World War I Museum nets nearly $7 million in new funding
- 2 feb 2017
- 2 Min. de lectura
In a continuing celebration of the centennial of the World War I Museum and Memorial, the historical site announced a new round of funding from private and public sources. In response to the museum’s centennial fundraiser, a combination of tax credits and donations totaling about $7 million have been offered to the site.
“We are grateful to Kansas City’s generous philanthropic community who have taken the lead to respond to the invitation to invest in the expansion of the National World War I Museum and Memorial and its important mission to honor those whose lives were sacrificed in the Great War,” said Dr. Matthew Naylor, National World War Museum and Memorial president and CEO, said in a statement.
The press release announcing the new round of funding noted that less than 10 percent of the World War I museum’s collection is on display at any given moment.
The World War I museum was built in 2006. The fundraiser is part of an ongoing centennial celebration called the “Call of Duty,” which started in 2014.
The private donation comes with a state tax subsidy as well. The Missouri Development Finance Board awarded the historical site $1.8 million in tax credits for the campaign.
A group of six local foundations have assembled a $5 million donation for the project. The largest donation, $2.1 million, came from the Hall Family Foundation. A member of the foundation’s namesake family is among the leadership for this fundraising campaign.
The monies will be used to open a new exhibition site and refurbish the outdoor meeting space before the museum and its iconic obelisk to enhance public use and private gatherings. The entryway targeted by the donation sits before the museum’s iconic Paul Sunderland Glass Bridge, which takes visitors over a field of poppies commemorating the lives lost in what is often referred to as “The Great War.” The bridge is named for Paul Sunderland, Missouri’s last known World War I veteran who died in 2004. His grandson chairs the Sunderland Foundation, which has participated financially in the “Call of Duty.”
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