Museum Policies

Privacy & Refund Policy

Thank you for visiting The Franklin Institute's website and reviewing our privacy policy. This policy applies only to information collected via the Institute's website.

If you send us personal information—by submitting an e-mail, completing an online form, requesting materials or information, ordering Institute tickets, making a donation, or signing up for membership—we will use this information to respond to your inquiry or request. We may also use it to contact you to provide information about other Institute activities, programs, membership and fundraising opportunities, products, and special events that may interest you. You may opt-out of having your information used by the Institute for these purposes, or you may update your contact information anytime, by contacting us via e-mail or postal mail address.

The Franklin Institute does not sell, exchange, or release website visitor's names, e-mail addresses, or other individually identifying information to parties outside of the Institute, except to third party contractors performing services, to the extent necessary to comply with applicable laws or valid legal processes, to protect the rights and property of the Institute, or to provide the services or information you have requested.

Users should be aware that the Institute contracts with several third-party vendors to provide certain services made available on and to process transactions made through this website. Use of these services is subject to the privacy policies of such third-party vendors (identified below).

The Franklin Institute provides visitors with an opportunity to make a contribution to our organization through an online donation page. When a visitor to the Institute website chooses to make an online donation to the Institute, they are linked to a website served by Blackbaud, Inc. Visitors to the Blackbaud website are subject to Blackbaud's policies and should refer to Blackbaud's policies for the details of that policy. The information that you supply during any of the above transaction processes is used to fulfill your order and will also be used to track and analyze transaction trends.

On some pages of our website, you may notice that we use third-party advertising companies to serve ads. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

The Franklin Institute’s mobile application(s) may request access to your device’s camera roll, location services, and/or contacts in order to enable interactive experiences that may include, but are not limited to, turn-by-turn directions, augmented reality, and screenshot sharing. The Franklin Institute does not store or transmit this information for any other purposes. 

The Franklin Institute does not offer refunds on donations or ticket purchases to any Institute fundraising event.

Please note that the Institute may revise its privacy policy at any time. Occasionally, changes in technology, functionality, content we provide, laws and/or Institute policy may require us to revise policies and practices on this page. We encourage you to periodically visit this page to review our most current policy. Your continued use of the site shall constitute your acceptance of any such changes to this policy.

Prohibited Conduct

Visitation policies at the Franklin Institute are designed to protect visitors and staff as well as secure and preserve the collections, facilities, and historic buildings entrusted to The Franklin Institute's care.

While on The Franklin Institute premises, NO VISITOR SHALL:

  • Carry a firearm, knife, explosive, or other dangerous or deadly weapon, either openly or concealed, on the premises. The prohibition on firearms applies to all visitors, including those with firearm permits, but not to on duty law enforcement personnel who are authorized to carry firearms. 
  • Display or carry any placard, sign, or banner
  • Destroy, deface, damage, or remove property
  • Climb upon any part of the building
  • Use loud, abusive, or otherwise improper language
  • Loiter, sleep or participate in unwarranted assemblies
  • Create any hazard to persons or things
  • Perform or make any threats to participate in any obscene, indecent, violent, or abusive act.
  • Use, possess, or sell illegal drugs
  • Take photographs for advertising or any other commercial purpose
  • Solicit for commercial or charitable purposes or distribute advertisements, pamphlets, handbills, and flyers

Smoking

  • Smoking is prohibited at the Franklin Institute
  • Smoking or carrying lighted cigarettes/electronic cigarettes, cigars, or pipes into the building or having a fire of any kind on the premises is prohibited. 

Animals

  • Service animals are welcome in the museum. Pets are not permitted.

Lost & Found

  • Lost & Found items are held for up to 24 hours in a museum's guest services office before moving to our central lost and found office, which can be reached at 215-448-1200

Contact Tracing Policy

  • Guests acknowledge that The Franklin Institute reserves the right to disclose the identity and contact information of any and all guests to government-authorized individuals, agencies, or organizations for the purposes of contact tracing in adherence with local, state, or federal requirements, recommendations, or guidelines.

Social Media Policy

Our community is welcome and encouraged to engage, share stories and memories, discuss viewpoints, and ask questions on our social media platforms.  The Franklin Institute is committed to maintaining an accessible, informative, and civil space.  Therefore, we reserve the right to hide, delete, limit, or restrict distribution on our social media platforms of comments containing any of the below and to block or ban users who post such content:

  • Hateful or discriminatory messages of any kind, including ones that attack or demean a person’s race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability, as well as any personal attacks, threats, or trolling directed at any other community member 
  • Messages that include violent, vulgar, or explicit content and any message that encourages illegal activity
  • Messages that contain false or misleading information
  • Messages expressing opinions in uncivil, disrespectful, or unnecessarily provocative terms or about specific individuals
  • Advertisements, solicitations, endorsements, or commercial content 
  • Spam or messages posted by fake accounts 
  • Messages that infringe on copyrights
  • Personally identifiable information of any individual, including community members or Franklin Institute staff members
  • Messages impersonating a Franklin Institute representative or claiming to speak on behalf of the museum
  • Messages that focus on controversial political, social, or other issues, including health and safety measures
  • Discussion of Franklin Institute internal personnel matters 

As a valued member of our community, we ask that you also be aware of the following:

  • By engaging on our social media channels, you are agreeing to comply with the guidelines imposed by the particular social media platform you are utilizing.
  • Please protect your own privacy by refraining from sharing sensitive personal details.
  • The Franklin Institute is not responsible for conversations about our posts that take place on another account’s page.
  • By posting content or tagging The Franklin Institute’s accounts, you are giving the Museum permission to use your content for educational, promotional, or standard non-commercial purposes. 
  • The views expressed by users are their own and may not represent the views of The Franklin Institute, its followers, or its affiliates.

Social media channels are monitored by a small team of Museum staff periodically during regular business hours, excluding holidays. Content shared outside those times will be reviewed as time allows during regular business hours. The Museum does not review or moderate all shared content but intends to address questions and requests in a reasonable timeframe. Please note that some messages can take longer to resolve.

Thank you for engaging with our channels and being a part of our community!