Help our museum buy a tank!
Tax deductible
Operation Buy-A-Tank
Bottom line up front; Our Museum wants a tank.
Yes, a tank, I mean really, what is a military museum without a tank?
Our museum is located less than 10 miles from the old Chrysler Tank Plant, and within 100 miles of at least 3 other facilities that built armor for the US Military over the last century. The tank is a key part of the story we are trying to preserve.
Therefore, we are exploring several ways of getting a tank.
1: Obtain a tank through the US Army Donations Office. This seems to be the logical course of action, the tanks here are donations, which equals free, correct?
Not really, there is a mountain of paperwork involved in this process, which we have already submitted, the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly, so we do not know when or if we will be approved. But should we be approved, the museum would be on the hook for all transport and any demilitarization costs involved. Given that the bulk of surplus tanks available are stored many states away from our location, this will be an expensive endeavor. We would also be required to pour a cement pad that meets the donation offices criteria. There is also a strong possibility that the donated vehicle would require cleaning and painting. I mean really, it would simply not do to have a sloppy tank out in front of the museum now, would it?
The down side to this option is that you pretty much have no say in what kind of tank you can get, and you cannot make it run or drive, it just sits on the lawn and collects bird droppings. But it is the less expensive way to go.
2: Buy a tank outright. Yes, that’s right, buy a tank. Now, you cannot just go over to the local used tank lot and pick up last year’s model, but there are tanks out there in private hands that are legal to own. The bonus with this route is that we could choose a tank that fits the museum mission, and, if we so choose, make it run and drive. Sounds fun, right? There have been several tanks for sale that fit the profile over the last year, ranging anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000. Once again, transport and upkeep are a factor. Naturally, if we had a runner, we would not want to keep it sitting out on the lawn, so storage also becomes an issue. (To our wealthy readers, here is a chance to have a museum wing named for you… Sounds good, does it not?)
This option will require a greater initial investment, and more long term logistics, but offers us some other opportunities. Shows and re-enactments often pay to have armor attend, so we have a possible revenue generator. There is also the possibility of giving rides, assuming the insurance allows, and think of all the joy we could have crushing things!!!
3: The idea of “building” a tank has been floated our way as well, by this I mean some sort of tank like sculpture or other tank-surrogate lawn ornament. I suppose if this whole campaign fizzles out at $150 we should be able to mix up a big batch of papier-mâché and start sculpting…. To be honest, this idea does not really tickle us at all, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?
So here we are crowd funding! The purpose of this drive is to start a dedicated tank fund for the museum; this fund would be used for the acquisition, transport, upkeep and possibly as seed money for a future expansion of the museum building to add a “vehicle wing.”
Do you want to be a member of our Tank Crew? Give till it hurts and then give a bit more!
Or, if you happen to be broke like the rest of us, just help make #operationbuyatank go viral!!!
Yes, we are a real museum; here is the fine print to prove it.
The Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society Museum, located in Eastpointe, Michigan is dedicated to preserving the stories of Michigan citizens who served and sacrificed, here and abroad, from WWI to the present. Our 11,000 square feet Museum exhibits the actual equipment, weapons, uniforms and other artifacts that bear witness to the high cost of freedom. See www.mimths.org for more details.
The Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society 26-3923943 is an IRS 501c3 organization and donations to the museum are tax deductible (consult your tax expert for all the fun details!)
Bottom line up front; Our Museum wants a tank.
Yes, a tank, I mean really, what is a military museum without a tank?
Our museum is located less than 10 miles from the old Chrysler Tank Plant, and within 100 miles of at least 3 other facilities that built armor for the US Military over the last century. The tank is a key part of the story we are trying to preserve.
Therefore, we are exploring several ways of getting a tank.
1: Obtain a tank through the US Army Donations Office. This seems to be the logical course of action, the tanks here are donations, which equals free, correct?
Not really, there is a mountain of paperwork involved in this process, which we have already submitted, the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly, so we do not know when or if we will be approved. But should we be approved, the museum would be on the hook for all transport and any demilitarization costs involved. Given that the bulk of surplus tanks available are stored many states away from our location, this will be an expensive endeavor. We would also be required to pour a cement pad that meets the donation offices criteria. There is also a strong possibility that the donated vehicle would require cleaning and painting. I mean really, it would simply not do to have a sloppy tank out in front of the museum now, would it?
The down side to this option is that you pretty much have no say in what kind of tank you can get, and you cannot make it run or drive, it just sits on the lawn and collects bird droppings. But it is the less expensive way to go.
2: Buy a tank outright. Yes, that’s right, buy a tank. Now, you cannot just go over to the local used tank lot and pick up last year’s model, but there are tanks out there in private hands that are legal to own. The bonus with this route is that we could choose a tank that fits the museum mission, and, if we so choose, make it run and drive. Sounds fun, right? There have been several tanks for sale that fit the profile over the last year, ranging anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000. Once again, transport and upkeep are a factor. Naturally, if we had a runner, we would not want to keep it sitting out on the lawn, so storage also becomes an issue. (To our wealthy readers, here is a chance to have a museum wing named for you… Sounds good, does it not?)
This option will require a greater initial investment, and more long term logistics, but offers us some other opportunities. Shows and re-enactments often pay to have armor attend, so we have a possible revenue generator. There is also the possibility of giving rides, assuming the insurance allows, and think of all the joy we could have crushing things!!!
3: The idea of “building” a tank has been floated our way as well, by this I mean some sort of tank like sculpture or other tank-surrogate lawn ornament. I suppose if this whole campaign fizzles out at $150 we should be able to mix up a big batch of papier-mâché and start sculpting…. To be honest, this idea does not really tickle us at all, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?
So here we are crowd funding! The purpose of this drive is to start a dedicated tank fund for the museum; this fund would be used for the acquisition, transport, upkeep and possibly as seed money for a future expansion of the museum building to add a “vehicle wing.”
Do you want to be a member of our Tank Crew? Give till it hurts and then give a bit more!
Or, if you happen to be broke like the rest of us, just help make #operationbuyatank go viral!!!
Yes, we are a real museum; here is the fine print to prove it.
The Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society Museum, located in Eastpointe, Michigan is dedicated to preserving the stories of Michigan citizens who served and sacrificed, here and abroad, from WWI to the present. Our 11,000 square feet Museum exhibits the actual equipment, weapons, uniforms and other artifacts that bear witness to the high cost of freedom. See www.mimths.org for more details.
The Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society 26-3923943 is an IRS 501c3 organization and donations to the museum are tax deductible (consult your tax expert for all the fun details!)
Organizer
Christopher Causley
Organizer
Eastpointe, MI
MICHIGAN MILITARY TECHNICAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
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