The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, one of the country’s most prominent and distinguished museums, announced today that it has received a $30m “endowment challenge grant” from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in celebration of the museum's 75th anniversary.
The museum said in a statement that the money will go towards digital programmes and collaborations, education and outreach, conservation and conservation science and the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. Terms for the grant stipulate that the museum must raise other money—in this case, an additional $45m—to receive full funding.
"This endowment challenge grant will honour Andrew Mellon and his legacy as we celebrate the 1941 opening of the National Gallery in March,” said the museum’s director, Earl A. Powell III, in a statement. “The trustees and staff join me in expressing our deep gratitude for all that the Mellon family and Mellon Foundation have done for this institution, and we look forward to continuing this successful partnership in the years ahead.”