Kathy Fox

From: Kathy Fox

Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 10:27 AM
To: DMurphy@nurfc.org
Cc: Tony Capaci; Dave Wartel
Subject: RE: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Don, 
Thank you for the updates.  Congratulations on the establishment of your endowment—that is indeed heartening news. 
The companion news about your current congressional dialogue is also encouraging, but points to an important 
continuing risk with regard to your sustainability.  The pro‐forma provided by your staff a few months ago illustrated a 
need for Federal operating funds at a level significantly above the current level, and it is our understanding that those 
additional Federal funds would be available only after the proposed legislation is adopted.  The endowment, while a 
promising development, is insufficient to replace the needed Federal funds on an ongoing basis. 
 
You’ll recall that the Resolution the Commission approved earlier this year required that the Federal legislation be 
adopted prior to the Freedom Center returning to the Commission for release of the state capital appropriation.  As 
soon as that legislation is passed, we look forward to working with you toward Commission approval to release the state 
capital  funds.  And of course, we look forward in the meantime to seeing the draft legislation and then working through 
drafting of the related documents. 
 
We wish you good luck as you work through the Federal legislative and appropriations process.  Please continue to  keep 
us posted on those developments. 
 
With my best regards, 
Kathy 
 
Kathleen M. Fox, FASLA
Executive Director
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission
100 E. Broad Street, Suite 300
Columbus, OH 43215-3661

We’ve moved! Effective March 22, 2010, the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission relocated to new offices. Our new address is 100 E. Broad
St., Suite 300, Columbus, OH 43215-3661. Phone and Fax numbers remain the same.

Vox: 614.752.2770
Fax: 614-752-2775
e-mail: kfox@culture.ohio.gov
kfox@post.harvard.edu

visit our website: www.culture.ohio.gov

Building Culture in Ohio's Communities: The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, formerly the Ohio Arts & Sports Facilities Commission, oversees
capital improvement funds appropriated by the Ohio General Assembly and Governor for community cultural facility projects including non-profit
theaters, museums, historical sites and publicly owned professional sports venues. You are invited to visit www.culture.ohio.gov or call (614) 752-2770
for more information on the Commission or to learn how we can assist your cultural facility project.
 
From: DMurphy@nurfc.org [mailto:DMurphy@nurfc.org]
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 4:41 PM
To: Kathy Fox
Subject: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Kathy,
I would like to give you a brief update on where we are with gifting the Freedom Center to the people of the United State
and also with our long term sustainability.
1
As of today Mr. Driehaus, 1st district representative, OH is working with the leadership to have language added to the
senate appropriations bill now moving through the senate. The bill has been marked up and is now going to the floor
where Sen. Sherrod Brown will offer an amendment to add the language referenced above. The bill, when it passes the
senate, hopefully with our language included, will go to the House appropriations committee. The chairman of that
committee, Mr. Moran working with the office of the speaker, is committed to making sure the language remains in the
House version. I give us about a 60/40 chance of success. However, it is undetermined if the appropriations process with
be completed before or after the election. Whether the House and Senate turn over politically should not have an impact
we are being advised, because of the bipartisan support we have for this effort.

Despite this good news, we still are faced with the need to secure the $850,000 in capital funds still remaining, which has
been contingent upon the Freedom Center demonstrating sustainability. We have done the best we can to develop
several scenarios that will lead to sustainability, however they all come down to our ability to raise operating funds to meet
our annual operating budget.
Currently this is the financial situation of the Freedom Center:

• We are debt free (the bonds have been retired and we have no net interest payments going forward)
• Our annual budget is approximately $5.7million
• We are on track to meet this budget, with $2 million in revenue left to raise by the end of the year (we have a plan
to do so and we are on track)
• We have established, within the last month, a $1.050 million endowment

Part of our revenue strategy includes securing the $850,000 currently with OCFC. We need to understand, given our
current improved financial situation, what has to be true in order for us to secure the $850,000? I believe that Ben Reece
of my staff provided Tony Capaci with some initial sustainability scenarios, but we have not yet discussed or agreed upon
exactly what would be adequate evidence that we are a sustainable organization. By this email I am requesting that we
begin to work together to within the next couple of weeks to answers these questions. We should know within a week
whether or not our attempt have language included in an appropriations bill to gift the Freedom Center to the United
States is successful. Please let me know your thoughts and how you suggest we proceed.

Warmest regards,

Don Murphy, CEO

The Freedom Center
50 East Freedom Way
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513 333-7530
Cell: 513 407-2934
Fax: 513 333-7712