How the Center Supports Its Mission
A connected destination can create multiple ways to support conservation, education, research and long-term stewardship.
How Money Could Move Through the Center
A planning concept showing possible relationships — not a financial forecast. No dollar amounts, rates, fees or surplus projections are shown.
Visitors → SCWS
Visitors → Independent Operators
Donors / Sponsors / Grant Funders → SCWS
SCWS / Conservation & Discovery Center
Mission-aligned nonprofit steward of the Center
Independent Operator → SCWS
A site fee, concession payment, agreed revenue share or other approved compensation — only if a future agreement establishes it.
Flow D — Operating the Center
Flow D — Advancing the Mission
Project Lagoon, Hidden Waters, Currents Through Time and SCWS conservation programs remain under SCWS mission and operational control. Outside contractors do not control SCWS mission programs.
Center & Mission Revenue
Possible future SCWS revenue sources from visitors who pay SCWS directly for Center activities. These are potential sources, not financial forecasts.
Operator Customer Revenue
Visitors may also pay independent commercial operators for services those operators provide.
Customer payments to an outside operator are operator revenue — not SCWS revenue.
Potential Contractual Payment to SCWS
Depending on the future agreement, an operator could pay a site or facility fee, booking-related payment, concession payment, agreed revenue share or another approved form of compensation.
No operator, payment structure, rate or revenue share has been selected or agreed.
Mission Support
Donors, sponsors and grant funders may contribute to SCWS's charitable mission.
Restricted funds must be used for their designated purposes. Not all contributed funding is available for general Center operations.
SCWS → Operations & Mission
Operating the Center
Advancing the Mission
Two Possible Financial Outcomes
Neither outcome is guaranteed. The actual result will depend on future revenue, costs, agreements and conditions.
When Available Resources Exceed Costs
Maintain appropriate operating and capital reserves, then reinvest available resources in SCWS conservation, education, research and future mission needs.
SCWS may also choose, when appropriate and legally permissible, to support another organization's work that advances SCWS's charitable mission.
Support of another organization is a possible future SCWS decision. It is not automatic, required, guaranteed, a predetermined percentage, or a required distribution of surplus. It would be subject to mission alignment, available resources, applicable restrictions and appropriate review.
When Costs Exceed Available Resources
The difference becomes a funding need that may need to be addressed through additional revenue, fundraising, grants, sponsorships, operating adjustments or other appropriate sources.
This is not failure. SCWS does not guarantee it will cover a shortfall through any one funding source.
Planning Concept — Not a Financial Forecast
The Center remains in development and feasibility planning. Revenue sources, operator arrangements, fees, costs, reserves and funding structures have not been finalized. Actual arrangements will depend on property rights, agreements, funding restrictions, legal and tax requirements, operating conditions and future contracts.
Property & Lease Considerations
Potential operator payments remain subject to the final property-control structure, applicable lease or use restrictions, required governmental approvals, future operator agreements, and legal and tax review.
SCWS does not automatically have authority to:
- sublease property;
- issue concessions;
- charge site fees;
- collect percentage rent;
- participate in operator sales; or
- grant commercial operating rights.
These issues depend on future state, county, private-property, lease, use and contractual arrangements as applicable.