The Tacoma Children's MuseumHistory and Life Cycle ReviewThe Tacoma Children's Museum, founded in 1985, has been a Tacoma icon for twenty-five years. Over the next ten years, the Museum enjoyed success in terms of membership, attendance and funding. During its first ten years of existence, the Children's Museum experienced increased attendance, eventually leading the fire marshal to impose capacity limits, forcing patrons to form lines for the entrance. In 1996, the museum entered the second stage of its life cycle with the first change of management (Male, ND). Tanya Andrews, the new interim Executive Director hired to fill the position vacated by the original Executive Director, immediately led the Museum's move to its new digs in 1997. Once the move was completed and business returned to normal , the board promoted Andrews to permanent, full-time director. ED, signaling the organization's transition to the intermediate stages of its life cycle (Male, ND). The move provided additional space and allowed the museum to install rotating themed exhibits alongside its permanent child-approved exhibits. In 2003, attendance at the Children's Museum began to reach more than 30,000 visitors per year. The Museum's notoriety increased, its programming and exhibitions changed according to an annual calendar and financial partners were established. The life cycle of the Tacoma Children's Museum had entered the final phase of Stage Two (Male, ND). The museum began designing exhibits with the help of a Seattle-based nonprofit research institute focused on early brain development, and the museum began collaborating with other local institutions. . A first collaboration took place with the Tacoma Art Museum and its Eric Carl exhibition. Chile...... middle of paper ......the Museum is moving forward to capitalize on the opportunities presented. As an organization in the institutional phase of its life cycle (Male, ND), the Tacoma Children's Museum enjoys community support, a history of successful annual campaigns with a broad donor base, and the financing capacity necessary to move forward with its development campaign. .ReferencesTacoma Children's Museum, . (2007). Learn. Retrieved from http://www.childrensmuseumoftacoma.org/learnMale, R. (2003). Religious Funding in America. Grassroots Fundraising Journal, September/October. Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/magazine/feature22_5.html.MindTools, . (ND). SWOT analysis. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm Weinstein, S. (2002). The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.