Donate

As an educational and research center, we cultivate learning and inspire curiosity through exhibitions, programs, and preserving our cultural heritage based on over 300 years of Kentucky's diverse traditions. We are growing rapidly, with new opportunities for campus and community engagement. We rely entirely on private support to meet these challenges.

There are three primary ways to support our mission:

1. Membership.
2. One-time or recurring gifts to our Annual Fund.
3. Major gifts that establish endowments or named spaces.

---

Membership

Kentucky Museum members support our mission - helping bring to life the many exhibitions and programs we present each year. In thanks, members receive these exclusive benefits:

• Bi-Annual Magazine (January and July).
• Monthly Insider Emails, with behind-the-scenes stories about museum life.
• Invitations to all museum events, plus special exhibition previews or members-only programs (when available).
• Recognition in our Annual Report.
• Acknowledgement via the WKU Philanthropy Recognition Program, which highlights annual, consecutive, cumulative, and planned giving.

 

General Membership is $50 per year ($4.17 per month). 

For those who are underemployed, low-income, or a student at WKU or SKYCTC, membership is $15 per year ($1.25 per month).

 

Become a Member

 

---

Annual Fund

One-time or recurring gifts are welcome to our Annual Fund, which supports free admission, our Student Docent program, and our greatest needs. Make a secure gift online by clicking the button below:

Donate to the Annual Fund

 

For more information, or with questions, call Tiffany Isselhardt at 270-745-3369.

---

 

Endowments & Naming Opportunities

Our Wish List details major and collaborative giving opportunities that empower us to continue serving our campus and community long into the future. 

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Medley, Assistant Director of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement, at 270-745-4494, or Brent Bjorkman, Museum Director, 270-745-6261.

 

Museum for All Fund

An endowment to ensure free admission in perpetuity and provide funding for our student docent program, living wages for our team, and other critical needs. Collaborative gifts, of any amount, and the below naming opportunities, will help us reach our $1,000,000 endowment goal. Naming opportunities include:

• Lithics Collections Storage, $10,000
• Political Memorabilia Storage, $10,000
• Quilts and Sculpture Storage, $10,000
• Oral History Lab, $10,000
• Meeting Room, $20,000
• Gallery Connector, $20,000
• Director's Office, $20,000
• Long Hallway Gallery, $50,000
• Photography Room, $50,000
• Lobby, $100,000
• Garden Gallery, $100,000
• Spotlight Gallery, $250,000
• Teaching Gallery, $250,000
• Grand Gallery, $450,000

 

Naming of the Kentucky Room

Name one of the most beloved spaces in Bowling Green, while helping us refresh and restore the space and its adjoining stairwells. The Kentucky Room is part of our original 1939 building and holds many community memories while serving as venue for the annual Celebration of the Arts show and host to rotating shows of our permanent art collection.

$450,000 naming opportunity.

 

Collections Endowment

Provide annual support for the care, conservation, and acquisition of art and artifacts from Kentucky's history and contemporary culture. Our Adopt-an-Artifact program, gifts of any amount, and the below naming opportunities, will help us reach our $500,000 endowment goal. Naming opportunities include:

• Folk Art Storage, $10,000
• Vaults, $20,000 each
• Folklife Gallery, $50,000
• Sculpture Gallery, $150,000
• Quilt Gallery, $150,000
• Collections Offices and Processing Suite, $150,000
• Future Fine Art Collections Storage, $150,000

 

Education Endowment

Provide annual support for our programs, such as the beloved Hammer-In, guest speakers, and K-12 programs. Naming opportunities include:

• Education Office - $10,000
• Classroom I - $50,000
• Classroom II - $50,000
• Student Research Gallery - $50,000
• Western Room - $100,000

 

Endowed Director

Name our Museum Director position and provide recurring annual support for the Museum's Director, currently held by Brent Bjorkman.

$1,000,000 endowment goal.

 

Additional Opportunities

Our vision for the future includes restoring and renovating spaces in our historic building that will provide greater accessibility for visitors, ability to display our collections, and enjoyment of the hidden architectural and natural gems within our spaces. Naming opportunities that will provide renovation funding include:

• • Collections Workshop/Classroom, $100,000
  • Courtyard Garden, $200,000
  • Decorative Arts Gallery, $200,000
  • Community Gallery, $250,000
  • Duncan Hines / Future Close Study Gallery, $250,000

 

Want to chat about possibilities? Please call Elizabeth Medley, Assistant Director of Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement, at 270-745-4494, or Brent Bjorkman, Museum Director, at 270-745-6261. Thank you!

2024-25

Updated on December 6, 2024

 

Frequently Asked Questions