The San Diego Air & Space Museum considers donations for the following categories: 

• Permanent Collections – Objects and materials accepted for long-term preservation 
• Education/Research – Materials accepted as references and resources available for public use 
• Equipment/Tools – Supplies accepted for Museum staff and volunteers to utilize for restoration and fabrication projects 

Donations may also be accepted as sale items for Museum events including our annual Aerofest: Open Hangar and Museum Sale. Proceeds from these sales go directly to preservation and conservation of the Museum’s permanent collections.

The Museum’s permanent collections are cared for by the Library & Archives department and the Curatorial department. The Library & Archives collections include drawings, technical manuals, books, photographs, letters, films, newspapers, audio recordings, etc. The Curatorial collections include art, jewelry, clothing, games and toys, flight instruments, trophies, and other personal belongings and artifacts. 

The Museum seeks the following donations to enhance its permanent collections:

• Space-related art (paintings, posters, drawings, sculptures, etc.)
• Space-related clothing and accessories 
• Early aviation clothing and accessories pre-dating the 1930s 
• Digital material reflecting significant developments in or contributions to air and space 
• Any archival materials about the Gulf War 
• Any curatorial/archival objects reflecting significant developments in or contributions to air and space after 2000
• Any curatorial objects reflecting significant developments in or contributions to air and space outside of the United States and outside of the context of war 
• Any archival materials reflecting significant developments in or contributions to air and space within Southern California outside of the context of the military and Convair    
• Any curatorial/archival objects reflecting significant air and space stories from diverse communities     

*Library & Archives are not accepting any general aviation magazines at the moment. Only rare materials, early aviation magazines, and club/association newsletters will be considered*

Donations of any kind will not be accepted without prior approval from the Library & Archives or Curatorial collections staff. The Museum will not accept drop-off donations or materials of any kind in the mail without prior approval. The Museum will carefully consider donations of any kind based on available space, preservation needs, and alignment with ongoing Museum goals. Therefore, please provide as much information as possible on the donation request form and allow at least two weeks for review. 

Click here to fill out a donation request form. 

For more information on donations, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions About Donations page.