CAMPAIGN

PRIORITIES

PRESIDENT'S

LETTER

LINCOLN

HONOR ROLL

ABOUT THE

CAMPAIGN

Giving every visitor looking to experience our city, every local looking to engage, and every student seeking to discover the sense that—This Is Chicago.

We create bold and accessible attractions that will engage visitors
for years to come.

We empower our communities by engaging, teaching, and inspiring young people.

This Is Chicago is a landmark $50 million fundraising campaign that will extend the Chicago History Museum's role as a community hub for generations to come. Together we can put the pulse of Chicago at everyone's fingertips in a bolder, more accessible way than ever by advancing three priorities that all Chicagoans can call their own.

We preserve and share the past that will shape our city tomorrow.

Thanks to our generous donors, we have already achieved 90% of our goal, and you can help us get to the finish line. Your gift will count in the campaign total and help to support over 75,000 K-12 students per year, develop exhibitions that inspire our communities, our continued digital innovations, to preserve our collection, and much more!

MILLION

In a city full of world-class institutions, the Chicago History Museum brings all of Chicago to life. Drawing on over 160 years of collections and stories, we have provided a home for Chicagoans of every background and a place that helps visitors truly understand our city. 

We see it everyday–when a visitor lingers near the death bed of Abraham Lincoln, or when a student beams with pride and delight at the life and fashion of historic Bronzeville, or when a child hears a voice from the past and feels that history is made by people just like her.

We owe it to our city to maintain these stories for our future and to find new and exciting ways to share them.

Dear Chicago Community,

It was just over 10 years ago that we reopened our doors as the Chicago History Museum and reinvented the way we would serve Chicago as the place that brings together the people, events and identities that make Chicago, Chicago.

We are fortunate that in this campaign we don’t need to add another wing or building to serve our city better, but what we do need is to expand our civic-based education programs that develop skills by connecting students with Chicago stories, upgrade and modernize our collection storage, and beautify the park around the Museum to become a more welcoming destination.

My heart is filled with thanks for those who already have said they want to help us to make this transformation, because they believe in our mission and the future of our great city.

Gary T. Johnson

President

The Lincoln Honor Roll Society was established to recognize the special individuals and families that include the Chicago History Museum in their estate planning.  Planned gifts are invaluable to the Museum to remain viable, grow and address the changing needs of the communities it serves.  

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