Donate to the Collection

Donations cannot be accepted without prior communication with Collections staff. We do not accept drop-off donations or materials in the mail without prior approval.
Click here to submit your donation request

The San Diego Air & Space Museum encourages the donation of artifacts, artwork, archival materials, and books to further enhance its collections. These items are broken into two specific categories: Permanent Collection and Use/Educational/Reference Collection. 

• Permanent Collection: Materials accepted for long-term preservation as the primary focus. These contribute to strongly to the Museum’s mission. These include archival collections, artifacts, and aircraft.
• Use/Educational/Reference Collection: These materials may be used as general reference material for the public, serve to illustrate talks and demonstrations or provide visitors and program participants with “hands on” knowledge (meaning the artifact may be touched).

Because of space and care requirements, the Museum must carefully consider every donation prior to acceptance to determine if it is the best fit our collections. Please provide as much information as possible on the form below to help the Collections staff make a well-informed decision.  

For some frequently asked questions click here.

Following your submission of the form, the Collections staff will carefully consider your offer and compare it to our existing collection. Due to the deliberate nature of the consideration process, it may take several weeks to reach a decision. Should we determine that the San Diego Air & Space Museum is not an appropriate repository for your item, we will do our best to help you find the right institution to ensure the long-term care and appreciation of your donation.

Please Note: Donations cannot be accepted without prior communication with Collections staff. We do not accept drop-off donations or materials in the mail without prior approval.