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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:
- Membership.
- One-time or recurring gifts to our Annual Fund.
- 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).
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:
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.
Offering rotating shows of Kentucky's second-largest publicly held quilt collection, your gift builds the Henry Clay Quilt Conservation Fund. $150,000 room naming.
Name one of the most beloved spaces in Bowling Green, while helping us refresh and restore the space and its adjoining stairwells. $450,000 room naming.
Name our Museum Director position and provide annual support for the Museum's Director, currently held by Brent Bjorkman. $1,000,000 endowment goal.
Help us build an endowment to provide for our student docent program and continue our free admission program. Begun through a crowdfunding campaign, we are seeking major gifts to grow the fund to $1,000,000. Naming opportunities include:
- Director's Assistant Office, $10,000
- Meeting Room, $20,000
- Halllway Gallery, $50,000
- Photography Room, $50,000
- Lobby, $100,000
- Garden Gallery, $10,000
- Spotlight Gallery, $250,000
- Teaching Gallery, $250,000
Renovation Funds, to support restoration and upgrading of facilities to meet best practices in museum accessibility, energy management, and sustainability.
- Staff Break Room, $10,000
- Collections Rehousing Workshop, $40,000
- Courtyard Garden, $200,000
- Decorative Arts Gallery, $200,000
- Community Gallery, $250,000
- Grand Gallery, $450,000
The Museum Education Fund is an endowment to provide annual support for educational and community programs. Naming opportunities include:
- Education Office, $10,000
- Student Research Gallery, $50,000
- Classroom I, $75,000
- Classroom II, $75,000
- Western Room, $100,000
Help grow the Dorothy Grider Exhibition Fund to ensure continued best practices in the interpretation and display of our collections throughout our gallery spaces. Naming opportunities include:
- Exhibit Curator's Office, $10,000
- Exhibit Technician's Office, $10,000
- Exhibit Preparator's Office, $10,000
- Exhibit Intern's Office, $10,000
- Laboratory, $20,000
- Workshop and Cold Storage, $25,000
- Artifact Prep Room, $30,000
- Exhibit Planning Room, $30,000
- Museum Workshop, $200,000
The Collections Endowment provides annual support for the care, conservation, and acquisition of art and artifacts from Kentucky's history and contemporary culture. Naming opportunities will help us grow the fund and include:
- Folk Art Storage, $10,000
- Lithics Storage, $10,000
- Political Memorabilia Storage, $10,000
- Quilt and Sculpture Storage, $10,000
- Vault #1, $10,000
- Vault #2, $10,000
- Folklife Gallery, $50,000
- Collections Office and Processing Suite, $150,000
- Fine Art and Large Collections Storage, $150,000
Additionally, the Museum has an Adopt-an-Artifact program, which allows individuals or groups to symbolically adopt an artifact, group of artifacts, or entire collection of artifacts by making a monetary gift. Fundraising campaigns for specific collections have helped us raise significant funds for the collection and include the Doc Coffey Mask Collection (completed), the Mrs. A.H. Taylor Collection (completed), and the Historic Quilts Collection (ongoing). For more information about the Adopt-an-Artifact program, please contact Tiffany Isselhardt, Development Coordinator, at tiffany.isselhardt@wku.edu
2024-25
Updated on February 26, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Please send your gift to:
Kentucky Museum
Attn: Tiffany Isselhardt
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11092
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Yes. The College Heights Foundation will send you a receipt for tax purposes.
Yes. Please follow the instructions in our online form or contact WKU Advancement Services, 270-745-6208, for assistance.
Yes. Please mark your gift as anonymous when donating online, or enclose instructions with your check.
Yes! In the online form, you will need to complete the “Matching Gift Information” section for us to process your employer match. If you wish to give via check, please contact WKU Advancement Services, 270-745-6208, for assistance.