The official Twitter account for the Studio Ghibli Museum announced that its Furusato Choice crowdfunding campaign will now be accepting donations from international donors. The campaign has raised ¥35,189,659 (roughly US 310,040) so far from 4,562 contributors.
The crowdfunding donation portal does not allow residents in China, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Vatican, Iceland, and members of the European Union to access the site. Those within the European Economic Area are not allowed to donate in order to comply with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. Those who can donate are sent a commemorative thank-you card by mail.
The campaign started on July 15 and will remain open until January 31. The campaign is managed by the city of Mitaka in Tokyo, which is where the museum is located. The goal of ¥10 million was surpassed less than 24 hours following the campaign’s launch, with the current donations accounting for 351.8% of the initial total.
The campaign asks that donors contribute at least ¥5,000 (roughly US$45). The Furusato Choice system makes it so that people can donate to local businesses while also claiming their donations for tax purposes later on.
The campaign started due to the museum’s decline in revenue over the last two years. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the revenue earned from ticket sales, contributing to a large deficit the campaign is trying to erase. The museum received a grant from Mitaka City in March, but the Furusato Choice campaign claims that the funds are not sufficient for covering the various repairs and maintenance the museum must undergo.
The third state of emergency brought on by the pandemic in Tokyo caused the museum to temporarily close down from April 25 to early June. The museum had previously closed from February to July 2020 during the first state of emergency.
The Studio Ghibli Museum first opened in 2001 and celebrates the works of the iconic studio through various interactive exhibits and showcases replicas of iconic Ghibli characters, while also screening different Ghibli shorts. Only a select number of tickets are made available for purchase every day.
Source: Anime News Network