The answer is yes - there are for-profit museums out there, they just don't
use the name "museum" since it is debatable as to whether it would be good
marketing. A few examples are:

Sea World (Anheuser Busch) - has an award winning education department
(organized as a nonprofit DIVISION) with killer teacher packets and a cable
television show. Many aquaria fall short of their education content.

Lion Country Safari - Open air museum (bio park)much better than many iron
cage zoos

EPCOT - has recently added museum exhibits to several of its pavillions with
very good interpretation and loans from major collections. Saw a well done
Chinese jade exhibit there.

Disney - The Hall of Presidents and several other pavillions have (arguably)
interpretation as well done as some history museums. Some museums are STILL
adding superanimatronic dummies years after Disney began phasing them out.

During a recent stay in Florida I saw a number of for profit corporations
looking at museums ranging from a Comedy Museum and Hall of Fame, several
sunken treasure museums, and science theme museums. I had the challenging
job of establishing a nonprofit museum with ambivolent government support.
At the same time the city and county fathers were treating a trumped up
commerical Treasure Museum group to helicopter rides around the City and
steak dinners.

One can argue about an educational mission, but some of the for-profits,
such as Sea World, are beating the pants off non-profits (aquaria) in the
interpretation department.

Where will all this lead? Wish I knew. All I can advise after 20+ years in
the field is to make sure that you work at a museum with a "salable" theme
if you want job security. Believe me, no matter how "meet and right it is to
do," NO ONE but relatives, the local historical society or a university is
excited about investing in the history of Lower Stumpchuk or the art or
Ernest Shickelgruber (who?). . . Before taking a museum position I
frequently advise students (who will invest their lives) to look at it as a
stockholder would a business. Is the business run well? Is the product
marketable? Can it compete with other local attractions? What other
"investors" "own" large blocks of the "stock?" Are the board members
"stockholders" (financial contributors)?"
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Byron Johnson, Director
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
P.O. Box 2570, Waco, Texas 76702-2570
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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"...Unless a people are educated and enlightened it is idle
to expect the continuance of civil liberty or the capacity
for self-government."
Texas Declaration of Independence,  March 2, 1836.