The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world.

What is the purpose of Smithsonian?

Our mission is to promote understanding of the natural world and our place in it. The museum's collections tell the history of the planet and are a record of human interaction with the environment and one another. As we all work to shape a sustainable world, this record becomes the starting point.

What is the value of the Smithsonian?

1, 2020–Sept. 30, 2021) is $1 billion. The Institution is 62% federally funded (a combination of the congressional appropriation and federal grants and contracts).