islands has received two major cash donations.

Museum officials would not reveal the donors’ names, but said they are longtime supporters of the Channel Islands Harbor gallery.

The first donor agreed to set up a trust to give $25,000 to the museum each year this decade for a total of $250,000. The second person--who gave a gift of an undisclosed amount--challenged the 16-member board of trustees to match the donation on a 5-to-1 basis.

For every dollar given, the board must raise an additional $5, said Mark Bacin, the museum’s executive director.

With the recent donations, the museum this year has collected about $60,000 to invest in stock, bonds and mutual funds, which will be used to offset the facility’s annual operating costs of $160,000.

Only one cash donation has exceeded the recent gift, and it came from Martin V. Smith, a well-known developer who contributed $500,000 toward a museum building in 1990.

The museum at Oxnard Harbor’s Fisherman’s Wharf opened in 1991 and displays art and ship models, and hosts guest lecturers and a variety of educational programs. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.