One strategy for a mechanical music museum:

What I'd do is to find one of those huge 'science centers' that cater
to kids.  The Children's Museum in Indianapolis, the Liberty Science
Center in New Jersey, Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, the Buhl
in Pittsburgh, and COSI in Columbus, Ohio.  None of these places is
exactly coining money right now, and since they were mostly built in
the '90's with great optimism they  now have way too much space.  COSI
has huge, empty, clear-span rooms.

And kids _love_ mechanical music, and the places are set up for
kids--huge restrooms, snack bars, good security and insurance, and
railings that you can't get your finger caught in.

That's where I'd start looking.  As the economy continues to decline,
these places are going to continue to suffer, and I'll bet they'd be
delighted to have some added content.  Beware of the bureaucracy,
though: they're seldom delighted with much of anything new, and protect
their turf with ferocity.  Find the board of directors and work on
them.

Volunteers could man the museum.  I'm not at all certain that a great
deal of grant money would be necessary if it all worked out.

Mark Kinsler
Lancaster, Ohio USA
http://home.earthlink.net/~mkinsler1