Pursuits

MoMA Bonds Leave Museum Flush With Cash for Manhattan Expansion

  • New construction, renovation to total about $450 million
  • Museum sells $281 million of debt at top yield of 2.14 percent

The ground floor and outdoor sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Source: NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
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The Museum of Modern Art isn’t having trouble finding the money for its $450 million renovation and expansion.

The midtown Manhattan museum has already raised $650 million for its plan to add three floors of new galleries, thanks to pledges from donors including entertainment mogul David Geffen and hedge-fund manager Kenneth Griffin. On Wednesday, it secured even more by selling $281 million of tax-exempt bonds through a New York agency to raise money for the project and refinance debt as borrowing costs drop to the lowest on record.