San Francisco’s Mexican Museum is teetering on the brink of closure, facing significant financial challenges that threaten its future in the city’s vibrant cultural landscape.

Originally established in the Mission District in 1975, the museum has been without a permanent home since 2018, with its extensive collection languishing in storage. A promising location at 706 Mission Street seemed like a potential salvation, but recent developments suggest the museum’s path forward is increasingly uncertain.

The museum’s current predicament stems from missed fundraising deadlines and financial difficulties. Despite having pledges totaling $16 million, the organization failed to secure $4.5 million in private donor funds by a critical June 14 deadline. This shortfall puts a $6.6 million city grant at risk and has prompted the city’s Real Estate Division to issue a default notice.

Former Supervisor Aaron Peskin has been particularly critical, suggesting the organization lacks the capacity to successfully establish itself. “This organization does not have the capacity, it has repeatedly failed to perform and it’s time for the city to move on,” Peskin told local media.

The museum’s challenges aren’t new. Even before the pandemic, signs of financial strain were evident. The lack of physical gallery space has made fundraising particularly challenging, preventing potential donors from seeing the museum’s impressive collection.

The proposed first-phase buildout, estimated to cost around $11 million, now hangs in the balance. City officials have provided a 60-day reprieve, but the museum’s future remains precarious.

Former board secretary Xochitl Castañeda, a UC Berkeley professor, has already distanced herself from the organization, highlighting the internal struggles facing the museum.

As San Francisco continues to grapple with preserving cultural institutions, the Mexican Museum’s potential closure represents a significant potential loss for the city’s diverse cultural narrative. The museum has long been committed to showcasing and honoring Latino cultural heritage, making its potential disappearance particularly poignant.

The coming months will be crucial in determining whether this long-standing cultural institution can secure its future or become another casualty of San Francisco’s challenging cultural funding landscape.