The Phillips Collection announces Centennial Campaign with over $59M committed

Funds are used to enhance the museum and to provide an endowment base that will allow the museum to thrive for another 100 years

WASHINGTON, DC—The Phillips Collection is delighted to announce the ongoing success of its Centennial Campaign, a major fundraising initiative in conjunction with the museum’s 100th anniversary. The campaign has surpassed its initial goal of $50 million, and today has garnered over $59 million in commitments from more than 100 donors in celebration of the Phillips’s centennial year.

“The Phillips is grateful to each and every donor who has given generously in celebration of this milestone,” says Vradenburg Director and CEO Dorothy Kosinski. “The funding provided will support a robust and thriving next 100 years for the museum, and will enliven the growth in our collection, educational outreach, and relationships with our community members.”

The campaign began as a force to increase financial stability and grow the Phillips’s endowment, which has grown from $39 million in 2013 to over $80 million invested with another $22 million in pledges. Donors include trustees, longtime supporters and members, foundations, government agencies, and many cherished friends of the Phillips, including those who have made estate gifts to the museum. The campaign also encompasses several capital needs and special projects.

In addition to significant endowment growth, highlights of the campaign include:

• Capital projects including thermal upgrades in the 1897 Phillips House and refurbishment of the historic House elevator
• Endowment of the museum’s directorship in honor of Honorary Chairman George Vradenburg and his late wife Trish—the first endowed position in the museum’s history
• Launch of a groundbreaking Diversity Initiative that included the hiring of the museum’s first Chief Diversity Officer, Makeba Clay, the first appointed to an art museum; and a year-round paid internship and fellowship program
• Endowment of the Horning Chair of Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion by Lynne and Joe Horning, furthering the Phillips’s commitment to all aspects of DEAI work
• The commissioning of the sculpture Heavy Metal Stack: Fat Cyan Three (2018) by Berlin-based artist Angela Bulloch
• The establishment of several new endowment funds: the Carolyn Alper Fund for Contemporary Art, the Marion F. Goldin Charitable Fund for exhibitions, an education technology fund established by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, and an art conservation fund
• Centennial Music Commissions inspired by works in the collection, premiering during the 2020/21 80th Season of Phillips Music, generously funded by the Sachiko Kuno Foundation
• Preparatory work for the major centennial exhibition Seeing Differently: The Phillips Collects for a New Century, including the accompanying publication
• A major archives digitization project focused on making the correspondence and photographs of founder Duncan Phillips more accessible

There are still many exciting funding opportunities to round out the Centennial Campaign, including: endowment of paid internships and fellowships, endowment of the Chief Curator position, naming opportunities for key galleries, endowment support for Phillips Music, and funding for the forthcoming Centennial Artist Commissions. 

“We are thrilled with the campaign’s progress in honor of the Phillips’s centennial,” remarks Board Chair Dani Levinas. “America’s first museum of modern art turning 100 represents a once-in-a-lifetime milestone, reminding us to reflect on a historic century, celebrate the present moment, and look forward to a dynamic future. The Centennial Campaign sets up the Phillips for an exciting century ahead.”

For more information about The Phillips Collection’s Centennial, visit www.phillipscollection.org/100.

For more information about the Centennial Campaign, visit www.phillipscollection.org/centennial-campaign.

IMAGE GALLERY

High-resolution press images are available upon request. Please contact jmitchell@phillipscollection.org.

IMAGE: Exterior shot of The Phillips Collection during its centennial year. Photo: Travis Houze.

ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of modern art, was founded in 1921. The museum houses one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist and American modern art collections, and continues to grow its collection with important contemporary voices. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The Phillips’s impact spreads nationally and internationally through its diverse and experimental special exhibitions and events, including its award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; renowned Phillips Music series; and dynamic art and wellness and Phillips after 5 events. The museum contributes to global dialogues with events like Conversations with Artists and Artists of Conscience. The Phillips Collection values its community partnerships with the University of Maryland—the museum’s nexus for scholarly exchange and interdisciplinary collaborations—and THEARC—the museum’s satellite campus in Southeast DC. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.