The National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened to the public on September 24, 2016, represents a national initiative of profound cultural importance. The museum tells a more complete American story by looking at the nation's history through an African American lens. The Smithsonian Campaign supported the construction of the new museum and its inaugural exhibitions. It also is funding acquisitions for the permanent collection, rotating exhibitions, centers of learning, public programs and other initiatives designed to stimulate a dialog about race in America and foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing.

This new museum is a place where all Americans and visitors from around the world can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to our lives and how it helped shape this nation.

The iconic building on the National Mall is a beacon that reminds us of who we were, the challenges we still face and what we can become.

Through the Smithsonian Campaign, you can help create an unprecedented opportunity to explore and revel in African American history and culture.

Your gift will enable the museum to tell a compelling part of the nation’s story through interactive exhibitions featuring new research and new technologies and to engage new audiences now and for generations to come.

We invite your support.

Thank you.

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  Lonnie G. Bunch , III

  Founding Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established by an Act of Congress in 2003 as the Smithsonian’s 19th museum. The nearly 400,000 square-foot-building opened to the public on September 24, 2016, and is the nation's largest museum devoted exclusively to exploring African American history and culture. The museum, the first "green" building on the National Mall, is adjacent to the Washington Monument and within sight of the White House.

The new museum bridges a major gap in our national memory by focusing on a wide arc of history—slavery, Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, migrations to the North and West, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. It also addresses contemporary issues and celebrates African American creativity and cultural expression.

Capital Campaign
The cost of the museum's architectural design, construction and the installation of the permanent exhibitions totaled $540 million. The American people, through federal appropriations, provided half of the funding, and the museum raised the balance through private philanthropy. Funding from the capital campaign also provides critical support for a plethora of initiatives—rotating exhibitions, acquisitions, centers of learning and public programs, for example—that bring the museum's mission to life.

Permanent Galleries
Exhibitions in the 11 permanent galleries trace American history from the 15th century to the present. They include Slavery and Freedom; Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876–1968; A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond; Making a Way Out of No Way; Power of Place; Musical Crossroads; Double Victory: The African American Military Experience; Visual Art and the American Experience; Taking the Stage; Sports: Leveling the Playing Field and Cultural Expressions.

Public Spaces
The three-tiered building with its distinctive bronze-colored corona was designed to achieve LEED gold certification. Other design elements reflect the faith, hope and resiliency of the African American spirit. Campaign gifts will help the museum become a 21st-century center for learning, collaboration and exchange.