Olympia Tumwater Foundation seeks state funding to break ground for History and Nature Center project 

Olympia Tumwater Foundation (OTF) should know by March 2025 if it will get funding to continue its History and Nature Center project. 

The nonprofit is seeking money for the project through the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). The project has been in the nonprofit’s pipeline since 2020.  

The center would be located in OTF’s administration building in Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls.

OTF Executive Director John Freedman, who will retire this month, delivered an update on the status of the project to the Tumwater Historic Preservation Committee at a meeting on Nov. 21.  

Freedman described the center as an educational and cultural hub that would educate visitors about Tumwater's environment and local history.

It would feature interactive displays and interpretive exhibits, and function as a community space for educational programs and community or nonprofit events.  

The project also includes expanded parking and a drop-off station for buses. 

According to Freedman, the center is “critical” for the organization. 

“We've done a couple of financial analyses, and it's like we sunset about 15 years if we don't do anything in fundraising, so it's critical to our survival,” Freedman said. 

The director added that the project would be “dead” if it didn’t receive any funding.

If the nonprofit does get a percentage of the funding it is requesting, then it would have to look for the remaining funds elsewhere or even consider whether it would still like to pursue the project.  

Freedman said $200,000 in private pledges have been raised for the project so far. OTF, itself, would spend $400,000 on the center. 

If OTF secures state funding, Freedman said it could break ground in the summer of 2025 and complete the project within a year.