News Article

Foundation for the National Archives Announces Grants to Support National Archives

March 25, 2014

The Foundation for the National Archives announces that it has pledged more than $1.4 million to support National Archives’ exhibits, educational outreach, and public programs in Washington, DC, and around the country this year.

Funding from the Archives’ private partner will go toward high-profile exhibitions at the National Archives Museum, including “Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures,” which opened in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery on March 21, and the permanent “Records of Rights” exhibit, launched late last year in the new David M. Rubenstein Gallery, as well as “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” which is being prepared for a national tour.

The Foundation supported the January sleepover at the Archives and will support the agency’s annual Independence Day celebration, free public programs and film screenings in the William G. McGowan Theater, educational and family programming in the Boeing Learning Center, research fellowships around the country, and “Primarily Teaching” summer workshops for teachers in Washington, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta.

The Foundation also renewed its support of the DocsTeach website and app, and National History Day programs in Washington, DC, and will launch a new “Jazz at the National Archives” public programming series in Washington this spring and summer in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the famed Newport Jazz Festival.

“From families in pajamas and the nation’s birthday to monumental signatures and trailblazing research, the Foundation for the National Archives is delighted to increase its support of the Archives’ important educational programming, exhibitions, and online resources,” said Patrick M. Madden, executive director of the Foundation. “Its iconic Archives building in Washington, DC, and facilities around the country hold a breathless number of historic documents that are worth discovering and exploring. Our funding helps bring our nation’s democracy to life through the Archives’ records as we work to encourage civic engagement at home, in schools, and online.”

Major contributors to the Foundation include David M. Rubenstein, Ancestry.com, Mars, Incorporated, AT&T, Texas Instruments, Capital One, and the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund. The Foundation’s work is also supported by its members, including corporations, foundations, and individuals from across the country.