On the 10th anniversary of its historic groundbreaking on the National Mall, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has launched a $350M Living History Campaign.
The campaign which concludes in 2024, seeks to raise $350 million to provide global leadership in education and scholarships on the African American experience, attract the best scholars and thinkers, expand the museum’s most successful initiatives, and build advanced digital platforms that will provide access to all. As the only national museum dedicated to exploring, documenting, and showcasing the African American experience, all of the museum’s work is infused with and informed by the ongoing quest for social justice. Although the museum is funded in part by federal appropriations, that funding only covers a portion of the museum’s annual operating budget.
To help with this ambitious goal, the museum has announced that Shonda Rhimes, the Obama’s the Bush’s, and Oprah will lead the campaign.
As the largest African American museum in the country, it is responsible for caring for more than 40,000 objects and 400,000 square feet of exhibition space to ensure the African American story—living history—is preserved.
